On Ash Wednesday we begin our journey to the great feast of Easter.

Wearing ashes symbolises our desire for conversion, to turn again towards God. Repentance (conversion) is not so much about feeling sorry for individual sins. It is more about changing the direction of our hearts – away from all that limits God’s love and action in us. Conversion is about opening ourselves to a fresh experience of God’s healing love which makes us whole and restores us to our rightful place as beloved daughters and sons in the Kingdom of God. It’s about moving back into right relationship with God and neighbour.

Over the last month another 4,128 people have joined our Facebook family bringing the total today to 95,998 followers!

Our recent post celebrating 95,000 followers reached 107,863 people. We are very pleased to acknowledge Jorge Cocco who has given us permission to use his religious artwork in our posts free of charge. View this post here.

Find us on Facebook @carmelitesAET and click on ‘follow’ so you can see all our posts in your news feed.

Our Carmelite students joined with religious of the Archdiocese of Melbourne at the annual Mass for Religious today (3 February) in St Patrick's Cathedral. The mass celebrates the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple (2 February).

Brs Agedo Bento, Martinho Da Cruz Lemos and Matthew Tonini lent their voices to the choir and Brs Albino Dos Santos, Marcolino Gomes, Avelino Dos Santos and Agostinho Dos Santos joined the congregation with Fr David Hofman.

More photos

Enjoy the rich variety of retreats, seminars, reading groups and prayer on offer at the Carmelite Centre this year.

Lectio Divina, meditation, residential and one day retreats, Carmelite Conversations, spiritual films, the Psalms and mindfulness are just some of the offerings this year. As well, there are sessions on the spirituality of the Carmelite Rule, Charles de Foucauld, Rubem Alves, Ernest Larkin, St Thérèse of Lisieux, Carlos Mesters, Charles Wesley, Ruth Burrows, Emily Dickenson - and much more.   pdf Download your copy

With a listening heart and confidence we approach the still small voice of the Spirit of God to respond to today's challenges, commencing this new year with a focus on our search for peace. Peter Clark leads us in reflection on peace using the Carmelite perspective.

To all people of good will who are working for social justice: never tire of working for a more just world, marked by greater solidarity!
Pope Francis

JPIC No 72 February 2018 | Visit our JPIC page

We warmly welcome Fr Roque Soares Da Cruz to Australia. Fr Roque will be doing English language studies in Brisbane for most of this year and is now a member of our community at Coorparoo.

Since his Ordination in 2015 Roque has been helping with the formation of our young Carmelites at Hera in Timor-Leste.

Welcome, Roque!

Just after Christmas our Carmelite Facebook family passed 90,000 members! Today there are 91,870 followers of carmelitesAET, our Facebook page.

Our most popular posts were: Reflection for 4th Sunday of Advent (41,441 likes), Christmas (38,625 likes), New Year/Mary, Mother of God (36,431 likes) and Lectio Divina for January (30,209 likes).

Find us on Facebook @carmelitesAET and click on ‘follow’ so you can see all our posts in your news feed.

The 2018 edition of the Carmelite Liturgical Guide is now available.

The Guide integrates the Carmelite Liturgical Calendar with the liturgical calendars of Australia and Timor-Leste to provide a guide to the Seasons, Solemnities, Feasts, Memorials and Carmelite celebrations for every day of the year.

Download your copy or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a printed copy.

New Year's Day is also the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. It's the most important feast of Mary in the Church's calendar. A week after celebrating the birth of Jesus, we honour Mary as Mother of God and mother of all believers.

We wish you a very happy new year. May it be filled with an ever deeper awareness of God's presence around us and in us. May Mary accompany us with wisdom and love throughout this new year. May it bring each of us much happiness and great peace.

MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES: MEN AND WOMEN IN SEARCH OF PEACE

New Year’s Day 2018 will be the 51st World Day of Peace. Pope Francis invites Catholics to embrace those who endure perilous journeys and hardships in order to find peace.  He urges people to turn with a “contemplative gaze” towards migrants and refugees, opening our hearts to the “gaze of faith which sees God dwelling in their houses, in their streets and squares”. pdf Read Pope Francis'message.

The long-awaited renovations to our Church at Wentworthville (NSW) are now complete. Last Sunday Bishop Vincent Long (Bishop of Parramatta) consecrated the new altar and blessed the new ambo, baptismal font and renovated tabernacle.

Fr Paul Cahill (Prior Provincial) joined local Carmelites, Denis Andrew (Prior & Parish Priest), Anthony Scerri, John Powell and Martinho Da Costa and parishioners for the ceremony. More photos.

Congratulations to Brothers Marcolino Gomes, Agostinho Dos Santos and Avelino Dos Santos who graduated yesterday to the next level of their English for Pastoral Ministry course.

The Graduation Mass and Ceremony for the English Language School for Pastoral Ministry was held at the Passionist Monastery, Templestowe (VIC). Fr Tom McDonough (Passionist Provincial) celebrated the Mass and Fr Kevin Hennessey (Principal Executive Officer) presented certificates to some 40 students. More photos.

The Carmelite Province of Australia & Timor-Leste is committed to the protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults from all forms of abuse and mistreatment.

Working with the Australian Childhood Foundation since July this year we are developing policies, protocols and responses promoting a culture and a practice of providing a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults in our pastoral care.

10 young Carmelites recently made their first profession of vows as Carmelites. Fr Paul Cahill (Prior Provincial) received the vows during mass in Hera, Timor-Leste on 9 December.

Brothers Caetano Soares da Silva, Paulo Martins de Araújo, Jacob dos Reis Carvalho, Celestino Soares, Elias Soares Sin, Domingos Natus Quefi, Isaias de Jesus Martins, João Fernando Cabal, Fermando Gusmão and Bonifacio Bragança Lopes made their vows in the presence of other Carmelites, family and friends. More photos.

More than 500 young people visited the 3Charisms stand at the recent Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Sydney and made paper cranes representing prayers for peace.

Br Matthew Tonini and Fr Martinho Da Costa represented the Carmelites of Australia & Timor-Leste.

See our 2 short videos and more photos from the Festival.

You can also visit our YouTube channel.

On Friday 8 December Fr Paul Cahill (Prior Provincial) formally received Samuel Lopes, João Batista Caunan, Alipio Godinho, Antonio Junias Da Gloria and Lucas Dos Santos Martins into the Novitiate at Hera, Timor-Leste.

For the past 2 years these young men have been preparing to become novices in our community at Fatuhada in Dili. We welcome them as they begin the Novitiate – a special year of learning more about the Carmelite journey of transformation. More photos.

Fr Martinho Da Costa and Br Matthew Tonini are representing the Carmelites at the Australia Catholic Youth Festival in Sydney. Together with the Blessed Sacrament Congregation and the Passionists they are manning booth 98 in the exhibition area.

Yesterday, visitors to the booth were invited to join in folding 142 paper cranes representing prayers for peace. Later in the day Br Matthew met up with the Highways & Byways team. Follow all the action on Facebook @carmelitesaet. See more photos.

World Human Rights Day of Prayer falls within the season of Advent, when Christians enter into the experience of longing: longing for Truth, for Freedom, for Peace, for Love…for the experience of all that gives meaning to human life. We pray with Mary and Joseph and their Child seeking shelter in a violent land during violent times. We pray especially for all child migrants who are most vulnerable and voiceless.

The Carmelite NGO has produced a book of prayers, songs and reflections for you to use for this year's celebration of World Human Rights day.

History will be made in a few days time when our 10 novices in Timor-Leste will make their first vows as Carmelites.

They will form the largest group of novices to make their first vows in the history of the Carmelite Province of Australia and Timor-Leste. The last big group was in 1963 when 8 novices made their frist vows together in Australia.

Last week we held our annual Mass and High Tea to thank our donors for their generosity. Almost 70 people attended. Fr Paul Cahill (Prior Provincial) celebrated the Mass at St Joseph's, Port Melbourne (VIC). Frs Pat Harney, Maurice Barry, Paul Sireh and Januario Pinto concelebrated and Br Sean Keefe and Fr Michael Brundell joined the group for the presentations and High Tea.

Thank you to all our friends who generously support the life and work of the Carmelites in Australia and Timor-Leste.