Gathered in Fatima, delegates from around the world met for the General Assembly of the Carmelite Third Order, exploring the themes of Identity, Vocation and Mission. The Assembly ran from 25 February to 2 March 2025.
There were 5 delegates from our Province of Australia & Timor-Leste: Gabrielle Fogarty, Maria Howe, Mary Tom (Australia), Prisca Carmelita Amaral Vong and Francisco Carmo Da Costa Tilman (Timor-Leste).
In all, there are around 53 Lay Carmelite delegates attending this Assembly from five continents. We are lucky to have Prior General Fr Miċeál O'Neil who is very open, loving, approachable and, especially, a great inspiration.
Father Michael Farrugia conducted sessions on the Legal Issues of the Third Order of Carmel, mainly focusing on the rules and statues. The Third Order Rule created in 2003 requires revision to reflect the changes in canonical laws, a revision of the First Order Constitutions in 2019 and to also reflect the outcomes from the recent Synod.
These are some of the highlights from Father Michael's presentations.
"As Lay Carmelites, our identity is secular while our vocation is apostolic, and we need to strive for Christian perfection". One of the very joyful messages from Fr Michael was about the composition of the Carmelite Order. He clearly explained the structure of the Order using the image of a heart. There is one heart that holds the First Order (the friars), the Second Order (the enclosed nuns), the Third Order and those affiliated to the Order (e.g. Apostolic Sisters). This confirms, in concrete terms, that we are all one Carmelite Family.
Our Prior General, Fr Miċeál, invites us to an apostolic life striving for perfection and a desire to share the Carmelite Spirituality and the gift of prayer. He reminded us that we are brothers and sisters united in Carmel by one vocation: to follow Jesus Christ, building the reign of God on earth. He also reminded us of the need to engage in missionary work. Our way of life should be guided by our desire to grow in spirituality.
Fr Miċeál continued to stress the need for discernment in community meetings to examine whether each one of us is following the Carmelite Charism in our everyday life - in schools, banks, hospitals, at home or wherever we are. His explanation of 'justice' as being a 'right relationship' is very novel and enlightening, inviting us to build honest and compassionate relationships with everyone we interact with. He directed our attention to the Rule of St Albert which says that 'one who uses many words injures one's own soul'. We also focussed on chapter 15 of the Rule which states that any correction should come from the heart of love.
Words: Mary Tom & David Hofman
Photo above: L-R Prisca Carmelita Amaral Vong, Maria Howe, Fr Miċeál, Francisco Da Costa Tilman, Gabirelle Fogarty
More photos below
