Excerpts from the writings of
ST. TERESA OF JESUS, Doctor of the Church.

BOOKMARK OF ST. TERESA

LET NOTHING DISTURB YOU,

NOTHING FRIGHTEN YOU.

ALL THINGS ARE PASSING,

GOD NEVER CHANGES.

PATIENCE OBTAINS ALL THINGS.

NOTHING IS WANTING,

TO ONE WHO POSSESSES GOD

GOD ALONE SUFFICES.

This last line is the catchphrase of every Discalced Carmelite Nun: daughter of St. Teresa whose life testifies to this all the time!

THE REASON WHY ST. TERESA FOUNDED CARMEL. 

What we have to ask God - in Prayer - is that, in this little castle of ours, inhabited as it is by good christians, none of us may go over to the enemy. We must ask God too, to make the captains in this castle or city - that is the preachers and theologians - highly proficient in the way of the Lord. And as most of these are Religious, we must pray that they may advance in perfection, and in the fulfillment of their vocation, for it is very needful. For it is the ecclesisatical and not the secular arm which must defend us.

As we can do nothing by either of these means to help our King, let us strive to live in such a way that our prayers may be of avail to help these servants of God, who at the cost of so much toil have fortified themselves with learning and virtuous living, and have laboured to help the Lord. I beg you to try to live in such a way as to be worthy to obtain two things from God. First that there may be many of these very learned and religious men who have the qualifications for their task and that the Lord may prepare those who are not completely prepared already, and who lack anything, for a single one who is perfect, will do more than many who are not. Secondly that after they have entered upon this struggle, the Lord may have them in His Hand so that they may be delivered from all dangers that are in the world. 

If we can prevail with God in the smallest degree about this, we shall be fighting His battle even while living a cloistered life and I shall consider as well spent, all the trouble to which I have gone, in founding this retreat. Make no account of any pain which has an end, if by means of it any greater service can be rendered to Him Who bore such pains for us. Always try to find out wherein lies the greatest perfection.

The more favours the Lord grants you in prayer, the more needful is it that your good work and your prayer should have a sure foundation. You already know that the first stone of this foundation must be a good conscience and that you must make every effort to free yourselves from even venial sins and follow the greatest possible perfection. Everything depends on our having true light to keep the law of God perfectly. This is a firm basis for prayer.

There are people whose nature it is to be very much cast down by small things. If you are not like this, do not neglect to have compassion on others. It may be that Our Lord wishes to spare us these sufferings, and will give us sufferings of another kind which may seem heavy to us, though to the person already mentioned, they may seem light. In these matters then, we must not judge others by ourselves, nor think of ourselves as we have been at some time when, perhaps without any effort on our part, the Lord has made us stronger than they; Let us think of  what we were like at the times when we have been weakest.

If we care nothing for any created thing, but embrace the Creator alone, His Majesty will infuse the virtues into us, in such a way that, provided we labour  to the best of our abilities day by day, we shall not have to wage war much longer, for the Lord will take our defense in hand against the devils and against the whole world. Do you suppose daughters, that it is a small benefit to obtain for ourselves this blessing of giving ourselves wholly to Him and keeping nothing for ourselves? How many people do I know who are better than myself who would gladly take this place of mine, yet the Lord has granted it to me, who so ill deserve it.

You know there is no worse thief than one who lives in the house. Unless we take great care and each of us looks well to it that she renounces her self will, which is the most important business of all, there will be many things to deprive us of the holy freedom of spirit which our souls seek in order to soar to their Maker. His majesty will help us to do this. He has granted us the great favour of providing that in this house, most of it is done already; but it remains for us to become detached from our own selves, and it is a hard thing to withdraw from ourselves and oppose ourselves, because we are very close to ourselves and love ourselves very dearly.

Once we begin to work, God too works in our souls and bestows such favours on them that the most we can do in this life seems to us very little...Why then do we shrink from interior mortification, since this is the means by which every other kind of mortification may become much more meritorious and perfect, so that it can thus be practised with greater tranquility and ease? This is acquired by gradual progress and by never indulging our own will and desire , even in small things until we have succeeded in subduing the body to the spirit... If you are very careful about your prayer, you will soon find yourselves gradually reaching the summit of the mountain without knowing how. How harsh it sounds to say that we must take pleasure in nothing, unless we also say what consolations and delights this renunciation brings in its train, and what a great gain it is, even in this life! What security it gives us!

My intent is to suggest a few remedies for a number of small temptations which come from the devil, and which, because they are so slight are apt to pass unnoticed.I shall also write of other things, according as the Lord reveals them to me and as they come to my mind; since i do not know what I am going to say, I cannot set it down in suitable order; and I think it is better for me not to do so, for it is quite unsuitable that i should be writing in this way at all. may the Lord lay His Hand on all that I do, so that it may be in accordance with His holy Will; this is always my desire.

The nun to whom it seems, she is herself the least of all, should consider herself the most blessed of all. Let us imitate in some way the great humility of the Blessed Virgin, Whose Habit we wear. However much it seems to us that we humble ourselves, we fall far short of being the daughters of such a Mother and the brides of such a Spouse. This house is another heaven, if it be possible to have heaven upon earth. Anyone whose sole pleasure lies in pleasing God and who cares nothing for her own pleasure, will find our life a very good one.If she wants anything more she will lose everything, for there is nothing more that she can have. For although we allow time for the attainment of complete detachment and mortification in interior matters, in externals this has to be practiced immediately. I do not say that a nun must be as perfect as the rest, but she must be sure that her soul is gradually growing.  

.......Meditation is the first step to be taken toward the acquisition of the virtues and the very life of all Christians depends upon their beginning it. The Lord does not allow Himself to be taken except by by one who who surrenders wholly to Him. The King of glory will not come to our souls - that is so as to be united with them - unless we strive to gain the greatest virtues. 

Contemplation is a Divine union in which the Lord takes His delight in the soul and the soul takes its delight in Him. 

.....There are many souls whom God tests in this way and few who prepare themselves to enjoy this favour. When the Lord does this and we ourselves leave nothing undone either, I think it is certain that He never ceases from giving until He has brought us to a very high degree of prayer. 

God deliver us Sisters from saying, "we are not angels" or "we are not saints" whenever we commit some imperfection. We mat not be; but what a good thing it is for us to reflect that we can be if we will only try and if God gives us His Hand. Do not be afraid that He will fail to do His part if we do not fail to do our part. and since we have come here for no other reason... let there be nothing we known of, which it would be of service to the Lord for us to do, and which with His help, we would not venture to take in hand.

....Contemplation is something given by God and it is not necessary for our salvation. I myself spent over 14 years without ever being able to meditate except while reading. There must be many people like this, and others who cannot meditate even after reading, but can only recite vocal prayers. Some find their thoughts wandering so much that they cannot concentrate upon the same thing, but are always restless, to such an extent that if they try to fix their thoughts upon God, they are attacked by a thousand foolish ideas and scruples and thoughts concerning their Faith. tears though good, are not invariably signs of perfection; there is always greater safety in humility, mortification, detachment and other virtues. There is no reason for fear, you must not be afraid that you will fail to attain the perfection of the greatest contemplatives.

.....St. Martha was holy, but we are not told that she was a contemplative. What more do you want than to be able like that blessed woman, who was worthy to receive Christ Our Lord so often in her house, and to prepare meals for Him...Now remember that little community is St. Martha's house and that there must be people of all kinds here. True humility consists in being ready for what the Lord desires to do with you and happy that He should do it, and in always considering yourself unworthy to be called His servants.

Practice mental prayer Sisters or if any of you cannot do that, vocal prayer, reading and colloquies with God. Do not neglect the hours of prayer...you never know when the Spouse will call you. Contemplatives have to bear aloft the standard of humility and must suffer all the blows which are aimed at them without striking any themselves. Their duty is to suffer as Christ did, to raise the cross on high, not to allow it to leave their hands, whatever the perils in which they find themselves, and not to let themselves be found backward in suffering. 
Progress has nothing to do with enjoying the greatest number of consolations in prayer, or with raptures, visions or favours given by the Lord, the value of which we cannot estimate until we reach the world to come. It consists in the great virtues of humility, mortification and an obedience so extremely strict that we never go an inch beyond the superior's orders, knowing that these orders come from God since she is in His place. it seems to me that anyone who does not have it, is not a nun at all.

       

16TH JULY

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL.

The Sacred Scriptures speak of the beauty of Mt. Carmel, when the Prophet Elijah defended the faith of Israel in the Living God. There at the beginning of the 13th century, under the title of "St. Mary of Mount Carmel", the Order of Carmelites had its formal beginning. From the 14th century, this title, recalling the countless blessings of its Patroness began to be solemnly celebrated, first in England and then gradually throughout the whole Order. It attained its supreme place from the beginning of the 17th century, when the General Chapter declared it to be the principal Feast of the Order, and Pope Paul V recognized it as the feast of the Scapular Confraternity.

CARMEL AND ITS SAINTS.

13th July

Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus, (of Los Andes) 1920

Juanita Fernandes Solar wes born at Santiago Chile on July 13th 1900. From her adolescence she was devoted to Christ. She entered the monastery of the Discalced Nuns at Los Andes on May 7th 1919 where she was given the name of Teresa of Jesus. She died on April 12th of the following year after having made her Religious profession. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 3rd 1987 at Santiago Chile and canonized on March 21st 1993 by the same Pope. She was proposed as a model for young people. She is the first Chilian and first member of the Teresian Carmel in Latin America to be canonized.

17th July

17 Blessed Martyrs of Compiegn. (1794)

Guillotined at the place Du Trone Renberse (now called place de la Nation.), Paris, 17th July, 1794, they are the first sufferers under the French Revolution on whom the Holy See has passed judgement, and were solemnly beatified 27th May, 1906. Before their execution they knelt and chanted "Veni Creator", as at a profession, after whichm they all renewed aloud their Baptismal and Religious Vows. The Novice was executed first and the Prioress last. Absolute silence prevailed the whole time that the executions were proceeding. The heads and bodies of the Martyrs were interred on a deep sand-pit about 30 feet square in a cemetery at Picpus.

       20th July 

Saint Elijah (9th century B.C.)

Scripture presents the Prophet Elijah as a man of God, walking continually in God's presence and fiercely defending the worship of the One true God. He stood up for God's rights in a solemn contest on Mount Carmel. Later on Mount Horeb he was granted an intimate experience of the Living God. St. Elijah is called the Father and founder of the Carmelite Order, a model for contemplatives. "The Lord lives, in whose presence I stand". He worked great wonders in order to bring back the people of Israel to the worship of Yahweh the true God. 

24th. July.

Blessed John Soreth.

John Soreth was born at Caen in Normandy (France) in 1394. He entered Carmel in his youth, and in due course took the degree of Master in Theology at Paris, where he became regent of studies. He later became Provincial. He was Prior General of the Order from 1451 until his death at Angers (France) in 1471. He restored and encouraged religious observance , wrote a well known commentary on the Rule, issued revised Constitutions in 1462, and supported and promoted the foundation of Communities of Nuns in the Order. 

24th July

Blessed Martyrs of Guadalajara (1936)

In 1936, during the Spanish civil war ,communist troops murdered 3 Carmelite Nuns at Guadalajara, Spain. They were: Sr. Maria of the Angels of St. Joseph(Marciana Valtierra Tordesillas), 31 years old. Sr. Maria Pillar of St. Francis Borgia (Jacoba Martinez Garcia) 58 years old. Sr. Teresa of the Child Jesus (Eusebia Garcia Y Garcia) 27 years old.

27th July
Blessed Titus Brandsma, Priest & Martyr.

Born at Bolsward (The Netherlands) in 1881, Titus Brandsma joined the Carmelite Order as a young man. Ordained a priest in 1905, he earned a doctorate in Philosophy in Rome. He then taught in various schools in Holland and was named professor of philosophy and of the history of mysticism in the Catholic University of Nijmegen, where he also served as Rector Magnificus. He was noted for his constant availability to everyone. He was a professional journalist, and in 1935, he was appointed  ecclesiastical adviser to Catholic journalists. Both before and during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands he fought, fathful to the Gospel, against the spread of Nazi ideology and for the freedom of Catholic education and of the Catholic press. For this he was arrested and sent to a succession of prisons and concentration camps where he brought comfort and peace to his fellow prisoners and did good even to his tormentors; in 1942 after much suffering and humiliation, he was killed at Dachau. He was beatified by John Paul II on November 3rd. 1985.

7th August

St. Albert of Trapani - priest

Albert degli Abbati was born at Trapani, Sicily, in the 13th century, and entered the Carmelite Order as a youth. He became renowned as a fervent preacher of the Gospel and a worker of miracles. He was Provincial of Sicily in 1296 and died at Messina, probably in 1307 with a reputation for purity and prayer.

9th August.

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. (Edith Stein) - Martyr.

              (She was beatified by Pope John Paul II at Cologne on May 1st. 1987,
                                            and canonized on October 11th 1998.)

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, She was a German Jewess.

Born eighteen ninety one, Who pursued higher studies

And hard work did not shun

In intellectual circles, She learned to move about

Until the great Teresa, Happened to clear her doubt.

The truth was with the Christians, So Christ became her light

When Hitler rose to power, She was a Carmelite.

Though she moved out to Holland, The Nazis tracked her down

And shifted her to Auschwitz, Where she received her crown.

16th August

Blessed MariaSagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga.

Maria Sagrario was born at Lillo, Toledo, on 8th January1881. A pharmacist by profession, she was one of the first women in Spain to be admitted to this qualification. In 1915 she entered the carmel of St. Anne and St. Joseph in Madrid. Through her spirit of prayer and her love for the Eucharist, she was a perfect embodiment of the contemplative and ecclesial ideal of the Teresian Carmel. She was prioress of her community when she was martyred on 15th August 1936. It was a grace she longed for and accepted in perfection of faith and ardent love for Christ.

ST. MARY OF JESUS CRUCIFIED 25TH AUGUST

                          

St. Mary of Jesus crucified was born of the Baouardy family, Catholics of the Greek Melchite Rite, at Abellin in Galilee in 1846. In 1867 she entered the Discalced Carmelites at Pau in France and was sent with the founding group to the Carmel of Mangalore i India where in 1870 she made her Profession. She returned to France in 1872. In 1875 she went to the Holy Land where she built a monastery in Bethlehem and began planning for another monastery in Nazareth. Noted for her supernatural gifts, especially for humility, for her devotion to the Holy Spirit, and her great love for the Church and the Pope, she died at Bethlehem in 1878.

 26th August.

St. Teresa of Avila's TRANSVERBERATION.

The chief among St. Teresa's virtues was the love of God, which Our Lord Jesus Christ increased by means of many visions and revelations. He made her His spouse on one occasion. At other times she saw an angel with a flaming dart piercing her heart. Through these heavenly gifts, the flame of divine love in her heart became so strong that inspired by God she made the extremely difficult vow of always doing what seeded to her, most perfect and most conducive to God's glory. ( Pope Gregory XV in the Bull of canonization.)

1st. September

St. Teresa Margaret  Redi of the Sacred Heart.  

Teresa Margaret belonged to the noble family of Redi, and was born in the Tuscan city of Arezzo (Italy) in 1747. She entered the Discalced Carmelite  monastery at Florence on September 1st. 1764. She was granted a special grace of contemplative insight based on St. John's phrase GOD IS LOVE, through which she felt called to a hidden life of love and self sacrifice. She progressed rapidly, fulfilling her vocation through heroic charity towards others. She died in Florence in 1770.

12th September

Blessed Mary of Jesus.

Born in 1560 at Tartanedo (Spain) Mary took the Discalced Carmelite Habit at Toledo in 1577 and made her profession the following year. She spent the rest of her life serving God in that Carmel except for a brief period in 1585 when she helped with a foundation at Cuerva. She died at Toledo on September 13th 1640. St. Teresa of Avila thought extremely highly of her. She was a great contemplative, intensely devoted to Our Lord and often drawing inspiration from the Liturgy.

17th September

St. Albert of Jerusalem...Bishop, and Lawgiver of Carmel.

Albert Avogadro was born about 1150 A.D. at castle Gualtieri (Italy). He entered the Canons regular of the Holy Cross at Mortara and was elected Prior in 1180. He became Bishop of Bobbio in 1184 and of Vercelli the following year, and in 1250 was made Patriarch of Jerusalem. In all these offices he was a model pastor in word and example, and he contributed greatly to the establishment of peace. During his Patriarchate (1205 - 1214) he formed the hermit Brothers of Mount Carmel into a collegium and wrote a rule for them. He was murdered on 14 September 1214 by the Master of the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, whom he had rebuked and deposed for immorality. 

1st. October

St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

Therese Martin was born at Alencon (France) in 1873. At the age of fifteen she entered the Carmel at Lisieux. She practised heroic humility, evangelical simplicity and trust in God, and taught the novices these virtues by word and example. She offered her life for the salvaion of souls and the spread of the Faith. She died on 30th September 1897.

Her parents Louis and Zelie Martin are the first couple to be beatified...by Pope Benedict XVI. and canonized by Pope Francis.

15TH OCTOBER
ST. TERESA OF AVILA, OUR MOTHER.
VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

Teresa was born at Avila (Spain) in 1515. As a member of the carmelite Order she made great progress in perfection and received mystical revelations. As reformer of her Order she underwent many trials which she intrepidly overcame. She also wrote books of the greatest spiritual value which reflect her own experiences. She died at Alba in 1582. 

19th NOVEMBER St. Raphael Kalinowski.

Raphael Kalinowski was born to Polish parents in the city of Vilnius in 1835. After military service, he was in 1868 condemned to 10 years of forced labour in Siberia. In 1977 he joined the Discalced Carmelite Order and in 1882 was ordained a Priest. He brought about the restoration of the Order in Poland and guided its growth. His life was distinguished for his zeal for Church unity and by his unflagging devotion to his ministry as a confessor and spiritual director. He died in Wadowice in 1907.

29th November Bl. Denis and Redemptus, Martyrs.

Denis of the Nativity, priest, whose secular name was Pierre Berthelot was born at Honfleur (France) in 1600. He was cartographer and naval commander in the service of the Portuguese crowns, but in 1635 became a discalced Carmelite in Goa. It was also at Goa that Thomas Rodriguez da Cunha, born in Portugal in 1598, had been professed as a lay Brother under the name of Redemptus of the Cross in 1615. They were sent together to Sumathra, where they were martyred on November 29th 1638 at Achen. 

Saint Maria Maravillas of Jesus. December 11th.

Maravillas was born at Madrid in 1891. She entered the El Escorial Carmel, Madrid on 12th October 1919. In 1924 she founded a carmel at Cerro de los Angeles, alongside the monument to the sacred Heart of Jesus. From this foundation followed 9 others in Spain and one in India - Kottayam. She always gave first place to prayer and self sacrifice. She had a true, passionate zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Even while living a life of poverty in the cloister, she helped those who were in need, initiating apostolic, social and charitable works. In a particular way she helped those of her own order, Priests and other religious congregations. She died in the monastery of La Aldehuela, Madrid, on 11th December 1974.

ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS. DECEMBER 14th.

John the Yepes was born in 1542, at Fontiveros (Spain) and entered the Carmelite Order in 1563. In 1568 he became, at St. Teresa's suggestion, one of the first 2 friars of the discalced Reform, taking the name of JOHN OF THE CROSS. He was an heroic defender of the reform for the rest of his life. He died at Ubeda in 1591, and from that time he has enjoyed great esteem for sanctity and for the spiritual wisdom to which his writings testify.

BLESSED MARY OF THE ANGELS DECEMBER 16th

She was born in Turin (Italy) in 1661, and died after spending her whole life there, in 1717. In 1675 she entered the Discalced Carmelite Convent of St. Christina, and several times filled the offices of Prioress and Novice mistress. She underwent continual spiritual trials, but was constant nevertheless in her ardent love of God. She was outstandingly faithful to prayer and particularly devoted to St. Joseph, in whose honour a convent was foundedthrough her good offices at Moncalieri.

SAINT KURIAKOSE ELIAS CHAVARA. 3rd. JANUARY

Cyriac Kuriakose Elias Chavara, co-founder and first Prior general of the congregation of the carmelites of Mary Immaculate, was born at Kainakary in Kerala, India, on February 10th 1805. He entered the seminary in 1818 and was ordained a priest in 1829. He made his religious profession in 1855 and was vicar general of the Syro Malabar Church from 1861. He was also the co-founder of the Sisters of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel in 1866. He defended the ecclesial unity against the schism of Rochos, worked all his life for the spiritual renovation of the church in Malabar. Above all he was a man of prayer, zealous for the Eucharistic Lord and specially devoted to the Bl. Virgin Mary Immaculate. He died at Koonammavu in 1871. His mortal remains were transferred to Mannanam in 1889.

St. Alphonsa an Indian Saint - who was beatified together with Kuriakose Chavara in 1986 - was miraculously cured from a serious illness in 1936 through the intercession of the latter. (She was canonized in 2008.)

Yet another Indian saint, Rosa Eluvathingal, was canonized along with Kuriakose Elias Chavara on 23.11.2014.

ST. PETER THOMAS. 8TH JANUARY.

Born about 1305 in southern Perigord, France, Peter Thomas entered the Carmelite Order at the age of twenty. He was elected Procurator General of the Order to the Papal court at Avignon in 1345. In 1354 he was made Bishop of Patti and Lipari, and thereafter often acted as Papal Legate in the cause of peace and of union with the eastern Churches. He was translated to Corone in the Peleponnesus, and made Papal Legate for the East in 1359; In 1363 he was made Archbishop of Crete; and in 1364 he became Latin Patriarch of Constantinople. In these Offices he distinguished himself as an apostle of Christian unity. He died at Famagosta in Cyprus in 1366.

SAINT ANDREW CORSINI. 9th JANUARY.

Andrew Corsini was born at the beginning of the fourteenth century in Florence, Italy, where he later became a Carmelite. He was elected Provincial of Tuscany at the General Chapter of Metz. On October 13th 1349 he became Bishop of Fiesole, and in governing his diocese he showed outstanding charity, apostolic zeal and prudence, together with great love for the poor. He died on January 6th 1374.

BLESSED MARY OF THE INCARNATION. 18th  APRIL.

Barbe Avrillot was born in Paris in 1566. At the age of sixteen she married Pierre Acarie, by whom she had seven children. In spite of her household duties and many hardships, she attained the heights of mystical life. Under the influence of St. Teresa's writings, and after mystical contacts with the Saint herself, she spared no effort in introducing the Discalced nuns into France. After her husband's death, she asked to be admitted among them as a lay sister, taking the name of Mary of the Incarnation. She was professed at the Carmel of Amiens in 1615. She was esteemed by some of the greatest men of her time, including St. Francis de Sales. She was distinguished by her spirit of prayer and her zeal for the propagation of the Catholic faith. She died at Pontoise on 18th April 1618. 

SAINT SIMON STOCK 16TH MAY.

Simon an Englishman, died at Bordeaux in mid-thirteenth century. He has been venerated in the Carmelite Order for his personal holiness and his devotion to Our Lady. A liturgical celebration in his honour was observed locally in the fifteenth century and later extended to the whole Order.

SAINT JOACHINA DE VERDUNA. 22nd. MAY.

Joachina was born in Barcelona in 1783. In 1799 she married Theodor de Mas, by whom she had nine children. Her husband died in 1816. In 1826 she was moved by the Holy Spirit to found the congregation of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity which spread throughout Catalonia, maintaining many houses for the care of the sick and the education of children, especially the poor. She loved to contemplate the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and this devotion characterized her life life of prayer, mortification, detachment, humility and charity. She died at Vich in 1854.

SAINT MARY MAGDALEN DE' PAZZI. 25th MAY.

She was born in Florence in the year 1566. After a pious upbringing she entered the Carmelite Convent where she led a hidden life of prayer and self denial. She prayed especially for the reform of the church. She was endowed by God  with many spiritual gifts and directed her fellow sisters along the road of perfection.She die in the year 1607.

BLESSED ANNE OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW. 7th JUNE.

Ana Garcia was born at Almendral, Castille, in 1549. In 1572 she made her profession as a Carmelite in the hands of St. Teresa at St. Joseph's Avila. The Saint later chose her as her companion and nurse, and she subsequently brought the Teresian spirit to France and Belgium, where she proved herself, like Teresa,  daughter of the church, in her great zeal for the salvation of souls. She died at Antwerp in 1626.

              

                    

HISTORY OF THE CARMELITE ORDER.

The Carmelites take their name and origin from Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land,  where  some seekers of Christian perfection who had come with the Crusaders, settled as hermits towards the end of the twelfth century.  They were gathered into a community  around 1209 by a Formula or rule of life given by Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem. This rule was approved by several popes, especially by Innocent IV with a few amendments,  in 1247, after these Carmelites had migrated to Western Europe.

 Taking the Prophet Elias  as their  inspiration and Mary, as their Queen,  Mother and Patroness, they spread rapidly especially in England and France.  The Order was opened  to women in the mid-fifteenth century, the feminine branch being known as the second order.  Their principal  role in the Church, like that of the first order, was to meditate day and night on the law of the Lord and watch in prayer..

St   Teresa of Jesus  1515-1582,  re-founded the feminine branch  in 1562  and extended her reform to the friars with the help of St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) in 1567.  She gave a decidedly apostolic thrust   to   the Carmelite way of life.    Her daughters and sons will henceforth be known as Discalced Carmelites.      St. Teresa   encouraged missionary activities among the friars, who – along with the Sisters – were also to be real contemplatives.

The first Teresian cloistered Carmel in India was founded in Pondicherry  in the seventeenth  and absorbed into the mainstream second order in the middle of the  nineteenth.  This was followed by Mangalore in 1870.  Today    there are about 30 Teresian cloistered Carmels in India.    

CARMEL OF THE SACRED HEART, KANKANADY, MANGALORE.

If it is true that every Teresian Carmel must be derived from one or more previously exiting Teresian foundations, then, the Carmel of the Sacred Heart, at Kankanady, Mangalore, has the honour of being the first Teresian  Cloistered Carmel on Indian soil. This first foundation was planned by the last Carmelite Bishop of Mangalore, Mgr. Marie Ephrem, who transplanted from southern France to India the life of Teresian contemplation. Bishop Marie Ephrem, the only child of his parents had been ordained Bishop after having served in Quilon, Calicut, Tellicherry, Cannanore and Mangalore and had gone to Europe soon afterwards to take part in the First Vatican Council. It was then that he made arrangements with the Carmel of Pau in France that some of the nuns be sent to make a foundation in Mangalore, where he had recently been appointed Vicar Apostolic.

The Carmel of Pau was ready to offer six of its Religious for a foundation in the missions and the Bishop was glad. The next problem that had to be tackled was the financing of the project. They had to search for benefactors.

There happened to be at that time in the community at Pau, an Arab Novice who was rather extraordinary. She too was asked to pray in a special way that the problem of financing this foundation in the mission might be solved. And something extraordinary happened! A young girl appeared to the Novice, telling her that a certain George whose daughter she was, would subsidize the project. When she reported this vision to those in authority, they made every effort to verify who this George might be, till they discovered that the girl who had appeared to the Novice was Matilda who had died  some years previously, and her father was George count de Nedonchelle from Belgium!(Picture below) When the Sisters approached him, he was found most willing to meet the expenses  necessary for the journey and the foundation.  

The next thing was to start. The Bishop himself accompanied the six Sisters on the first leg of their long trip-from Pau to Marseilles. At Marseilles three more Carmelite Sisters joined them, and these were destined for the active apostolate. The bishop had foreseen the needs of his diocese. He had understood that Mangalore was in need, not only of a power house of prayer, but also a community to be involved in the Christian education of youth.

 On 18^th August, 1870, the nine Sisters and two Carmelite Fathers borded the ship ”LA GUINNE”. The six Discalced nuns were Rev. Mother Elias (Prioress), Mother Mary of Jesus, Mother Mary of the Saviour, Sr. Stephanie and Sr. Euphrasia and last, but not least, the Extraordinary Novice of whom mention has already been made. The sailing was smooth till they reached the Red sea. There was excessive heat which became a torture to some of the Sisters. Sr. Stephanie expired just before the  ship reached Aden. In Aden she was laid to rest. And as her body was being laid to rest, cannons boomed 19 times ….as though to pay her homage that is due to soldiers who fall in battle. (Actually the cannons were to greet a French Admiral who was visiting Aden. It is difficult as yet to say whether the Admiral was more deserving than the Carmelite!)

The discalced nuns had to break journey at Aden. Three of them were ill and the other two had to attend to their sick Sisters. The “active” Sisters proceeded on their way to India in the company of Fr. Lazarus OCD. One of the two Discalced Nuns, who seems not to have been affected by the inclemency of the weather, was the extraordinary Novice. After all she was an Arab!  At Aden Sr. Euphrasia expired after a few days. When Bishop Marie Ephrem heard of the calamities that had befallen his little flock, he hastened from France to catch up with them as swiftly as he could. He cheered them, and soon they were once again sailing this time over the Indian Ocean. They reached Madras (Chennai ) and went on to Vellore where their companions were awaiting them and altogether once again, they journeyed to Calicut. And here, Mother Elias became very sick and departed this life on the 5^th of November 1870, after exhorting the Arab Novice to be obedient to her Superiors.

On 19^th November, the Sisters reached Mangalore after three months of travel and travail. On the way three of their number had gone to their Reward- Stephanie in her twenties; Euphrasia, in her thirties; the able and experienced Mother Elias, almost within sight of Mangalore. The two professed Sisters and the extraordinary Novice were lodged in the residence of the Tertiaries since the cloister had yet to be built. Obviously they were too few to form a community. Mgr. Marie Ephrem therefore wrote to the Bishop of Bayonne, France, for fresh recruits. And four Sisters from the Bayonne Carmel accepted  the challenge and started for India. After a brief halt in Aden to visit the graves of the Sisters there, they arrived in Mangalore in March 1871, safe and sound. Shortly afterwards the extraordinary novice was joined in the novitiate by the Sister of one of the tertiaries, to whom we have previously referred to as the ‘active’ Carmelites. Finally, on 21 November 1871 the first Carmelite to make her religious profession on Indian soil was the Arab Novice Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified.

 For the first seven Months , the Discalced Nuns as well as the ‘active’ Sisters lived together forming a single community in St. Ann’s Convent. Later they moved into separate apartments prepared for them. Only is June 1879 was the site for the Kankanady foundation purchased. And the foundation stone was laid on August 15, 1880. A Gothic church and a spacious two-storied Carmel were built which cost Rs.80, 000. The expenses were all met by the Belgian nobleman, George, Count of Nodenchelle, in memory of his daughter Matilda who had offered her life for Pope Pius IX. On March 18, 1882, the community was transferred to Kankanady and the new Carmel was solemnly opened on the feast of St. Joseph on March 19^th.

BANGALORE CARMEL

            PHOTO TAKEN BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF COIMBATORE.

               BANGALORE CARMEL (1932) 
        OUR FOUNDRESSES(highlighted in bold) 
In 1601, St. Teresa appeared to Madam Acarie, a deeply pious, mother of a large family, and told her that God wished her to found monasteries of the Carmelite Order in France. One of the Carmels in France was Cholet, which was founded with the intention of recruiting vocations, to be formed and sent to the missions. In 1931, the Bishop of Mysore / Bangalore, Mgr. Maurice Despatures M.E.P. requested this Carmel to make a foundation in his diocese. Thus was founded the Carmel of Bangalore on 29^th January 1932.


CHICALIM CARMEL...FOUNDED IN 1947

THIRUVALLA CARMEL Founded in(1948)

     

                       MUMBAI CARMEL. Founde in 1964

                                      
                                   

                                      
                                           NOVICES OF KURNOOL CARMEL. (1974)

PUNE CARMEL FOUNDED IN 1979

CARMEL OF MARY CAUSE OF OUR JOY AND OF ST. JOSEPH

PREM JYOT CARMEL ASHRAM

MAKARPURA ROAD, VADODARA – 390 010

GUJARAT

Ph: 0265-2638616

premjyotcarmel@gmail.com

FOUNDED : 1982 by the Carmels of Mumbai and Goa

This Carmel in Vadodara, nestled in one of the cities of Gujarat, was born of a dream lodged in the heart of its first holy bishop: the Rt. Rev. Ignatius S. ’Souza in 1966 from the moment of his Episcopal ordination. Maybe it was the dream of our Holy Foundress St. Teresa of Avila too who was always overjoyed to place JESUS in a new tabernacle. However, it was only in 1975 that the Carmel of Andheri, Mumbai was able to respond when Mother Elizabeth of the Trinity with a companion Sister, (the niece of the dear Bishop) accepting the Bishop’s invitation travelled with him by road to Baroda, to visit sites. Finally and providentially on the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, December 3, 1980 the foundation stone was laid by the Bishop, a sure sign that this was to be a missionary Carmel. An unexpected grace was the visit of the Superior General Fr. Philip Sainz de Baranda who on 19th April celebrated Mass at the site.

By the end of 1982, the construction was reaching its last phase when Mother Elizabeth was elected Prioress of Carmel Andheri, Mumbai and responsibility for the foundation was transferred to Carmel Chicalim, Goa who generously accepted it.

Sr. Marie Gemma [later elected prioress] headed the group of 8 Sisters.

On 15th Sept. 1983 the Carmel was blessed and inaugurated by the apostolic Pro Nuncio Rev. A. Cacciavillan. There is an interesting and symbolic  feature in the location of this Carmel. It stands opposite the factory of the Novino, now Panasonic Batteries and daily thick black smoke emanates from its chimneys while from the belfry of Carmel peal bells for prayer and invisible white smoke rises like incense; a sign of what Carmel stands for – a constant pointer to God amidst this worlds seeming godlessness! From its inception the Carmel was lovingly cared for by the Bishop and his staff and the Sisters in turn inserted themselves whole heartedly into the local church making their own its joys, sorrows and concerns.

At Prem Jyot Carmel, everyone feels welcomed; for Christians and people of other faiths, it has become a well known presence – a presence that speaks of God’s love, compassion, understanding and acceptance and a presence of prayer. Through the year the guest rooms become “solitary places” for those seeking prayer and silence in times of retreat.

May God increase and multiply this flame of love – Prem Jyot to draw all people to Himself. 

If HE the Great ALONE calls you to spend your life alone with Him and if you are drawn to pray for the people of this land of Gujarat and for the whole world offering your life as a living sacrifice of love as St. Paul says, you are most welcome to write to us or visit us here at the Carmel of Prem Jyot. 

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CARMEL OF ST. JOSEPH AND ST. TERESA

                                   BOGADI, MYSORE – 570 026.

                                                  (1985)

The Carmel of St. Joseph and St. Teresa situated at Bogadi, 6 kms. From the heart of the city of Mysore, is the first of its kind in Mysore,.third in the state of Karnataka, seventh in the O.C.D.Province of  Karnataka- Goa and the twenty fifth in India. Bishop Mathias Fernandes of happy memory had invited the Carmel of Kottayam to make a foundation in his diocese, in the year 1970.They could not accept it immediately, as they and already given nine sisters for the foundation of the Carmel of Kottiyam.The Bishop had to wait for 12 years for the Carmel of Kottaym to show interest in founding a Carmel in Mysore

  In the year 1982 the Mothers of Kottayam began to search for a suitable place to build the Carmel. They chose the place that Fr.Joseph D’SouzaOCD, the then Provincial showed them at Bogadi.

On the 17th January, 1983, the foundation stone was blessed by the Bishop and was laid by our Father General, Philip Sainz de Baranda in the presence of our Carmelite Fathers and the CSST Sisters who were of great help to us from the start. The building work was guided and supervised by our Carmelite fathers   - Fr. Joseph D’Souza and Br.Baptist Rodrigues. The Prioress from Kottayam used to come to visit the site as and when needed.

On December 2^nd 1985, the first of five sisters who were destined for this foundation came to Mysore.They were Mother Rosario Teresa of Jesus, Sr.Imelda of Jesus Mary, Sr.Anne of

St. Bartholomew, Sr. Ines of O.L.of Fatima and Sr.Mary Magdalene (Extern Sister) with Miss Maria Joseph, (our aspirant who returned to Kottayam Carmel  for her postulancy in February ‘86)  They occupied the extern quarters the work of which was completed by this time .The Capuchin Fathers were building their theologate next to our monastery at the same time and they were of much help for us. As Bishop Mathias was called to his eternal rest on the 9^th May, the Diocesan Administrator and Vicar General, Fr. Joseph Roy, blessed the outside quarters and celebrated the first Mass along with Fr. Nemesio OCD, Fr.JosephD’souzaOCD and Fr.Patrick Crasta OFM.Cap., in the improvised chapel. Since then until he died as bishop of the diocese he came regularly for Mass to Carmel on the first Friday of every month.

   Our Carmelite fathers literally slogged for this foundation. All the wiring and electrification was done by Fr.Jossy Rodrigues and the Philosophy Students of Pushpashrama (specially Brs.John Sequeira, Pius James D’Souza and Joseph D’ Souza –Junior) under the guidance of Fr.Rudolf

  By this time, dear Mother Rosario’s health began to give way. Her cancer was spreading and she went to Kottayam for treatment in April 1986 and remained there till July. The date of the canonical erection was fixed for 20^th December 1986.So five more sisters from Kottayam arrived on the 19^th December. They were Srs.Maria Teresa of Jesus, Veronica of the Holy Face, Celine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Carmen Maria of St. Joseph (Extern Sister) and Maria of St.Joseph and St.Teresa (Novice).Sr. Carmen Maria was to replace Sr.Mary Magdalene who returned to Kottayam.They were welcomed with great love.

  The next day there was a lot scrubbing and cleaning. Our philosophy students from Pushpashrama were of great help to us. By evening everything was ready for the Eucharistic Sacrifice. So on Saturday, 20^th December, at 3-30 P.M.was the blessing and the canonical erection of our monastery.Rev.Msgr.Joeph Roy, the Diocesan Administrator concelebrated the Holy Mass with our Delegate General, Rev. Fr.Nemesio Alzola OCD and many other Priests.

   In the elections that took place on 18^th January, Mother Rosario Teresa was chosen Prioress and Srs..Imelda and Maria Teresa were chosen first and second councilors respectively. As days went on, Rev.Mother Rosario’s health was going from bad to worse. On Maundy Thursday she was so sick that she was anointed. Later, she recovered a bit and we grandly celebrated the Golden Jubilee of her Profession on16th May 1987.Our Mother appreciated with much love and gratitude all that was done for her. On May 22^nd Mother Rosario’s condition worsened. She lost her power of speech and was in agony.  On the 25^th morning in the presence of her daughters and Fr.Patrick Crasta ofm.cap. our chaplain gave up her soul to the Lord.

After Mother Rosario’s death, there remained only five chapter sisters in our Carmel and so they asked for a chapter sister from Kottayam Carmel but she (Sr.Sara Maria) arrived only in January 1988.In the meantime Sr. Imelda presided over the community and supervised the construction work. On the 2^nd of June, Miss Sally Joseph, our first postulant arrived. Our Fr.General’s visit on the 14^th of December was a source of comfort and great joy to the bereaved sisters.

 On 23^rd January 1988 Sr.Imelda was elected Prioress with Srs.Maria Teresa and Veronica as 1^st and 2^nd councilors respectively. By this time the construction of our enclosure wall was completed and we had a little more privacy than before even though the workers were all over. On 20^th July we grandly celebrated the Silver Jubilee of Sr.Maria Teresa’s Profession.

  From August 1988 Mother. Imelda’s health declined. She developed dry cough for which she was treated. On 3^rd October she had a severe heart attack but with treatment she looked better. On the 5^th of November Mother had a mild heart attack at 1p.m.and a massive one at 4.30p.m.In spite of their efforts the doctors could not save her life and Mother Imelda peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

  Now the community consisted of 4 chapter sisters, 2 Novices, One postulant and one extern sister – all inexperienced and strangers to Mysore.We felt helpless to continue our life here without the support of our two mothers. Our Chaplain and confessor helped us to go on in spite of the sorrow and void caused by their untimely demise. The good God heard our prayers and tears when Fr.Joseph found one sister in the person of Sr.Camelia of Jesus and Mary of the Carmel of the Bl.Trinity, Chicalim, Goa. Grown up under the shadow and spiritual guidance of our Carmelite Fathers, she had no misgivings regarding her call to Mysore Carmel as the will of God for her. In a spirit of great generosity and sacrifice, the Carmel of Chicalim consented to her leaving them to help the Carmel of Bogadi, sorely tried and tested. So it was that she arrived at Bogadi Carmel on 16^th February 1989 accompanied by her Prioress – Mother Yvonne of the Child Jesus and our Fr.Delegate General, ready for any service that take Lord may ask of her.

On the 11^th March 1989,as settled before, our elections took place. Mother Camelia was elected Prioress with Srs. Veronica and Ines as 1^st and 2^nd councilors respectively.

 Two postulants – Eliza D’Souza and Teresa Lobo entered our Carmel this year. The work of building the choir and the chapel went on and was completed in March 1990.

The blessing of the choir and the chapel took place on the 19^th of March, the feast of St. Joseph, our Father and Protector. During the concelebrated Mass presided over by Bishop Michaelappa

 Sr Carmen Maria our extern sister made her perpetual profession. All our friends, families and benefactors who could be present that day were there for the function. They came even from far away Goa, Mangalore, Kerala and Karwar.They were there to share our joy and render us help.

  Soon more postulants joined us and today we are 17 sisters in all, including two extern sisters, one postulant and one candidate.

We have known God’s faithful love throughout these years

His oneness with us in joys and tears

Endless times He has helped us through

Has answered prayers and given us strength anew;

To him our voice in gratitude we raise

And for His blessings give Him praise
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                                                HASSAN CARMEL FOUNDED IN 1992

                    MALAYATOOR CARMEL FOUNDED IN 2009