O.Carm

Lunedì, 02 Ottobre 2023 06:58

Carmelite Nuns in Batu Celebrate Elective Chapter

The nuns of the community of the Flos Carmeli Carmelite Monastery held their triennial elective Chapter on September 24, 2023.

The Indonesian nuns from the St. Mary Magdalene monastery in Boxmeer, Netherlands, and three nuns from Holy Trinity monastery in Schlüsselau, Germany, founded the Carmelite monastery in Batu in 1962. The bishop of Malang at the time was Everard Ioannis (Avertani) Albers, O. Carm.

It was the first cloistered monastery in Indonesia. In 1993, the Batu community founded a Carmelite monastery in Palangka Raya, Indonesia.

The monastery's webpage is: www.floscarmelibatu.org

The results of the elective chapter were as follows:

Prioress | Priora | Priora:
Sr. Maria Brigitta Gitasianiningsih Purnama O. Carm.

1st Councilor | 1ª Consejera | 1ª Consigliera:
Sr. Maria Laura Inacentia Sulistiowati Widjajakusuma, O. Carm.

2nd Councilor | 2ª Consejera | 2ª Consigliera:
Sr. Maria Elisabeth Widhi Habsari Soetadi, O. Carm.

3rd Councilor | 3ª Consejera | 3ª Consigliera:
Sr. Maria Gerarda Suwarti Jokasemo, O. Carm.

4th Councilor | 4ª Consejera | 4ª Consigliera:
Sr. Maria Angelina Wiwik Andriani Koesman, O. Carm.

Treasurer | Ecónoma | Economa
Sr. Maria Elisabeth Widhi Habsari Soetadi, O. Carm.

Formator | Formadora | Formatrice
Sr. Maria Laura Inacentia Sulistiowati Widjajakusuma, O. Carm.

Sacristan | Sacristana | Sacrestana
Sr. Maria Angelina Wiwik Andriani Koesmam, O. Carm.

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Venerdì, 29 Settembre 2023 13:56

Schedule of the Prior General for October

Oct. 1
Celebration of 70th anniversary of the Carmelite Third Order in Caivano, Italy.

Oct. 2
General Council, plenary meeting.

Oct. 3 – 7
Titus Brandsma Congress, Nijmegen, Netherlands.

Oct 09 – 13
General Council in Rome

Oct 13
Preparatory session for the General Chapter of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St Therese of the Child Jesus. Santa Marinella, Italy.

Oct 16 – 30
Canonical visitation of the Province of St. Elias, Rio de Janeiro.

Oct 31
Begin the canonical visitation of the communities in Mozambique.

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Venerdì, 29 Settembre 2023 13:09

Feast of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

National Shrine of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Darien, Illinois)

1 October Feast

The year 2023 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Marie-Francoise Thérèse Martin on January 2 in Alençon in the Normandy region in northwest France. In 1888 she became a cloistered Discalced Carmelite nun in the town of Lisieux where her family had moved following her mother’s death. Following her death on September 30, 1897, of tuberculosis at the age of 24, she became known around the world as St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face through the publication of her autobiography now known as Story of a Soul.

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of St. Térèse’s beatification. Pope Pius XI performed the ceremony on April 29, 1923. Two years later he would canonize her. Two years after that, in 1927, he declared her patroness of the missions along with the Jesuit Francis Xavier. The pope referred to Thérèse as “the star of his pontificate.” During his homily at the canonization, the pope said, “If everyone follows this path of spiritual childhood, everyone will see how easily reformation of human society can be achieved, which we have proposed since the beginning of our pontificate. On the wall of the niche in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica where Pius XI is buried, there is a mosaic of the saint.

Thérèse’s simple yet powerful spirituality has captured the imagination of Catholics and non-Catholics alike for the last century. Her sense of commitment led her to a profound experience of the love of God and of neighbor. She never had an easy life, but she did live with a great sense of peace and joy.

To learn more about St. Therese

St. Thérèse, Her Family and Her Spirituality

Proclamation of St. Therese of Lisieux as Doctor of the Church

150^th Anniversary of the Birth of Thérèse of Lisieux Celebrated in Association with UNESCO

Edizioni Carmelitane recently published a book in a year of anniversaries associated with Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: the 150th anniversary of her birth in 1873 and the 100th anniversary of her beatification by Pope Pius Xi in 1923.

To learn more visit

Singing the Mercies of the Lord Writings on Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

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Giovedì, 28 Settembre 2023 07:03

Celebrating At Home - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Disobedient obedience
(Matthew 21:28-32)

Over the next three Sundays we will listen to three parables where Jesus, having cleansed the temple, addresses the Jerusalem priests and elders. These “parables of judgement” voice God’s judgement against Israel – especially her leaders – for their rejection of Jesus.

The message, however, is also for us.

In this Sunday’s parable, the message could not be simpler: action speaks louder than words.

The tax collectors and prostitutes acted like the first son. Initially they said no to God, but hearing John the Baptist’s preaching they converted and did what pleased God.

The chief priests and elders are like the second son. They, too, heard John’s preaching and saw the responses of the tax collectors and prostitutes but didn’t change. They pretended acceptance of God but refused to accept John’s message. It is the tax collectors and the prostitutes, therefore, who will enter the Kingdom of God before the chief priests and elders.

It is easy to say that we are going to do something to please someone. But the real honour comes in doing.

If we really want to honour our God, we must find ways to do the will of God. Sometimes it won’t be easy, sometimes it will put us out.

We are not called to ‘police’ God’s mercy – to decide who is deserving of it and who is not. If we have truly heard the Word of God we will be more concerned about extending the reign of God’s mercy and love to everyone, especially to those most despised in the world.

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Mercoledì, 27 Settembre 2023 14:23

Prior General on Indonesia’s 100 Years Celebration

This year is the first centenary of Carmelite Presence in Indonesia. It all began in 1923 when three friars from the Dutch Province arrived in Eastern Java, in the city of Malang. From very small beginnings, the Carmelilte presence in Indonesia has now grown to include some four hundred friars, two monasteries of nuns, three affiliated congregations and a very strong Carmelite Third Order.

Very joyful celebrations were held in Jakarta, August 11, 12 and 13, in Malang and in Maumere, August 15. Further celebrations are due to be held in Medan later this month. The Indonesian form of celebrations includes a solemn celebration of the Eucharist, a meal to which the masses are invited and a presentation of song and dance in the native culture, all very colourful, and overflowing with exuberance and welcome.

The achievements of the Carmelites in Indonesia are very clear to be seen. Not only are the numbers of vocations both of men and women very abundant and significant, but the sense of identity as Carmelites and the quality of formation over the years is and has been very encouraging. It augurs very well for the future in a country that respects religion and religious difference and promotes an education that is steeped in tradition but also very focused on the demands of the modern world. In the fields of pastoral ministry, education and spiritual accompaniment, Carmelites in Indonesia make a very important contribution. By the same token, we may say that in the future Indonesian Carmelites will find themselves making a major contribution to the international life of the Carmelite order and family, something that has already begun in many parts of the world. As a country that recognises very clearly the value of prayer, our prayer is one of gratitude for what has been done and of great hope for what is to come in the future as people respond to the call to be Carmelites and offer their very generous service to the Church and to the society in Indonesia and beyond.

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Mercoledì, 27 Settembre 2023 12:22

Lectio Divina October 2023

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice, and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.

"Lectio divina," a Latin term, means "divine reading" and describes a way of reading the Scriptures whereby we gradually let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants to say to us. In the 12th century, a Carthusian monk called Guigo, described the stages which he saw as essential to the practice of Lectio divina. There are various ways of practicing Lectio divina either individually or in groups but Guigo's description remains fundamental.

Cover image: St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church.

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Mercoledì, 27 Settembre 2023 06:45

The Carmelites of Paraná celebrate Electoral Chapter

The Carmelites of the General Commissariat of Paraná celebrated their triennial elective chapter from September 18-22, 2023. The gathering, held in Maringá, had as its theme "We Walk Together Towards God" from the Rule and Constitutions. The motto for the meetings was from Luke's Gospel: "Stay with us, Lord, it is late and night is coming." Míċéal O'Neill, the prior general, accompanied by José Luis Maza Subero, the Councillor for the Americas, participated.

In 1951, the Province of Upper Germany began missionary work in the city of Paranava, in the State of Paraná, Brazil. Within a few years fifteen missionaries went to the new foundation. They promoted local vocations and two years later, they started a second foundation in the city of Graciosa, where a small seminary house was built. In 1965, the Paranese mission was set up as a provincial commissariat of the Upper German Province.

In 1967, the Carmelites assumed the pastoral care of the parish of Saint Joseph in Cidade Gaúcha and the parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin in the city of Fanny-Curitiba; in this second parish they also erected a novitiate and a minor seminary. In 1968, after the division of the Cidade Gaúcha parish, the Carmelites took over a new parish in the city of Tapira. The following year, in the city of Paranava, the brothers set up a seminary of St. John of the Cross and a middle school. In 1984, the parish of Good Jesus in the city of Dourados, in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, was taken over by the Order. In 1994, the Carmelites left the parishes in the city of Gaúcha and in Tapira in order to start a new mission in the northern region. They assumed the pastoral care of the parish of Our Lady of Aparecida in the city of Rolim de Moura, in the State of Rondônia in the Amazon region. In 1996, a house of formation was founded in Barrio Novo, in the city of Curitiba. At the beginning of the third millennium, convents were established in Manaus and Navigentes (2009) and in Florianopolis (2011). On October 20, 2012, the prior general, with the approval of his General Council, canonically erected the General Commissariat of Paraná.

The following members were elected to leadership at the Chapter:

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Giovedì, 21 Settembre 2023 09:51

Celebrating At Home - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God’s Outrageous Generosity
(Matthew 20:1-16)

For many, the parable which Jesus tells in the Gospel today seems profoundly unjust. Why should those who have done little work get the same pay as those who worked all day?

Maybe the answer lies in the first reading for today: My ways are not your ways; my thoughts not your thoughts. So often in the scriptures, God seems to have a totally different way of approaching things to most of us.

The parable presents God as a landowner going out at five different times during the day to hire workers for his vineyard.

With the 6am workers he makes an agreement for one denarius for the day’s work - the usual daily wage for a labourer. The workers who come later are promised a ‘fair wage’. But when payment time comes, they get a full day’s pay even though some have worked only one hour!

Usually, the youngest and fittest would be hired first and older and weaker workers left till last. But God doesn’t seem too worried about what condition the workers are in or what time of day it is.

The last comers must have been delighted to have received their unexpected full day’s pay. For them, it was really a gift rather than a wage for time worked. The ‘early birds’ fell victim to ‘rising expectations’, thinking that they would get more.

In giving both early birds and late comers the same ‘wage’ the landowner has made them equals – all are equal beneficiaries of God’s gracious invitation to the Kingdom. And there is a place for everyone in that Kingdom, including those often left behind in the world – the poor, sick, old, disabled, etc.

Life in the Kingdom is not a reward for long hours of work. It is a gift – it cannot be earned, but is had by responding to God’s choice of us, no matter what condition we are in, whether we are an early bird or a late comer.

God’s kind of thinking and acting is often very different to human thinking and acting.

The parable can also be interpreted as a practical expression of how to love our neighbour – with generosity and compassion, without considering if they deserve our kindness or not – for the disciple of Jesus must think and act like God.

This parable fits right into the biblical idea of justice which is heavily biased in favour of the ‘have nots’ – the widows, orphans, poor, blind, lame, sinners, etc. No one is left out of the gaze of God’s care.

God’s outrageous and extravagant graciousness and generosity is so different to the often petty and exacting way in which we treat each other. God’s sense of fairness and justice is so much broader and richer than ours. That is what life in the Kingdom of God is supposed to be.

Like last Sunday, it is our awareness of God’s extraordinary kindness, patience and mercy which help us to act in the same way - to see with God’s eyes, to feel with God’s heart and to act with God’s intention.

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Mercoledì, 20 Settembre 2023 07:39

Carmelite Nuns in Huesca Celebrate Elective Chapter

Monastery of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción

The Carmelite nuns of the monastery of Our Lady of the Assumption held their triennial elective Chapter on September 1, 2023.

The monastery was founded in 1656 by a Sr. Beatrice the Sheperd who brought nuns from the monastery of St. Michael, also in the town of Huesca. The monastery belongs to the Mater Unitatis Federation.

The results of the elective chapter were as follows:

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Martedì, 19 Settembre 2023 06:37

Activities of the Prior General for September 2023

01 - 07: Continuation of the Canonical Visitation in the Indonesian Province
05: Address via zoom to the meeting of the nuns of the Italian Federation, held in Sassone, on the theme of formation
08: Address via zoom to the gathering of members of the Northern European Region, held in Dublin on the theme of vocations in Europe
08-09: Mid-Chapter of the Indonesian Province, held in Malang
11 - 16: Rome time.
18 - 22: Chapter of the General Commissariat of Parana, held in Maringa.
26: Online course for new provincials offered by the General Council.
27-30: Rome time.