Carmelites

"White Friars" redirects here. For the White Canons, seePremonstratensians.For the White Monks, seeCistercians.

See also:Discalced Carmelites

TheOrder of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel(Latin:Ordo Fratrum Beatissimæ Virginis Mariæ de Monte Carmelo;abbreviatedOCarm), known as theCarmelitesor sometimes bysynecdocheknown simply asCarmel,is amendicant orderin theCatholic Churchfor both men and women. Historical records about its origin remain uncertain; it was probably founded in the 12th century onMount Carmelin what is nowIsrael.

Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary
of Mount Carmel

Ordo Fratrum Beatissimæ Virginis Mariæ de Monte Carmelo(Latin)
Coat of armsof the order
Abbreviation	OCarm
Formation	Late 12th century
Founders	Earlyhermitsof Mount Carmel
Founded at	Mount Carmel
Type	Mendicantorder ofpontifical right
Legal status	Institute of Consecrated Life
Membership(2022)	2,041 members (includes 1,303 priests)
Motto	Zelo zelatus sum pro Domino Deo exercituum (Latinfor 'With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts')
General Headquarters	Curia Generalizia dei Carmelitani Via Giovanni Lanza, 138, 00184Rome,Italy
Prior General	Mícéal O'Neill, OCarm
Patron saints	Our Lady of Mount Carmel Elijah
Parent organization	Catholic Church
Website	ocarm.org

TheProphet Elijahis regarded as the spiritual father of the Carmelite order.

Names

TheOrder of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmelare also known simply as theCarmelitesor theCarmelite Order.To differentiate themselves from theDiscalced Carmelites(founded in 1562), who grew out of the older order but today have more members, the original Carmelites are sometimes known as theCarmelites of the Ancient Observanceand very rarely theCalced Carmelites(discalcedbeing a reference to some religious orders going barefoot or wearing sandals instead of shoes).

History

Historical records about its origin remain uncertain, but the order was probably founded in the 12th century onMount Carmelin theCrusader States.Berthold of Calabria,as well asAlbert of Vercelli,have traditionally been associated with the founding of the order, but few clear records of early Carmelite history have survived. The order of Carmelite nuns was formalised in 1452.

Spiritual origin

The Carmelite Order is one of the few monastic orders, if not the only one, not to refer to a charismatic founder, but to a prophet of theOld Testament:Elijahand his discipleElishaare considered by the Carmelites as the spiritual fathers of the order.Tradition indicates the presence onMount Carmelof a series ofJewishand thenChristianhermits who lived, prayed and taught in the caves used by Elijah and Elisha. This is how the first Christian hermits (at the origin of the founding of the order) settled in the caves of Mount Carmel to pray to God. The first chapel built within the hermitages and bringing together this community is dedicated to theVirgin Mary.Very quickly, the spirituality of the order turned to Mary who became the queen and mistress of Carmel.

Hermit and monastic life on Mount Carmel

Main article:Hermits of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel

Before the presence of the Carmelites, in the 6th centuryByzantinemonks built a monastery dedicated to Saint Elijah in a valley a few kilometers south of the present monastery. This was destroyed in 614 by the Persians ofKhosrow II.Around 1150, a Greek monk from Calabria established a community of about ten members among the ruins of the ancient Byzantine monastery which he rebuilt and renamed Saint Elijah.

Foundation of the Order on Mount Carmel

Plan of Mount, Relief view of Mount Carmel and Haifa Bay in the 17th century

Ruins of the first church on the slopes of Mount Carmel

Tradition indicates that the order was founded in 1185, but that is based on the story of a pilgrim in the Holy Land, the interpretation of which remains questionable. The oldest (and most reliable) written accounts of the presence of Latin hermits on Mount Carmel date back to 1220 and another text from 1263 (SeeSteinmann 1963,p. 24). During theThird Crusade,a group of hermits led byBerthold of Calabriabegan to inhabit the caves ofMount Carmelfollowing the prophetElijah.This first monastery was located in the east–west facing valley located 3.5 km (2.2 mi) south of the current monastery, and east of the "Haifa Sde Yehoshua Cemetery".

At the beginning of the 13th century, their leader was supposed to beBrocard,although written evidence is lacking. In the Carmelite rule, reference is made only to "Brother B." (in the introductory sentence of the rule) who asked the patriarch for a rule of life for hermits. Tradition has established that it was Brocard, second prior general of the order, who asked theLatin Patriarch of Jerusalem,Albert of Vercelli,to provide the group of hermits with a written rule of life. This rule, dated 1209, is centered on prayer and defined the way of life of hermits.

The first act of the Order of Brothers of The Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel was to dedicate a chapel to the Virgin Mary under the title of Mary, Star of the Sea (in Latin:Stella Maris). Elisabeth Steinmann considers it probable that the hermits of Mount Carmel also settled in some cities of Palestine (Acre, Israel,Tire,Tripoli,Beaulieu in Lebanon), but after a few decades, these hermits began to leave theHoly Landas a result of the insecurity linked to the Muslim reconquests which marked the end of theCrusades.They then returned to Europe where they spread this new monastic order.

The rule of St. Albert was not approved by a pope until 30 January 1226 in the bullUt vivendi normamofHonorius III.In 1229 PopeGregory IXconfirmed this rule again and gave it the status ofRegula bullata.

TheMartyrdom of the Carmelitesmarked the end of the hermit life of the Carmelites on Mount Carmel

At the end of the first crusade led byLouis IX of Francein the Holy Land in 1254 (theSeventh Crusade), Louis brought six Carmelites back to France who joined with those who since 1238 had started to seek and found houses all over Europe. The fall ofSaint-Jean-d'Acrein 1291, and the fall of the Latin state of Outremer led to the destruction of the last Carmelite convents in the Holy Land. The Carmelites who had chosen to remain there were massacred by theMamelukes.

Jerg Ratgebpainted a fresco retracing the life of the Carmelites at the beginning of the 16th century, on the walls of the refectory of the Carmelite monastery in Frankfurt.

From hermits to friars

Back in Europe, the hermits of Carmel encountered many difficulties. Theireremiticlife did not adapt well to their new settlements, they were scattered in different nations, and they found themselves in "competition" with othermendicant orders.Pope Innocent IIIwished to bring the mendicant orders all together under the direction of theOrder of Friars Minorand theOrder of Preachers.In 1215, theFourth Lateran Councildecided to group the existing Mendicant orders under the two primary ones. In 1274 theSecond Council of Lyondisestablished all mendicant orders that were founded after 1215; only four remained: theFranciscans,theOrder of Preachers,theCarmelites,and theAugustinians.The Carmelites, barely spared, had to change their way of life from eremitic to mendicant.

Gradually, during the 13th century, Carmelite hermits returning fromMount Carmelresettled throughout Europe, e.g. inCyprus,Sicily,Italy,England,and southernFrance.Some dates and locations are known:

• in 1235, Pierre de Corbie and his companion settled in the Duchy of Hainaut (Valenciennes)
• in 1242, Carmelites settled inAylesford,Kent,England
• in 1244, Carmelites disembarked inMarseille,France,and settled in caves in Aygalades
• in 1259, Carmelites settled inParis,France
• in 1274, Carmelites settled inDublin,Ireland

However, the new settlements of the Carmelites in the European cities were very different from their eremitical life onMount Carmel.In addition, they faced hostility from the secular clergy and even from other mendicant orders, who saw them as competitors.

The Virgin Mary presenting the Scapular to Saint Simon Stock

According to tradition, the prior general of the Carmelites,Simon Stock,worried about the very difficult situation of the order, which was still threatened with dissolution by the Catholic Church, intensely prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary to aid the order. In 1251,Our Lady of Mount Carmelappeared to him accompanied by a multitude of angels and holding in her hand theScapular of the Order.In his vision, Mary said

Receive, my dear son, this scapular of your Order, as the distinctive sign of the mark of the privilege that I have obtained for you and the children of Carmel; it is a sign of salvation, a safeguard in perils and the pledge of peace and special protection until the end of the centuries. Whoever dies in this garment will be preserved from eternal fires.

Following this vision, and the spread of the Scapular, the Order of Carmel endured and spread rapidly. The historicity of these events is disputed because of the lack of contemporary written records for the period in question; the earliest extant written records are from approximately 150 years later), and some documents contradict this narrative.

In the bullPaganorum incursusof 27 July 1247, PopeInnocent IVofficially denominated the order the "Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel" and asked bishops to kindly accept them in their dioceses. However, the hostility of the secular clergy to the Carmelites was such that it prompted repetition of this recommendation on 4 October later that year.

In 1247, the Carmelites asked PopeInnocent IVto modify theRule of Saint Albertof 1209 to adapt it to their new way of life in cities. In this modification, the communal dimension of their life was clearly emphasized. Pope Innocent IV clarified and corrected some ambiguities and mitigated some severities of the original Rule, and on 1 October 1247 he established the text in the bullQuae honorem conditoris omnium.Thereafter, e.g., the Carmelites no longer ate meals in their cells separately and instead ate in common in arefectory.Thereafter Carmelites also preached and heard confessions in secular (ordinary) churches.

The last great uncertainty for the survival of the order occurred in 1274. During thesanota vacillationissession of 17 July 1274, theSecond Council of Lyon,presided by PopeGregory X,suppressed all the mendicant orders that lacked regular legal status (incert mendicita). The Carmelites defended the anteriority of their foundation, i.e. their institution before 1215, and the pertinent decisions of theFourth Lateran Council,and emphasized their pontifical approvals. After many Carmelite interventions during this session, the Pope confirmed their anteriority.

After the General Chapter of the Order of 1287 inMontpellier,France,the Carmelites replaced the white and brown striped, or barred, coat of their habit with a white cloak, because of which cloak they therefore colloquially were denominated "White Friars".

The assimilation of the Carmelites as a mendicant order in 1326 by PopeJohn XXIIended the final hindrances, and the Carmelites could then rightly perform their apostolic mission. Nonetheless, a conflict ensued between the Carmelites who desired an eremitic life and those who desired an apostolic life in cities, including preaching. Consequently, two kinds of Carmelite monastery developed, one in the heart of cities and another outside them. Carmelites began to study theology at universities.

Mitigation of the rule

Stella Maris MonasteryonMount Carmel,Haifa

The mitigation of the Rule came after the great epidemic of theBlack Deathin the middle of the 14th century, which brought about a collapse of the European population accompanied by a decrease of members of monastic orders.

During the chapter of Nantes, a majority of Carmelites asked to appeal to PopeEugene IVfor a second mitigation of the Rule of 1209 of Saint Albert; the reform of 1247 was considered the first mitigation.

The letter, dated 15 February 1432, indicated that

Many professed members of the Order can no longer observe the rule because of its severity and rigor, both because of the fragility human than by weakness of the body.

Two Carmelites were sent to convey this request to the Pope. The Pope responded in 1435 with the bullRomani Pontificis,dated 15 February 1432, the date of the petition. Addressed to the Prior General, Jean Faci, the bull granted the Carmelites permission to freely and lawfully stay and walk "in their churches, and in the cloisters of these and in the places adjoining them at the appropriate times", moreover, it granted the faculty to eat meat three days a week, except during Advent and Lent and on other days when this was prohibited by general law.

PopePius IIcompleted this permission on 5 December 1469 by granting the Prior General the faculty of dispensing from fasting on days when abstinence was lifted.

PopeSixtus IVgranted greater freedom, commonly known asMare magnum,in the bullDum attendant meditatationeof 28 November 1476, which conceded many advantages to the mendicant orders. However, this mitigation of the Rule was somewhat resisted. Even before its promulgation, there was some protest against "a general relaxation" of the Rule.

Attempts of reforms

The advantages of the new rule were sometimes frowned upon in certain monasteries which wished to return to the old rule of 1247. The convents of La Selve (near Florence),Mantuaand Géronde (Switzerland) thrived because of their tendency to observe the ancient observant rule. The Carmelites of Mantua obtained from Pope Eugene IV the bullFama laudabilis,in 1442, which allowed them to be a separate congregation, governed by a vicar general and only distantly subject to the prior general. While influential during the 15th century, the "Reform of Mantua" subsequently became of marginal influence. Finally, this mitigation introduced around 1465 was definitively incorporated into the regulation of the Order of the Great Carmelites in 1783 by Pope Pius VI.

John Soreth,a friar from the Carmelite Convent of Caen, who served as Prior General in the years 1451–1471, tried to convince his subjects to lead a more rigorous religious life by developing seeds already sown and promoting movements that already existed. His motto was "Return to the Rule of Saint Albert". In his early decrees he protested against privileges and exemptions, seen as a major cause of the decline of the order.

The constitutions of the order dating from 1362 were revised and the text approved by the general chapter of Brussels in 1462. They insisted on

The divine office, the vow of poverty, silence and solitude, the custody of the convent and the cell, studies, work and the visits of the superiors.

The reform took hold in some of the convents, the "observant convents", and the "mixed convents". John Soreth hoped that his reform would gradually be imposed in all the houses of the order, but this attempt at reform remained largely unfulfilled since the prior general who followed him favored a return to a mitigation of the rule, and met with the approval of Popes Pius II and Sixtus IV.

In 1523 PopeHadrian VIappointed Nicolas Audet as vicar general. The latter organized a centralization of the government of the different provinces while ensuring the training of the religious.

In 1499, the Reform of Albi aimed at a return to a more strict observance and in 1513 was approved as a "Congregation of Observance". However, this reform was suppressed in 1584 by PopeGregory XIII

In 1603, Henri Sylvius, Prior General of the Order, went to France at the request of the kingHenri IV of France,to undertake with Philippe Thibault the reform of the province of Touraine. Pierre Behourt, Louis Charpentier, Philippe Thibault and Jean de Saint-Samson were to be the initiators and architects of this reform of the Carmelites of the Old observance. Figures of note in theCatholic Reformation,they were supported byCharles Borromeo,cardinal and archbishop ofMilan.On 20 June 1604, at the provincial chapter ofNantes,Henri Sylvius published the statutes of the reform, which intended to promote the interior life and return to the ancient tradition of the order, under the patronage of the Virgin Mary andSaint Joseph.

By the middle of the 17th century, most of the French provinces had adopted the reform, which had already won over the convents of Belgium (1624) and Germany. Its constitutions were definitively affirmed in 1635.

In 1645, during the general chapter held in Rome, the provincial of Touraine, Léon de Saint-Jean, was appointed a member of a committee to further revise these constitutions with a view to having them adopted by all the reformed convents of the order.

Foundation of Carmelite Nuns

From the Middle Ages, women close to the communities of Carmelite friars were drawn to their life of prayer. Thus, in the Low Countries somebeguinagesadopted the Carmelite rule and thus formed communities in the second half of the 15th century. Prior General John Soreth worked to transform these beguinages into Carmelite women's convents.

On 7 October 1452, PopeNicholas Vpromulgated the bullCum Nullaintroducing the Carmelites in France. Under his protection,Françoise d'Amboise(†1485), Duchess of Brittany, erected the first convent for Carmelite nuns in France. In 1463, a house was built inVannesto accommodate a first community and on 2 November 1463 nine nuns arrived there fromLiègeand settled permanently. While the Vannes convent, such asLes Trois Maries,was to suffer suppression in 1792, during the French Revolution, in the meantime convents of Carmelite nuns had spread rapidly, including many in Spain and Italy.

Foundation of the Third Order

Main article:Lay Carmelites

John Soreth played an extremely important role in the founding of the Third Order of the Carmelites. Pope Nicholas V supported this action in his bullCum Nulla,too.

In France, there were many Carmelite fraternities of the Third Order before the Revolution. Many died during theFrench Revolution,but a few evolved and organized themselves into a religious congregation of apostolic life.

Currently theThird Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmelhas a large number of fraternities in many countries. Following the return of the Carmelites of the Old observance to France in 1989, at the request of the laity, fraternities began to be formed. The first fraternity was established in the diocese of Toulon in 1992. A second was in Nantes in 2001.

Teresian reform

Main article:Discalced Carmelites

Teresa of Ávila(1515–1582)

Reform in Spain began in earnest in the 1560s, with the work ofTeresa of Ávila,who, together withJohn of the Cross,established theDiscalced Carmelites.Teresa's foundations were welcomed byKing Philip II of Spain,who was most anxious for all Orders to be reformed according to the principles of theCouncil of Trent(1545–1563). But she created practical problems at the grassroots level. The proliferation of new religious houses in towns that were already struggling to cope economically was an unwelcome prospect. Local townspeople resisted direction by the nobility and diocesan clergy. Teresa tried to make her monasteries as self-sufficient as was practicable, and accordingly restricted the number of nuns in each community.

John of the Cross(1542–1591)

The Discalced Carmelites also faced much opposition from unreformed Carmelite houses, as when Carmelites from Toledo arrested and imprisoned John of the Cross in their monastery. Only in the 1580s did the Discalced Carmelites gain official approval of their status. In 1593, the Discalced Carmelites had their own superior general styled praepositus general, the first such being Nicholas Doria. Due to the politics of foundation, the Discalced friars in Italy were canonically erected as a separate juridical entity.

TheConvent of Saint JosephinÁvila(Spain) was the first foundation of theDiscalced Carmelites

After the rise ofProtestantismand the devastation of theFrench Wars of Religion,a spirit of reform renewed 16th–17th century France, as well as the Carmelite Order in France. In the late 16th century, Pierre Behourt began an effort to restore the state of the Province ofTouraine,which was continued by the practical reforms of Philip Thibault. The Provincial Chapter of 1604 appointed Thibault the prior of the Convent in Rennes, and moved the Novitiate to Rennes, thereby ensuring that new members of the Province would be formed by the reform-minded friars.The Observance of Rennes advocated poverty, the interior life and regular observance as the antidote to the laxity and decadence into which religious life had fallen, in addition, incorporating currents of renewal from the Discalced Reform,the French School,and theSociety of Jesus.Thibault is said to have wished to marry the spirit of the society with the Order of Carmelites as far as possible.One of the most renowned figures of the Reform wasJohn of St. Samson,a blind lay brother, highly regarded for his humility and exalted spiritual life. In 1612, Br. John was moved to the Convent at Rennes and, in addition to playing the organ, served as the instructor and spiritual director of the novices. Thus John of St. Samson became known as the "Soul of the Reform." Eventually, the Observance of Rennes spread to priories throughout France, Belgium, and Germany, and became known as the Touraine Reform, after the Province from which the movement originated.

Carmelite nunneries were established inNew Spain(Mexico), the first founded in 1604 inPuebla de los Angeles,New Spain's second largest city, followed by one in the capitalMexico City1616. In all, before Mexican independence in 1821, there were five Carmelite convents among 56 nunneries.

Papebroch controversy

Daniel Papebrochwas a member of theBollandists,a group ofJesuithagiographers who produced theActa Sanctorum,which took an analytical approach to the "Lives of the Saints". In his preliminary commentary onAlbert of Vercelli,who is credited with the Carmelite Rule, Papebroch said that the tradition universally received by the Carmelites, that the origin of the order dated back to the prophet Elias, as its founder, was insufficiently grounded. The Carmelites took exception to this.

From 1681 to 1693 there appeared between twenty or thirty pamphlets castigating Papebroch and his work. The series culminated in the large quarto volume signed by Sebastian of St. Paul, provincial of the Flemish-Belgian province of the Carmelite Order, which made serious charges against Papebroch's orthodoxy. Learning that steps were being taken to obtain a condemnation from Rome of theActa Sanctorum,the Bollandists responded.Conrad Janninckreplied first with open letters to Sebastian of St. Paul. The two letters were printed in 1693, followed by a more extended defense of the "Acta", published by Janninck in 1695. Papebroch published his rebuttal in 1696, 1697, and 1698 in the three volumes of the "Responsio Danielis Papebrochii ad Exhibitionem Errorum".

When Rome did not issue a condemnation the adversaries of Papebroch had recourse to the tribunal of theSpanish Inquisition,which in November, 1695, issued a decree condemning the fourteen volumes of theActa Sanctorumpublished up to that time and branding it heretical. Janninck was sent to Rome not only to prevent the confirmation by Rome of the decree of the Spanish Inquisition, but also to secure the retraction of the decree. In December, 1697, he received the assurance that no censure would be passed against the volumes condemned in Spain. On 20 November 1698,Pope Innocent XIIissued a brief that ended the controversy by imposing silence on both parties. Whether it was judged prudent in Rome not to enter into conflict with the Spanish tribunal, or whether the latter prolonged the affair by passive resistance, the decree of condemnation made in 1695 was not revoked until 1715, the year following the death of Papebroch.

Modern history

Carmelites of the ancient observance in choir (2020)

The General councils of Carmelites of the ancient observance (OCarm) and Discalced (OCD) Carmelites

Leaders of the Carmelite Order meet from time to time in General Congregation. The most recent General Congregation took place inFátima, Portugalin September 2016. Since the 1430s, the Congregation of Mantua had continued to function in its little corner of Italy. It was only at the end of the 19th century that those following the reform of Tourraine (by this time known as the "strict observance" ) and the Mantuan Congregation were formally merged under one set of constitutions. The friars following Mantua conceded to Tourraine's Constitutions but insisted that the older form of the habit – namely their own – should be adopted. In a photograph of the periodTitus Brandsmais shown in the habit of Tourraine as anovice;in all subsequent images he wears that of the newly styled ancient observance.

TheFrench Revolutionled to the suppression of the order, with the nuns dispersed into small groups who lived out of view in private houses. At the peak of the persecution, a Carmelite convent, now known as theMartyrs of Compiègne,were executed byguillotine. After the end of the disturbances, the wealthy heiressCamille de Soyécourtwho became later the Carmelite Thérèse-Camille de l'Enfant-Jésus did much to restore the Carmelite life in France.

The Napoleonic secularisation at the beginning of the 19th century in Germany was a strong blow to the Carmelites. After Napoleon had occupied large parts of the Rhineland, almost all monasteries were dissolved after 1806; the 16 houses of the Lower German Province disappeared.

By the last decades of the 19th century, there were approximately 200 Carmelite men throughout the world. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, new leadership and less political interferenceallowed a rebirth of the order. Existing provinces began re-founding provinces that had become defunct. The theological preparation of the Carmelites was strengthened, particularly with the foundation of St. Albert's College inRome.

By 2001, the membership had increased to approximately 2,100 men in 25 provinces, 700 enclosed nuns in 70 monasteries, and 13 affiliated Congregations and Institutes. In addition, the Third Order of lay Carmelites count 25,000–30,000 members throughout the world. Provinces exist in Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Chile, Croatia,Hungary,Germany, India,Indonesia,Ireland, Italy,Malta,the Netherlands,Poland,Singapore, Spain,Portugaland the United States. Delegations directly under the Prior General exist inArgentina,France, theCzech Republic,theDominican Republic,Lebanon,thePhilippinesand Portugal.

Carmelite Missions exist inBolivia,Burkino Faso,Cameroon,Colombia,India,Kenya,Lithuania,Mexico,Mozambique,Peru,Romania,Tanzania,Trinidad,VenezuelaandZimbabwe.

Monasteries ofenclosedCarmelite nuns exist in Brazil, Croatia,Denmark,the Dominican Republic,Finland,Germany, Hungary, Indonesia,Iceland,Ireland,Israel,Italy, Kenya, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand (inChristchurchsince 1933),Nicaragua,Norway,Peru,the Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. Hermit communities of either men or women exist in Brazil, France, Indonesia, Lebanon, Italy and the United States.

Titus Brandsma.

TheDiscalced CarmeliteOrder built the priory of Elijah (1911) at the site of Elijah's epic contest with the prophets of Ba'al (1 Kings18:20–40). The monastery is situated about 25 kilometers south ofHaifaon the eastern side of the Carmel, and stands on the foundations of a series of earlier monasteries. The site is held sacred by Christians,Druze,Jews and Muslims;the name of the area isel-Muhraqa,anArabicconstruction meaning "place of burning", and is a direct reference to the biblical account.

Several Carmelite saints have received significant attention in the 20th and 21st centuries. In 1970, Teresa of Avila became the first woman to be named aDoctor of the Church.In 1997,Thérèse of Lisieuxbecame one of only four female Doctors of the Church,so named because of her famous teaching on the "way of confidence and love" set forth in her best-selling memoir,Story of a Soul.TheMartyrs of Compiègne,murdered during the French Revolution, inspired a 1931 novella followed by a play, anopera,and afilm.Notable 20th century Carmelites includeTitus Brandsma,a Dutch scholar and writer who was killed inDachau concentration campbecause of his stance againstNazism;Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (néeEdith Stein), a Jewish convert to Catholicism who was imprisoned and murdered atAuschwitz;andthree nuns of Guadalajarawho were martyred on 24 July 1936 by Spanish Republicans.

Raphael Kalinowski(1835–1907) was the first friar to be canonized in the order since co-founderJohn of the Cross.The writings and teachings ofBrother Lawrenceof the Resurrection, a Carmelite friar of the 17th century, continue as a spiritual classic under the titleThe Practice of the Presence of God.Other non-religious (i.e.,non-vowed monastic) great figures includeGeorge Preca,a Maltese priest and Carmelite Tertiary. The Feast of All Carmelite Saints and Blesseds is celebrated on 14 November.

Carmelite spirituality

Habit and scapular

Calced Carmelite.

Discalced Carmelite.

Calced Carmélites.

Discalced Carmelite.

In 1287, the original way of life of the order was changed to conform to that of themendicant orderson the initiative ofSimon Stockand at the command ofPope Innocent IV.Their former habit of a mantle with black and white or brown and white stripes – the black or brown stripes representing the scorches the mantle of Elijah received from the fiery chariot as it fell from his shoulders – was discarded. They wore the same habit as theDominicans,except that thecloakwas white. They also borrowed much from the Dominican andFranciscanconstitutions. Their distinctive garment was ascapularof two strips of dark cloth, worn on the breast and back, and fastened at the shoulders. Tradition holds that this was given to Simon Stock by theBlessed Virgin Mary,who appeared to him and promised that all who wore it with faith and piety and who died clothed in it would be saved.There arose asodalityof the scapular, which affiliated a large number of laymen with the Carmelites.

Brown Scapular.

A miniature version of the Carmelite scapular is popular among Roman Catholics and is one of the most populardevotionsin the church. Wearers usually believe that if they faithfully wear the Carmelite scapular (also called "the brown scapular" or simply "the scapular" ) and die in a state ofgrace,they will be saved frometernal torment.Catholics who decide to wear the scapular are usually enrolled by apriest,and some choose to enter the ScapularConfraternity.The Lay Carmelites of theThird Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmelwear a scapular which is smaller than the shortened scapular worn by some Carmelite religious for sleeping, but still larger than the devotional scapulars.

Visions and devotions

Among the various Catholic orders, Carmelite nuns have had a proportionally high ratio ofvisions of Jesus and Maryand have been responsible for keyCatholic devotions.

From the time of her clothing in the Carmelite religious habit (1583) until her death (1607),Mary Magdalene de' Pazziis said to have had a series of raptures and ecstasies.

• First, these raptures sometimes seized upon her whole being with such force as to compel her to rapid motion (e.g. towards some sacred object).
• Secondly, she was frequently able, whilst in ecstasy, to carry on working e.g., embroidery, painting, with perfect composure and efficiency.
• Thirdly, during these raptures Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi gave utterance to maxims of Divine Love, and to counsels of perfection for souls. These were preserved by her companions, who (unknown to her) wrote them down.

The Carmel ofBeja,inPortugal

In the Carmelite convent ofBeja,inPortugal,two Carmelite nuns of the Ancient Observance reported several apparitions and mystical revelations throughout their life:Mariana of the Purificationreceived numerous apparitions of theChild Jesusand her body was foundincorruptafter her death;Maria Perpétua da Luzwrote 60 books with messages from heaven;both religious died with theodor of sanctity.

In the 19th century, another Carmelite nun,Thérèse of Lisieux,was instrumental in spreading devotion to the Holy Facethroughout France in the 1890s with her many poems and prayers. EventuallyPope Pius XIIapproved the devotion in 1958 and declared the Feast of theHoly Face of JesusasShrove Tuesday(the day beforeAsh Wednesday) for all Catholics. Therese of Lisieux emerged as one of the most popular saints for Catholics in the 20th century, and a statue of her can be found in many European and North American Catholic churches built prior to theSecond Vatican Council(after which the number of statues tended to be reduced when churches were built).

In the 20th century, in the last apparition of theBlessed Virgin MaryinFátima, Portugal,Sister Lúcia,one of the most famous visionaries of Our Lady, said that the Virgin appeared to her asOur Lady of Mount Carmel(holding theBrown Scapular). Many years after, Lúcia became a Carmelite nun. When Lúcia was asked in an interview why the Blessed Virgin appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel in her last apparition, she replied: "Because Our Lady wants all to wear the Scapular... The reason for this", she explained, "is that the Scapular is our sign of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary". When asked if the Brown Scapular is as necessary to the fulfillment of Our Lady's requests as the rosary, Lúcia answered: "TheScapular and the Rosaryare inseparable ".

Many Carmelites have been canonized by the Catholic Church as saints. The Feast of All Carmelite Saints is celebrated on 14 November.The Commemoration of All the Departed of the Carmelite Order occurs on 15 November.

See also

• Enclosed religious orders
• Dialogues of the Carmelites
• Ipswich Whitefriars
• Anglican religious order § Carmelite orders
• List of Carmelite saints
• List of Carmelite saints and beatified people
• Former Carmelite Convent at Nantes

Further reading

• Steinmann, Anne Elisabeth (1963).Carmel vivant.Paris: Éditions Saint-Paul.OCLC34042182.
• Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religion
• Copsey, Richard and Fitzgerald-Lombard, Patrick (eds.),Carmel in Britain: studies on the early history of the Carmelite Order(1992–2004).
• "The Carmelite Order"by Benedict Zimmerman.The Catholic Encyclopedia,1908.
• T. Brandsma,Carmelite Mysticism, Historical Sketches: 50th Anniversary Edition,(Darien, IL, 1986),ASINB002HFBEZG
• J. Boyce,Carmelite Liturgy and Spiritual Identity. The Choir Books of Kraków,Turnhout, 2009, Brepols Publishers,ISBN978-2-503-51714-8
• W. McGreal,At the Fountain of Elijah: The Carmelite Tradition,(Maryknoll, NY, 1999),ISBN1-57075-292-3
• J. Smet,The Carmelites: A History of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,4. vol. (Darien IL, 1975)
• J. Welch,The Carmelite Way: An Ancient Path for Today's Pilgrim,(New York: 1996),ISBN0-8091-3652-X

External links

• Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• Order of the Discalced Carmelites
• Index of Carmelite Websites
• Carmelite Hermitage
• "Sayings of Light and Love" – Spiritual Maxims of John of the Cross
• The Carmelite history and vocation
• "Mystical Brain" by Isabelle Raynauld (2006) – a documentary film about five Carmelite Nuns who volunteered to have their brains scanned while they meditated by recalling mystical experiences

Provinces of the Carmelite Order

• Carmelites of the Province of the Assumption, British Province (founded c. 1241; refounded 1969)
• Carmelites of the Most Pure Heart of Mary Province, USA/Canada/Peru/Mexico/El Salvador (founded 1890)
• Carmelites of the North American Province of St. Elias (founded 1931)
• Carmelite Province of Blessed Titus Brandsma of the Philippines (founded 1968)