One of the oldest Carmelite houses in Europe, the monastery of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence (established in 1268), has been home since 1993 to an unusual experiment in shared religious life: a community of friars, married couples, and a consecrated lay woman living together under the same roof.

The initiative grew out of relationships rather than formal planning. Father Agostino Bartolini, O. Carm., the founder, together with some members of the lay movement La Famiglia (“The Family”), made up the group from its earliest days. At its height, more than thirty people lived in the monastery, including several families with young children. Today, three friars, the consecrated lay woman, and three married couples remain in residence, along with four young adults who grew up in the community.

Daily life follows a rhythm shaped by the Liturgy of the Hours. Those present gather for morning prayer, Mass, midday prayer, and evening prayer. Work and ordinary responsibilities fill the rest of the day. Over the years, the families have developed a bakery business that supports the community and connects it with the city of Florence.

Members also participate in the life of the nearby parish through catechesis, and serve as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, while the friars provide spiritual guidance and liturgical ministry at Santa Maria del Carmine church.

The physical structure of the monastery has supported both togetherness and appropriate privacy: families have always had their own living quarters, while the church, dining room, cloister, and kitchen remain shared spaces. Meals regularly include guests, extended family, and friends; moments that have played a significant role in sustaining the bonds of community life over more than three decades.

Similar communities shaped by this experience exist at Castellina and Le Salaiole, both in Tuscany. A new chapter in the shared history of these communities is represented by Klara and Giovanni, who are preparing for marriage this September. Klara grew up at Le Salaiole, while Giovanni grew up in Florence; having known each other through these connected communities from childhood, they now begin a family of their own.

As the founding members grow older and the community becomes smaller, questions about the future remain open. What can be said is that for more than thirty years, friars and families have shared prayer, work, and daily life in this place, a lived expression of the Carmelite charism across different vocations.

Directorate of the Institutum Carmelitanum Meets to Set Agenda

On Monday, May 4, the directorate of the Institutum Carmelitanum met at Centro Internazionale Sant’Alberto (CISA) in Rome to discuss their programming for the coming years. Participating where Boby Sebastian Tharakkunnel, the president of the Institute, Mario Loya, the Institute’s secretary, Giovanni Grosso, general archivist of the Order, and Augustinus Agung Wahyudianto, librarian.

The director of the Order’s communications office, William J. Harry, was invited to participate and give an update on the status of communications in the Order. 

Currently the Institutum is preparing a circular letter to all the Major Superiors and leadership in the Order asking them to identify confreres, sisters, and lay associates who have pursued higher studies and specialized formation in various academic disciplines and fields of expertise. To facilitate responses, a Google Form will be attached to the letter, and it can be forwarded to other members with advanced degrees. Each participant will be able to complete the form online, enabling the information to be received promptly and systematically at the Institute.

Following the collection and organization of this data, there will be a series of meetings among members engaged in the various areas of study and research. Through this collaborative effort, the Institute intends to encourage and strengthen research, advanced specialization, scholarly publications, and high-quality academic conferences within the Order in the coming years.

This initiative will also greatly assist the Order in identifying and coordinating our intellectual and academic resources across different regions, cultures, and language groups. “We believe that such networking and collaboration can contribute significantly to the growth of academic excellence and mutual enrichment within the Carmelite family,” said Boby Tharakkunnel, the president of the Institute.

The Institutum will also coordinate the Scuola Carmelitana which is scheduled for September 14-25. The program is open to all students, sisters, and lay people who are interested.

A variety of topics are scheduled to be discussed including events in the 1^st century of Carmel and its development; the evolution of the charism; the Rule; key papal documents and their importance for today; the Carmelite Rite; and essential works early in the history of the Order such as Ignea Sagitta (Fiery Arrow) and Institutio primorum monachorum (Institution of the First Monks).

Major figures in the Order, key to understanding Carmelite life, will also be discussed. These would include Mary, Elijah, and the “Fathers of the Order,” Saints Alberto of Sicily and Angelo of Licata.

The group will visit the churches of San Martino ai Monti and Traspontina as well as have a guided tour of “Carmelite” Trastevere.

At the close of the session, Fr. Boby asked, “We kindly request the cooperation and support of everyone involved so that this endeavor may bear lasting fruit for the good of the Order and its future mission.”

Eduardo Agosta Scarel, O. Carm., of the Carmelite NGO Named to the Pontifical Academy for Life

Eduardo Agosta Scarel, O. Carm., a member of the Dulce Nombre di Maria Carmelite Province and vice president of the Carmelite NGO, has been named as a corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy for Life by Pope Leo XIV.

“I accept this appointment with deep gratitude and a sense of responsibility, as a Carmelite friar, vice-president of the Carmelite NGO, director of the Department of Integral Ecology at the Spanish Episcopal Conference, and a researcher in climate variability and change,” responded Eduardo when contacted by the Carmelite Communications Office. “I accept this appointment as a call to serve through integral ecology and the Social Doctrine of the Church, bringing scientific rigor and ethical discernment to address the challenges affecting human life and our common home. My commitment is to translate technical knowledge on climate risks and their socio-ecological impacts into proposals and guidelines that promote justice, the protection of the most vulnerable, and the common good.”

Asked about his specific goals for his time with the Academy, Fr. Eduardo said, “I shall endeavor to foster interdisciplinary dialogue between science, theology and public policy, offer technical and ethical advice, and collaborate on training and advocacy initiatives that integrate sustainability and human dignity.”

Finally, he added, “I am grateful for the trust placed in me and place myself at the service of the Academy’s mission with humility and dedication.”

The Pontifical Academy for Life is made up of the Ordinary Members, Corresponding Members, Honorary Members and Young Researcher Members. The members of the Academy represent the various branches of the biomedical sciences and those that are most closely related to problems concerning the promotion and protection of life. There are 160 members in total. Corresponding Members are selected by the Governing Council and appointed by it for a term of five years, on the basis of their professional integrity and professional expertise and their acknowledged commitment to the promotion and protection of human life.

In the Motu Proprio Vitae Mysterium issued by St. John Paul II on February 11, 1994, the task of the Academy is “to study and provide information and training about the principal problems of law and biomedicine pertaining to the promotion and protection of life, especially in the direct relationship they have with Christian morality and the directives of the Church's Magisterium.”

World Press Freedom Day 2026 Celebrated Around the World

One of the annual celebrations of UNESCO is World Press Freedom Day on May 3. In 2026 the theme was “Shaping a Future of Peace.” According to UNESCO the day highlights the essential role of a free, independent, and responsible media in building peaceful and just societies.

It is intended as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. It is also a day for reflection among media practitioners about issues of press freedom and professional ethics and the need for them to be true to their commitment.

In Rome, William J. Harry, O. Carm., the director of the Office of Communications for the Carmelite Order, stressed the need for journalists and the companies that employ them not to get caught up in skewing their reporting to garner larger audiences and more revenue. “Unfortunately, this has become a common practice, especially on American television and internet social media. What has been sacrificed is inconvenient truth in order to secure higher profits. This, of course, raises the question of the ethics of some journalists.”

UNESCO reports that press freedom is “in sharp decline everywhere.” Financing has become a major issue. One analysis shows that just 15 days of the annual global military spending would equal a full year of the investment needed to support public-interest journalism worldwide.

In Cameroon, Bishop Michael Miiabesue Bibi of the Diocese of Buea called for protection of press freedom, reminding everyone that a free and responsible media is essential for promoting peace, justice, and human dignity. In building a culture of peace, journalists are key actors said Bishop Bibi. He said “Freedom of press … should not become a cliché … and return to old forms of repression.”

“Freedom is not absolute; it is tied to the obligation of representing reality accurately and respectfully,” Bishop Bibi said, adding that journalism should be guided by a desire to foster justice and peace rather than personal or vested interests.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, an event was held bringing together journalists, media organizations, civil society actors, public institutions, and government representatives. The goal was to create some dialogue on current challenges and opportunities shaping press freedom in the region.

The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for 2026 was awarded to the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate in recognition of its work defending press freedom while the ongoing conflict rages in Sudan. The ceremony was held in Paris.

A panel discussion marked World Press Freedom Day in Thailand. Jointly sponsored by UNESCO and the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand, the gathering discussed what it takes to keep reporting, why it matters, and what the future holds.

According to UNESCO’s Observatory of Killed Journalists, 14 have died so far in 2026. Since the beginning of the Observatory, 1860 journalists have lost their lives. In 2025, 96 journalists died.

9 May Optional Memorial (Obligatory Memorial in the province of Malta)

Saint George Preca was born in Valletta, Malta, on February 12, 1880. Ordained a priest in 1906, he immediately began dedicating himself to catechizing children. For this mission, he founded the Society of Christian Doctrine in 1907, known as M.U.S.E.U.M. (Magister utinam sequatur Evangelium universus mundus), for which he had to endure many insults. He dedicated his entire life to popular preaching and catechesis, and wrote a large number of books, most of which were aimed at the formation of the members of his Society. His effective apostolate was the fruit of a life of prayer and constant meditation on Sacred Scripture. His spirituality was founded on humility and meekness.

On July 21, 1918, Don Giorgio joined the Carmelite Third Order, and on July 26 of the following year, he made his profession. As a tertiary, he chose the name Franco, after Blessed Franco of Siena, and signed some of his books as Father Franco, Carmelite. In 1952, Prior General Fr. Kiliano Lynch affiliated him with the Order as a sign of recognition for having greatly promoted devotion to the Blessed Virgin of Carmel.

Don Giorgio Preca died on July 26, 1962, and Pope John Paul II declared him blessed on May 9, 2001. Pope Benedict XVI canonized him on June 3, 2007.

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8 May Optional Memorial

Because of his virtues, he was looked down upon and treated badly even by the less observant friars. He, however, bore all the annoyances and the temperament of those religious with great patience, and he practiced virtue and devoted himself to the good of the convent. Since he lived in great austerity, he was gaunt in appearance, with a pale face and sunken eyes, but with a lively and honest gaze.

He was a good example to those who came to visit him, and those who frequented him were often moved to tears by his kind words and examples.

Brother Luigi, even though he was prior, did not spare himself from work; on the contrary, he behaved like the humblest of the friars in the convent, going door to door throughout the city of Randazzo to collect alms of bread, candles, and similar items, to support the friars and do good for all. In fact, while he was begging, the poor would turn to him for alms, knowing that he would not fail to distribute the bread he himself had received.

Once, on Easter Sunday, the friars of the convent ate meat, but he wanted bread and water as usual, as attested by Friar Pietro Cubani, a companion of Blessed Luigi. He also recounted that while Blessed Luigi himself was going from farmyard to farmyard and from farmhouse to farmhouse on his usual alms round, an arrow was shot at him from the road and struck him in the forehead, leaving him bedridden for quite some time. Many asked him to reveal who had wounded him, but he never would, and instead, with great patience, he would repeat: “May God forgive him; praise be to God.”

There was a path leading to the convent of St. Michael that was rough and notorious; to eliminate the scandal and immorality that prevailed there, he purchased a plot of land and opened another road, working on it personally alongside those who, at his request, had come to help him. If Brother Luigi needed a favor for the benefit of the convent, no one would say no to him, but they were only too happy to assist him, in remembrance of the benefits they had received, for his courteous manner, and for his generous hospitality.

After he passed from this life, his body was placed in a coffin beneath the main altar of the church, enclosed by an iron grille; and many venerated and invoked him, especially those suffering from quartan fever, who were healed. These things were said then, and are still repeated today.

(Fr. Simonelli, Blessed Luigi Rabatà, Rome, 1968, pp. 74–76)

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Promise of the Spirit, Love Among Us,
Love Within Us (John 14:15-21)

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Elective Chapter Held in Carmelite Monastery of Carmel of Mary, Star of the Sea in Tanay, Philippines

Carmel of Mary, Star of the Sea, of the Diocese of Antipolo, Rizal, Philippines, held its 9th Canonical Election of the Prioress on February 19, 2026. Following the celebration of the Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit, the election was presided over by the Most Rev. Ruperto C. Santos, D.D., the bishop of Antipolo.

The elections of the other officials followed on February 24, 2026.

The community will celebrate the Silver Anniversary of its foundation in 2001 on November 11 this year. The Silver Anniversary of the dedication of its chapel will be celebrated on December 15, 2027. As the first and only foundation of teh Stella Maris Federation of the Carmelite Nuns in the Philippines, the monastery is the fruit of the union of the member monasteries.

The nuns elected to leadership roles are:

Prioress | Priora | Priora:
Sr Maria Esperanza of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Ceclio, O. Carm.

1st Councilor | 1ª Consejera | 1ª Consigliera:
Sr Maria Wilma of Jesus Crucified Galang, O. Carm.

2nd Councilor | 2ª Consejera | 2ª Consigliera:
Sr Maryver of the Cross Mabanta, O. Carm.

3rd Councilor | 3ª Consejera | 3ª Consigliera:
Sr Maria Alma Jesusa of the Divine Mercy Santos, O. Carm.

4th Councilor | 4ª Consejera | 4ª Consigliera:
Sr Maria Rebecca of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Valdez, O. Carm.

Treasurer | Ecónoma | Economa:
Sr Mary Grace of the Crucified and Risen Jesus Bruno, O. Carm.

Formator | Formadora | Formatrice:
Sr Maria Rebecca of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Valdez, O. Carm.

Sacristan | Sacristana | Sacrestana:
Sr Mary Therese Katherine of Jesus Balane, O. Carm.

May 5th | Memorial

Angelus is thought to have been one of the first Carmelites to return to Sicily from Mount Carmel and, according to a long-standing tradition, he was murdered in Licata during the first half of the 13th century.

The cult of Saint Angelus spread throughout the Order and among ordinary lay people. Angelus and St Albert of Trapani are considered the "fathers" of the Order because they were the first two saints to have a cult in the Order.

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Between 1625 and 1627, a “trial” was held in Licata on the miracles attributed to the Carmelite Saint Angelus, whose martyrdom, according to hagiographic tradition, was said to have occurred in the very town overlooking the Sicilian Channel. A detailed study of the proceedings of the trial can be found in the book Miracula et Benefitia: Malattia, Thaumaturgia e devozione a Licata e in Sicilia nella prima età moderna by Marco Papasidero, published by Edizioni Carmelitane.

The Commissariat of Catalonia was established in 1932. Almost immediately difficuties began. In February 1934 the Carmelite church was desecrated. In October Communist guards were placed at the door of the priory to prevent the religious from leaving. In June 1936 the mayor forbade religious from teaching in the schools and working in hospitals. Shortly thereafter, a Carmelite was stoned while walking on the street. The only newspaper to defend the religious was closed down on July 18th. The following day churches and monasteries were pillaged, ransacked, and burned. On July 20, the Feast of St. Elijah, the community disbanded.

The story of the Carmelites during this time and a biography of many of the martyred Catalonian Carmelites can be found in the book Profiles in Holiness I by Redemptus M. Valabek, O. Carm., published by Edizioni Carmelitane.

Read more on the lives of these martyrs ....