To celebrate Earth Day 2021 on April 22, 2021, the Indonesian Carmelite NGO launched vertical farming project at Karmel Syanti Argo ("syanti" means "peace" and "argo" means "mount"). The center is also the Laudato Si' Centre in Pasuran, East Java, Indonesia.

The purpose of this project is to teach poor urban people to grow vegetables even though they live in a limited space. By growing these vegetables themselves, they will spend less money for their food. Moreover, by doing this themselves, they help reduce their carbon footprint because of the decrease in the use of fuel to transport vegetables from the villages to the cities.

Furthermore, oxygen produced in the photo-synthesis process of the vegetables also helps maintain the quality of the air in the cities. Finally they sustain the environment.

For more information about the Carmelite NGO visit here

Apart from our presence at the United Nations, Carmelites have established other organisations working for justice, peace and integrity of creation issues throughout the world.

Visit Indonesian Carmelite NGO here

As reported earlier in CITOC (36/2021), the young people in the Americas did not let covid restrictions stop them from coming together and “hearing the voice of Jesus Christ.” And they never left their homes!

On July 4, approximately 600 people, including 400 young people in Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, Perú, El Salvador, México, Argentina, Chile, the United States of America, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Italy, and Spain connected via the internet to celebrate “The Youth of Jesus.”

The prior general, Fr. Míċéal O'Neill, spoke to the group about the Carmelite charism assisting their spiritual journey, to become young in prayer, contemplation, and compassion—ultimately inspiring them to work on building a more just world.

For Fr. Luis Maza, General Councilor of the Americas, the day was “exciting, full of joy with a sense of family. There was also a deep sense of hope.”

Argentina had 22 members participating. They came away from the day with a sense of urgency to further develop the Carmelite Youth in their country. The leadership in Venezuela, with 55 participants, reacted to the exuberance of the meetings. “I was very happy to see the enthusiasm of the young people, the fraternal atmosphere. It was interesting to put faces to JUCAR America.

The day touched many of the youth as well. For Nair Cinthia Ortega Daza from Tarija, Bolivia, it was her first experience with Jucar América. She said she felt motivated discovering that many young people do live the Carmelite charism, growing in prayer, contemplation, and compassion. “The goal is to better our spiritual lives with the guidance of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in order to follow the way of Jesus,” said Nair.

For Charly Aguilar from Ilobasco, El Salvador, the day was an opportunity to experience the excitement of being with young people from all around the Americas. “Given the tough times we are living in because of the Covid-19 pandemic, God allowed us to be part of this great event. For me it was a wonderful learning experience as we shared the theme of the youth of Jesus.”

For Eduar González it was a truly spiritual experience. “The love and grace of the Most Holy Trinity was present each minute of the delivery of love experienced through JUCAR. It was God, young and alive, that flooded into my life, to be able to see so many brothers and sisters in Carmel giving the same response that Mother Mary gave when she said “Yes” to God."

“It has been fascinating to meet other young Carmelites. It was like a small Pentecost, because we are from different countries, speak different languages and live in different cultures. Yet we prayed, laughed, sang, and learned together as one,” said César Díaz from José Galvez, Perú. “I felt that “cozy warmth” of the Carmelite Family. My feeling only increased when our prior said of JUCAR 'they are here because in Carmel they have found their spiritual home.’ The whole meeting has been fascinating!”

“Seeing each face and listening to people thousands of miles away who share the same goal … we were excited to be there, with our hearts on fire and joyful, sharing opinions and feelings for Carmel, feeling the embrace of the brothers at a distance. Seeing their big smiles said everything,” wrote Alessandra Judith Mireles Atilano from Torréon, México. “It was a most beautiful experience, sharing my feelings and listening to others share. The experience taught me that my JOCARM (Young Carmelites of Mexico) is not alone, that we have brothers and sisters in many other places. Above all, we are in a common project. Seeing Carmel flower in each person was an experience that I would like to repeat many more times!”

At a follow-up meeting of the directors of JUCAR America on July 23, the evaluation of July 4 was basically positive. There was a high level of participation by the young people. The theme of the day, “The Youth of Jesus,” appeared interesting and engaging to the young people.

The coming months will be very busy as additional gathering get planned. JUCAR will be participating in the FOCAM (Formation of Carmelites in the Americas) meeting on August 28. On September 2-4 the Carmelites in Venezuela will hosting a Carmelite Youth Meeting. (This is intended for young lay men and women.) A Meeting of JUCAR on the American Continent will be held on November 14. Details remain to be worked out but three youth from each country will be chosen to work on organizing the event.

Coordinators of formation for JUCAR America, reflecting on the future, see the possibility of the young people becoming true protagonists in their communities. “There will be a much more active participation, as well as energy and commitment to transform our America into a home of fraternity, prayer, and contemplation. This will not only be in the religious realm but in the social, cultural, and political as well. Other see this youth movement firming up the ties between the various national groups. “It would be beautiful to celebrate Carmel together like this! We could exchange cultures, languages, and more.”

“Unquestionably, the movement is of the Spirit. In five years I see a consolidated movement throughout the Americas. The young people speak with prophetic voices. Perhaps in the future there will be matrimonies, or priestly and religious vocations that emerge from this movement.” It is a work of the Spirit.

July is definitely the month of Carmel. Of course, the focus appropriately is on July 16th each year. The solemn feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated literally around the world. Wherever Carmelites are, the feast is a major celebration. We saw that this year, even in our covid world, with special Masses celebrated live and livestreamed over the internet.

Some of those—from Brazil, Kenya, North America, Australia-Timor Leste— were listed in the July 7 CITOC email. Carmelites were good enough to send us news about additional celebrations which we would like to highlight here.

In the Philippines, the members of the Province of Titus Brandsma had a novena and series of Masses. These were streamed over the province’s Facebook page (CarmelitesPhCom) as well as on the Facebook page of Dominus Est, the new evangelization website of the Archdiocese of Manila. The page was started by Cardinal Tagle.

One of the first Carmelite foundations in Europe, Aylesford, also joined in celebrating Mary with a Pilgrimage of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Sunday, July 11. An 11:30 Mass was held at the main shrine and included Third Order professions and renewal of promises. Later in the day a Holy Hour was celebrated.

In southern Spain, the Province of Bética transmitted an online novena from July 7-15 from the Minor Basilica of the Crowned Virgen of Carmel in Jerez de la Frontera. The prior provincial, David del Carpio Horcajo, preached. At midnight on July 15, the people of Jerez joined together to greet the day of Our Lady. Later in the morning, a series of Masses were celebrated. Then at 8:30 PM the beloved statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Carmelite church was processed through the streets of the city. Some of these celebrations can be viewed on the Facebook page of the Real Hermandad de Damas y Caballeros de Ntra. Sra. del Carmen Coronada (HdadCarmen) which livestreamed some of the celebrations. See the picture courtesy of Real Hermandad de Damas y Caballeros de Nuestra Señora del Carmen Coronada. 

Perhaps the most dramatic of all the celebrations is that held in Naples, Italy— the Incendio del Campanile di fra’ Nuvolo. The ancient tradition calls for the lighting of explosive fireworks contained in and around Carmine Maggiore’s bell tower which, at 75 meters high, is the tallest in the city. The result is a colorful and noisy rain of fiery explosions. This continues until a painting of Our Lady, under the title “La Bruna,” arrives to extinguish the fire.

Recalling a real fire and the salvation of the city by the Carmelites’ Madonna, the annual celebration the night before the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a testimony of the entire city’s devotion to “Mamma d’o Carmene.” See the pictures courtesy of napolidavivere.it

The Province of Malta provided a novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. While the Masses were not livestreamed, the homily for each day was posted on the Facebook page of the Carmelite priory in Valletta. On the app NITOLBU prayers in Maltese were available each day of the novena. In addition, the app daily provided an excerpt from the book Forty Days of St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi. On July 15th and 16th, a number celebrations took place which were livestreamed. Among these were the solemn translation of the relic with Vespers and a Eucharistic blessing. On the morning of the feast, the Carmelite prior provincial, Joseph Saliba celebrated a solemn Mass. Later in the evening, Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna, the archbishop of Malta, celebrated the Mass. Following that Mass, there was a solemn prayer vigil which concluded the feast day with the singing of the Flos Carmeli and a Eucharistic blessing.

Many Carmelites find themselves traveling to conduct novenas and to accompany the people on the actual day of the feast. Fernando Milán, our former prior general, found himself in Tomelloso a town of La Mancha. The Carmelites of the Province of Bética sponsored a school there from 1942-1987. Today the Carmelite presence continues in Tomelloso through a very active and flourishing Third Order. Each year someone from the province goes for the novena and the assemblies of the Carmelite Third Order. The statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is now in the main parish of Tomelloso. The town continues to reflect the Carmelite presence, perhaps most concretely with a neighborhood named for Our Lady— barrio del Carmen—which has a procession with the statue of Our Lady each year.

In addition to the celebration of Mary under the title of Our Lady of Carmel, the Church and Carmelites in particular celebrate Blessed Maria Crocifissa Curcio (July 4), foundress of the Carmelite Sisters of Sr. Thérèse of the Child Jesus (Suore Carmelitane Missionarie di S. Teresa del Bambino Gesú); Blessed Jane Scopelli (July 9) an Carmelite mantellata who formed an early community of Carmelite women; St. Elijah (July 20), along with Mary, a major inspiration to the lifestyle and spirituality of the Carmelites; Blessed John Soreth (July 24) reforming prior general and “founder of cloistered Carmel and the Third Order”; Sts. Joachim and Anne (July 26) protectors of the Order; and Blessed Titus Brandsma (July 27) martyr for the faith in the Dachau concentration camp.

On 27th July, we celebrate our annual memorial of a famous Carmelite martyr.

Anno Sjoerd Brandsma was born at Bolsward, The Netherlands, in 1881, and joined the Carmelite Order in 1898 taking the name ‘Titus’, being ordained priest in 1905. In time he became a professor and then Rector Magnificus at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. He was also a journalist.

During the 1930s he gave a famous series of lectures in the United States on Carmelite mysticism. Throughout the 1930s Nazi propaganda was on the rise but Fr Titus refused to support or print anything in support of the Nazi regime.

Fr Titus was arrested by the Gestapo on January 19, 1942, and imprisoned in his native country before being sent to the concentration camp at Dachau where he brought comfort and peace to his fellow prisoners. In Dachau he was experimented on in the medical wing and was finally put to death by lethal injection on July 26, 1942.

He was beatified in 1985 and the cause for his canonisation continues which, we pray, will soon be successful.

Please avail yourself of the resources prepared for the celebration of Blessed Titus Brandsma on July 27th.

Liturgical Resources Blessed Titus Brandsma

• pdf Letter to the Carmelite Family(400 KB)
• pdf Mass Leaflet(287 KB)
• pdf Prayers of the Faithful(216 KB)
• pdf Homily Notes(81 KB)
• pdf Newsletter/bulletin insert(253 KB)

Today we commemorate the parents of the Virgin Mary, Saints Joachim and Anne.

Pope Francis referred to Saints Joachim and Anne on his Apostolic Journey to Rio de Janeiro on the occasion of the XXVIII World Youth Day on July 26, 2013:

Today the Church celebrates the parents of the Virgin Mary, the grandparents of Jesus, Saints Joachim and Anne. In their home, Mary came into the world, accompanied by the extraordinary mystery of the Immaculate Conception. Mary grew up in the home of Joachim and Anne; she was surrounded by their love and faith: in their home she learned to listen to the Lord and to follow his will. Saints Joachim and Anne were part of a long chain of people who had transmitted their faith and love for God, expressed in the warmth and love of family life, down to Mary, who received the Son of God in her womb and who gave him to the world, to us. How precious is the family as the privileged place for transmitting the faith!

There is also something to be said for grandparents’ roles as repositories of wisdom and history. Their experience in faith and life has enriched their judgment, rendering them invaluable counsels for the generations that follow. They remember the heritage of the family and share it with future generations. As Pope Francis has also related:

How important grandparents are for family life, for passing on the human and religious heritage which is so essential for each and every society! How important it is to have intergenerational exchanges and dialogue, especially within the context of the family.

To read more

After undergoing the Novitiate Program for two years, on Tuesday July 13, 2021, sixteen Novices professed their first vows in the Carmelite Order to the Prior General before the East Indonesia Prior Commissariat, Rev. Fr. Stefanus Buyung Florianus, O. Carm., as the representative of Prior Provincial of Indonesia, Rev, Fr. Ign. Budiono. The celebration took place in the Novitiate House in Maumere-Flores-Indonesia.

The sixteen brothers are Br. Simplianus Geli Nono, Br. Daniel Sai, Br. Marianus Seka Meo, Br. Ferdinandus H. Detu, Br. Siprianus Ngonggo Bili, Br. Maksimus Seto, Br. Mikael Riba, Br. Hendilinus, Br. Oktavianus Yoman Nende, Br. Viktorianus Beda Lebunga, Br. Januarius Dosa, Br. Dino Kada Maghi, Br. Mikael Kornelis Aja, Br. Wilibrodus Aji, Heraklius Mango, Br. Albertus Flavianus Bhala.
The Mass was presided over by Rev. Fr. Buyung and concelebrated by Fr. Francesco Berto as Master Novice and Fr. Leonardo as the first council. In his homily, Rev. Fr. Buyung encouraged the brothers to always faithfully carry out their three vows. By saying these vows, it “does not mean automatically becoming a perfect human without any more struggle, but it is getting more and more challenged”, added Fr. Buyung.

The Brothers are also requested to replicate St. Therese of Lisieux as patron of this Novitiate House. St. Therese always gave all the struggles of her life in Providentia Dei. She really believes in her friend 'Jesus' who is always with her in living her three vows. The depth of her spirituality, of which she said, "my way is all confidence and love," has inspired many believers. In the face of her littleness and nothingness, she trusted in God to be her sanctity. She wanted to go to Heaven by an entirely new little way. "I wanted to find an elevator that would raise me to Jesus." The elevator, she wrote, would be “the arms of Jesus lifting me in all my littleness.”

Due to the increasing spread of the coronavirus and the strict lockdown, the attendance of the families of the brothers was very limited. Only families living near the novitiate were allowed to attend while others did it online. After this celebration, the brothers will take ten days for vacation with their family. Upon their return, they will begin studying philosophy for four years at STFK Ledalero Maumere.
“We pray that our young brothers will always be strengthened in their journey. May with the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Prophet Elijah, and all the saints of Carmel, our brothers can be faithful forever and ever”, added Fr. Yanto Ndona, O. Carm.

For several years, the General Commissariat of “Santa Maria La Bruna”, located in the incomparable city of Naples, Italy, worked to establish the Order in the United Republic of Tanzania in Africa’s Great Lakes region in East Africa. For several years, young men from Tanzania studied in Naples, living in the Carmine Maggiore.

Finally in 2009, the first Carmelite community of Tanzania was inaugurated on October 1st. The community was made up of two brothers in perpetual vows, one already ordained priest, and three brothers of temporary vows.

Today, there are eight brothers. Six of these men have professed solemn vows and have been ordained priests. The other two men are in formation, having professed temporary vows. In addition, the community has two students who are candidates for the novitiate. African Carmel has two novitiates: one for those who speak French and the other is in Zimbabwe for those who speak English. This month the students will begin their novitiate year at Kriste Mambo in Rusape, Zimbabwe. They have all completed their studies in philosophy, and one has completed a year of theology. But the house will not be empty. Another three aspirants will arrive to start their studies in philosophy in October 2021.

Construction of the Church
Currently, the main activity the community is focused on is the building of a church in Bunju where the Carmelites have a parish. The new church will accommodate around 2200 people.

Sacrament of Matrimony
Every year the Carmelites in Tanzania celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel by administering the sacrament of marriage. This year 63 couples celebrated the sacrament on the feast day.

Experience of Living with the Poor and the Muslims
The territory where our house is situated in ecumenical in that it is an area with people professing various religions. Therefore, any of the outreach efforts of the Carmelites, helping the poor by providing them with essential supplies such as food, for example, will mean we are also serving our Muslim brothers and sisters. “People appreciate our services and praise our Virgin Mary and are grateful for our presence. We pray that Our Lady of the Mount Camel may continue to protect us with her mantle,” says Victor Biramata, a member of the founding community.

Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, then archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam, offered the Carmelites the not yet existing parish of Bunju. His hope was that that it would someday become a Marian center for the diocese. The General Commissariat set about building a priory for the new community which was dedicated a week after the Carmelites return to their native country. The parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel was created on August 25, 2012, by the Cardinal. This ceremony took place during the ordination of Carmelite John Dominic Somola.

It was a long-awaited step. The mission in Tanzania was actually being planned for as early as 1988. All in God’s time! And God has wonderfully blessed the work of the Carmelites and the people of Bunju.

On 20th July Carmelites throughout the world celebrate the Solemnity of the Old Testament Prophet, Elijah. In the Carmelite tradition Elijah is regarded as the spiritual father of and a source of inspiration for Carmelites.

Fr. Míceál O'Neill, O.Carm., Prior General of the Order, invites all the Carmelite Family members to have a joyful and prayerful celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the 16 July 2021.

Watch here

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

There is nothing new in saying that the various Marian titles all speak essentially of a relation to Mary as Mother of Christ and Mother of Christians. The various names all speak of relation to her in the mystery of Christ and the Church. This is the case of the devotion to Mary of Carmel, who has dominated the Order throughout its history, from the earliest times of its foundation until our own days.

To say “Mary of Mount Carmel” is to say “Mary as venerated by the Carmelites.” And in saying “Carmelites” we must understand the whole Carmelite family: male and female religious, tertiaries, and those enrolled in the Scapular, because this enrolment also involves an aggregation to the spiritual benefits of the Order and a commitment to live up to its spirituality.

It was the conviction of Carmelites that they had a quite special relationship with Mary, their Patron, under the title “of Mount Carmel.” In honor of their Patron, Carmelites celebrated in a special way the feast of the Annunciation, that of the Immaculate Virgin, and then the Solemn Commemoration in July. This July celebration, the Solemn Commemoration, was instituted to thank Mary, its Patron, for all the benefits given to the Order: that is, as a remembrance of the descending action of Mary towards the Carmelites (protection) and as an ascending action of the Carmelites to Mary (thanksgiving). The feast began in England towards the end of the 14th century. The feast, therefore, is a manifestation of the “person” of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: of the Virgin Mother of God, advocate, patron of the Order.

The Solemn Commemoration of the glorious Virgin Mary, which is called the Feast of Blessed Mary of Mount Carmel or the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, was rightly instituted to be solemnly celebrated: because her holy company of Carmel was founded on Mount Carmel..., brought together for the sake of her name, by which it is especially ennobled; because of the special adoption of her sons, brothers, and confrères; because of the clothing with her glorious habit; because of her repeated protection of her own Order; and because of the endless benefits given to this her Order from the beginning until the present day.

Adapted from Ludovico Saggi, O. Carm., Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in Santi del Carmelo. English translation by Paul Chandler, O. Carm.

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