The Advent Season, moving towards Christmas, calls us to give prayerful attention to baby Jesus and his mother Mary. Peter Thomas, member of the JPIC Team, provides us with a reflection on Mary of Nazareth, the young girl and woman invited by God to fulfil this sacred role.
The vocation to pursue justice is not simply an individual task. It is a call for all of us to work with others to humanize and shape the institutions that touch so many people. Justice in the world can best be carried forward as members of a community called to be the “leaven” of the gospel.
Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador, an icon of justice for the poor and oppressed, will be canonised on 14 October.
Over 800 people are now following us on Instagram. Through Instagram and our Facebook page we share our news, spirituality and prayer with people from very diverse backgrounds including 23,000 people in Timor-Leste. Together with our Facebook page we are now in touch with over 127,000 people each week.
Find us at facebook.com/CarmelitesAET and instagram.com/carmelitesaet and click on ‘follow’ so you can see all our posts in your news feed. See our 800 followers Instagram post here.
1 October is the feast day of St Thérèse of Lisieux famous for her teaching on the 'the little way of confidence and love' found in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul. Thérèse Martin was born in Alencon in France in 1873. Whilst still young she entered the Discalced Carmel of Lisieux. Her writings reveal a very human character. She frequently fell asleep during the long hours of prayer in the monastery chapel. She always had a strong sense of God's love for her and felt her calling was to be love. 'What matters,' she wrote, 'is not great deeds, but great love'. She died on 30 September 1897, just 24 years old. She was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997.
Australia's Carmelite Centre has featured at the International Congress of the Carmelite Family in Rome. Damien Peile and Irene Hayes from the Centre took along the 2018 Centre program brochures and spoke with other participants about the work of the Carmelite Centre. Damien also took the opportunity to talk about his work as Provincial Delegate for the Carmelite Family in Australia. See more photos.
Australian Lay Carmelite Moderator, Chris Wade, gave the second keynote address at the Carmelite Family Congress in Rome. Chris beautifully told of her journey to Carmel and of the role significant woman played in her life, from her grandmother to the other women Chris met later on in life. To live the Carmelite Way, Christine said, involved certain principles: one had to recognise the importance of the Incarnation and to become 'a spark of life' the importance of listening and of receiving other people as they are without trying to change them and lastly, that we be people of joyful service. Her talk was very well received and many expressed gratitude for inspiring them to reflect on their own journey. See more photos.
Damien Peile (Carmelite Family Delegate), Irene Hayes (Carmelite Centre Director), Chris Wade (Lay Carmelite Moderator) and Ann Baumber, Bernie Howe and Maria Howe (Lay Carmelites) are attending the Congress of Carmelite Laity at Sassone, Italy. The focus of the Congress is the role of Mary in bringing us to Jesus.
At the beginning of the Congress, Archbishop Antonio Muniz, OCarm. (Brazil) reflected on his own experience of ‘always being a Carmelite’ ...
Fr Ken Petersen recently celebrated both his 80th birthday and 50th anniversary of Ordination. Family, friends and Carmelites gathered on Sunday 16 September to celebrate these milestones with Ken.
In his homily at Mass, Fr Paul Cahill (Prior Provincial) said that living in, witnessing to, proclaiming, giving thanks for and inviting others to experience the presence of God has been the hallmark of Ken’s life and ministry. Congratulations, Ken!
On 31 August Bishop Norberto do Amaral (Maliana Diocese) blessed and opened the new Church in our parish at Zumalai in Timor-Leste. As usual the celebrations began the day before with a welcome to the Bishop and to Fr Paul Cahill (Prior Provincial) and other dignitaries. After the welcome Bishop Norberto and Fr Paul and the people toured the new Church. The following day Bishop Norberto celebrated the Mass of Blessing together with Fr Paul, Fr Manuel Almeida Da Costa (Parish Priest), Aniçeto Maia Da Costa (Timor-Leste Delegate) and Carmelite and Diocesan priests. See more photos
A plaque commemorating the ten Carmelites who died in Dachau Concentration Camp was unveiled by Fr Fernando Millán Romeral (Prior General) during the International Course for young Carmelites in August.
The plaque sits in the camp's Memorial Centre among many others commemorating those who died. Blesseds Titus Brandsma and Hilary Januszewski are among the 8 Poles and 2 Dutch whose names are recorded on the plaque.
