#friars — Public Fediverse posts

San Diego slugs its way to win in series opener versus Athletics https://www.rawchili.com/mlb/706972/ #Athletics #Baseball #BryceJohnson #California #FreddyFermin #friars #GavinSheets #JacksonMerrill #JasonAdam #JeremiahEstrada #LosAngelesDodgers #LucasGiolito #MannyMachado #MasonMiller #MiguelAndujar #MLB #MLBAthletics #NickCastellanos #RamonLaureano #RonMarinaccio #SanDiego #SanDiegoPadres #SeattleMariners #TheAthletics #WalkerBuehler #WandyPeralta #XanderBogaerts #YukiMatsui

San Diego slugs its way to win in series opener versus Athletics https://www.rawchili.com/mlb/706972/ #Athletics #Baseball #BryceJohnson #California #FreddyFermin #friars #GavinSheets #JacksonMerrill #JasonAdam #JeremiahEstrada #LosAngelesDodgers #LucasGiolito #MannyMachado #MasonMiller #MiguelAndujar #MLB #MLBAthletics #NickCastellanos #RamonLaureano #RonMarinaccio #SanDiego #SanDiegoPadres #SeattleMariners #TheAthletics #WalkerBuehler #WandyPeralta #XanderBogaerts #YukiMatsui

4 May: Blesseds Angel Maria Prat Hostench, Lucas of St. Joseph Tristany Pujol, Priests, and Companions

May 4
BLESSEDS ANGELUS MARY PRAT HOSTENCH,
LUKE OF ST. JOSEPH TRISTANY PUJOL, 
PRIESTS, AND COMPANIONS
Martyrs

Optional Memorial

In the houses in Spain:  Memorial

In a single celebration, both Orders of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel commemorate their martyrs who, in different places in Spain, bore witness to the faith before and during the long and bloody religious persecution for hatred of the faith (1936-1939). Father Angelus Mary Prat Hostench, O. Carm., was murdered with his confreres in Tárrega in 1936; Father Luke of St. Joseph Tristany Pujol, O.C.D., was slain with his confreres in Barcelona the same year. This memorial also includes the groups from Lleida, Tarragona, Toledo, Terrassa, Olot, and others. This multitude of bishops, diocesan priests, religious of various orders and lay people were beatified, in part by Pope Benedict XVI on October 28, 2007 (498 martyrs), and in part by Pope Francis on October 13, 2013 (522 martyrs).

From the Common of Several Martyrs

OFFICE OF READINGS

The Second Reading
From the writings of Blessed José María Mateos Carballido, priest and martyr
(The Holy Scapular 33 [1936], 135-137)

The history of the Church is written with the blood of its martyrs

It is an undeniable truth that the athlete is formed through exercise, that through it he strengthens his limbs and becomes strong and invincible for the fight; that gold is purified in the crucible and that the more it is purified, the better it is to make precious objects with it.

Something like this happens to the human heart, a precious gold that increases in dignity when melted in the crucible of tribulation and in which are formed holy men and heroes. And something like this also happens in the mystical body of the Church; in her, persecution brings forth unsuspected flowers, unseen virtues, unprecedented heroism. That is why her divine founder announced to her that she would be persecuted at all times: “You will be hated by everyone because of me. They will hand you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues. They will make you appear before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans” (Luke 21:12).

And under the blows of the battering ram of persecution, the Church was forged with its martyrs and its virgins, its saints and its doctors, until it became the prodigy that, after nineteen centuries, appears to the eyes of friends and enemies as the admirably divine work of its Divine founder.

From its beginning, the Church has been chiseled by that engraving tool of persecution, by which each blow that has been dealt has placed a precious stone in the always immovable walls of that beautiful building.

The pages of its history have been written with the blood of its martyrs and from its appearance until today, there has not been a century in which it has not flourished.

Thus, the Church was born; and, watered by the blood of so many innocents, this rich and generous sap flowed through her mystical body to make her produce the most beautiful flowers of science, virtue, heroism and holiness.

Thus, it was born, and over the centuries, it could be seen that those thorns of persecution never left her. But those blows did nothing other than give new vigor to that blessed tree, which, after each persecution, appeared more luxuriant, just as when spring emerges, the tree that has received the attentions of the successful hand of the pruner shows its lushness.

Given the events of recent months, what is our duty? To pray and to love. These are the two most powerful means that can revive peace among men. Pray much, because prayer will give us strength to confess Christ and not to turn our backs on Him like cowards. And love, for so much hatred, can only be drowned by a great outpouring of charity. For her enemies, the Church only has those words that came from the dying lips of Christ in agony on Calvary and were his most beautiful testament: “Father, forgive them”. The Church opens her arms as a loving Mother to all her children, even to those who persecute her, and she says to them all, “Father, forgive them.”

Faced with the danger of new persecution, let us not lose heart. Christ will always be with us, and no matter how rough the combat may be, we will emerge from it purified and the Church will gather new flowers between the folds of her tunic once again dyed with the blood of her children.

Responsory
2 Tim 4, 7-8a; cfr. Phil 3, 8. 10

℟. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. * Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, (alleluia).
℣. Indeed, I count everything as loss that I may know Christ, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. * Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, (alleluia).

Or:

From the writings of Blessed Luke of Saint Joseph, priest and martyr
(The Words of the Crucifix. Tarragona-Barcelona 1928, pp. 65-69)

The law of forgiveness shines in the martyrs

The great law of forgiveness, already promulgated from the beginning of the gospel teaching on the Mount of the Beatitudes, and so solemnly confirmed on the cross, points out to all of us the straight and sure path of eternal blessedness, and creates a wellspring of happiness and harmony, so that men can already taste it here on earth. It descends to the most intimate part of human consciousness, and stirs it all up, attacking to its deepest roots the poison of selfishness, destroyer of all happiness and harmony between souls.

This sublime doctrine of the Redeemer imposes on all of us, as a formal and necessary precept for our salvation, the sincere forgiveness of all serious injuries that have been inflicted on us. And, as an indispensable condition for inner peace and for achieving some degree of evangelical perfection, it also imposes on all of us a benevolent, total and sincere indulgence for each and every one of the many and varied deficiencies of our neighbors.

And, consequently, the great law of evangelical forgiveness is imposed not only on those who have to deal with specific enemies from whom they have received serious injuries, or from whom they know that truly bear them ill; but it reaches to all of us, whatever our state or condition, since there is no one who has not at some time felt offended or bothered, whether little or much.

This law can be applied every day and every hour of our daily life, both in the intimacy of domestic life and in social relationships; it is the same in the most secret and secluded part of the cloisters as in the whirlwind of worldly business.

For the holy Gospel, ideally beautiful as it is in everything, is always very simple and practical, because it can be adapted to all the modalities of each person’s real life. But, among all the evangelical precepts, this one of the forgiveness of enemies is one of the most eminently practical, because, as it penetrates to the most hidden depths of the human conscience, it reaches even to the most secret recesses of the heart, where the subtlest selfishness is also well hidden and concealed. This precept uncovers it; it reveals it to the conscience of every man who wants to know himself. And so this admirable law intends to intervene and inform all our actions, both the religious and the social: the religious, because we know that God does not accept them if we offer them to Him while nursing bitterness or fraternal resentments in our soul; and the social ones, because this precept reminds us that we will be treated by God just as we ourselves treat our brothers.

In this great school of the Cross, all the saints and martyrs learned its admirable wisdom and received its strength, knowing how to live without cursing anyone and how to die content, praying for those who made them shed their generous blood.

This sublime word of Jesus Christ was very fertile and creative, for it awakened, and still awakens today, in many souls, marvelous sentiments that the world had not known before. It taught so many millions of martyrs of all conditions to die with a smile on their face and a prayer on their lips, praying for the very executioners who were tormenting them.

Responsory
Mt 5, 43-45; Jn 13, 15

℟. You have heard that it was said: “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, * so that you may be children of
your Father who is in heaven, (alleluia).
℣. I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. * so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven, (alleluia).

Prayer

Almighty and merciful God,
who granted the priests Blesseds Angelus Mary, Luke of Saint Joseph,
and their companions
the grace of reaching the summit of Mount Carmel through martyrdom,
grant, we pray, through their intercession,
that we may always live with wisdom and zeal,
by bearing witness to the kingly majesty of Christ.

Who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

We are grateful to our Discalced Carmelite Friars for providing the English texts of liturgical offices published after the 1993 edition of the Carmelite Proper—Liturgy of the Hours.

Quote of the day, 10 April: St. Titus Brandsma

Professor Brandsma took advantage of vacations to visit other countries for study. He was most attracted by Spain, the native land of St. Teresa of Avila. He felt a special attraction for her and her way of living out the spirit of Carmel. 

During the Easter Break of 1929, and months before the first Congress [on mysticism in Nijmegen], he had gone to Spain to study similarities between Spanish and Flemish mysticism. He visited Barcelona, Burgos, Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, and Avila; he spent time in archives, libraries, and museums. 

In some Carmelite friaries, he lectured on Carmel’s rich heritage, but he also took pains to make contact with the simple faithful whose culture and spirit had contributed so much to the 16th-century reform of the Order.

Father Simón Besalduch, a well-known Carmelite scholar and author, accompanied Titus through Catalonia; while there, they visited the rector of the University of Barcelona and the Monastery of Montserrat. Recalling this latter visit, Fr. Simón wrote:

We visited the monastery, and the monks put whatever he wanted to see at his disposal. … He conversed with the Benedictines in Dutch, French, German, and Spanish. What tremendous devotion he showed while visiting the church and listening to the Gregorian chant of the monks! … Later, as we were strolling along the mountain trails, our dear Father expressed, as though a projection of his inner being, what was in his heart; and he did so with such vitality that it seemed he was dreaming out loud. He spoke of grand proposals that came together in a single ideal: the flourishing of the Order he so dearly loved. We still have so much to do, he said, in order to become what our fathers were. We need to increase vocations. … We need a comprehensive library that is available to Carmelites of the entire world. … We need a multi-lingual journal that will publish in all the major languages. … We need so much, so much, so much.

Miguel Maria Arribas, O.Carm.

Chapter IV, At the university (excerpt)

Arribas O.Carm., M 2021, The Price of Truth: Titus Brandsma, Carmelite, Carmelite Media, Darien, Illinois.

Featured image: Detail from a photograph of St. Titus Brandsma as Rector Magnificus of the Catholic University of Nijmegen. Titus served in this role from 1932–1933. Image credit: Carmelites (used with permission of the Nederlands Carmelitaans Instituut).

Quote of the day, 10 April: St. Titus Brandsma

Professor Brandsma took advantage of vacations to visit other countries for study. He was most attracted by Spain, the native land of St. Teresa of Avila. He felt a special attraction for her and her way of living out the spirit of Carmel. 

During the Easter Break of 1929, and months before the first Congress [on mysticism in Nijmegen], he had gone to Spain to study similarities between Spanish and Flemish mysticism. He visited Barcelona, Burgos, Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, and Avila; he spent time in archives, libraries, and museums. 

In some Carmelite friaries, he lectured on Carmel’s rich heritage, but he also took pains to make contact with the simple faithful whose culture and spirit had contributed so much to the 16th-century reform of the Order.

Father Simón Besalduch, a well-known Carmelite scholar and author, accompanied Titus through Catalonia; while there, they visited the rector of the University of Barcelona and the Monastery of Montserrat. Recalling this latter visit, Fr. Simón wrote:

We visited the monastery, and the monks put whatever he wanted to see at his disposal. … He conversed with the Benedictines in Dutch, French, German, and Spanish. What tremendous devotion he showed while visiting the church and listening to the Gregorian chant of the monks! … Later, as we were strolling along the mountain trails, our dear Father expressed, as though a projection of his inner being, what was in his heart; and he did so with such vitality that it seemed he was dreaming out loud. He spoke of grand proposals that came together in a single ideal: the flourishing of the Order he so dearly loved. We still have so much to do, he said, in order to become what our fathers were. We need to increase vocations. … We need a comprehensive library that is available to Carmelites of the entire world. … We need a multi-lingual journal that will publish in all the major languages. … We need so much, so much, so much.

Miguel Maria Arribas, O.Carm.

Chapter IV, At the university (excerpt)

Arribas O.Carm., M 2021, The Price of Truth: Titus Brandsma, Carmelite, Carmelite Media, Darien, Illinois.

Featured image: Detail from a photograph of St. Titus Brandsma as Rector Magnificus of the Catholic University of Nijmegen. Titus served in this role from 1932–1933. Image credit: Carmelites (used with permission of the Nederlands Carmelitaans Instituut).

Quote of the day, 10 April: St. Titus Brandsma

Professor Brandsma took advantage of vacations to visit other countries for study. He was most attracted by Spain, the native land of St. Teresa of Avila. He felt a special attraction for her and her way of living out the spirit of Carmel. 

During the Easter Break of 1929, and months before the first Congress [on mysticism in Nijmegen], he had gone to Spain to study similarities between Spanish and Flemish mysticism. He visited Barcelona, Burgos, Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, and Avila; he spent time in archives, libraries, and museums. 

In some Carmelite friaries, he lectured on Carmel’s rich heritage, but he also took pains to make contact with the simple faithful whose culture and spirit had contributed so much to the 16th-century reform of the Order.

Father Simón Besalduch, a well-known Carmelite scholar and author, accompanied Titus through Catalonia; while there, they visited the rector of the University of Barcelona and the Monastery of Montserrat. Recalling this latter visit, Fr. Simón wrote:

We visited the monastery, and the monks put whatever he wanted to see at his disposal. … He conversed with the Benedictines in Dutch, French, German, and Spanish. What tremendous devotion he showed while visiting the church and listening to the Gregorian chant of the monks! … Later, as we were strolling along the mountain trails, our dear Father expressed, as though a projection of his inner being, what was in his heart; and he did so with such vitality that it seemed he was dreaming out loud. He spoke of grand proposals that came together in a single ideal: the flourishing of the Order he so dearly loved. We still have so much to do, he said, in order to become what our fathers were. We need to increase vocations. … We need a comprehensive library that is available to Carmelites of the entire world. … We need a multi-lingual journal that will publish in all the major languages. … We need so much, so much, so much.

Miguel Maria Arribas, O.Carm.

Chapter IV, At the university (excerpt)

Arribas O.Carm., M 2021, The Price of Truth: Titus Brandsma, Carmelite, Carmelite Media, Darien, Illinois.

Featured image: Detail from a photograph of St. Titus Brandsma as Rector Magnificus of the Catholic University of Nijmegen. Titus served in this role from 1932–1933. Image credit: Carmelites (used with permission of the Nederlands Carmelitaans Instituut).

Quote of the day, 10 April: St. Titus Brandsma

Professor Brandsma took advantage of vacations to visit other countries for study. He was most attracted by Spain, the native land of St. Teresa of Avila. He felt a special attraction for her and her way of living out the spirit of Carmel. 

During the Easter Break of 1929, and months before the first Congress [on mysticism in Nijmegen], he had gone to Spain to study similarities between Spanish and Flemish mysticism. He visited Barcelona, Burgos, Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, and Avila; he spent time in archives, libraries, and museums. 

In some Carmelite friaries, he lectured on Carmel’s rich heritage, but he also took pains to make contact with the simple faithful whose culture and spirit had contributed so much to the 16th-century reform of the Order.

Father Simón Besalduch, a well-known Carmelite scholar and author, accompanied Titus through Catalonia; while there, they visited the rector of the University of Barcelona and the Monastery of Montserrat. Recalling this latter visit, Fr. Simón wrote:

We visited the monastery, and the monks put whatever he wanted to see at his disposal. … He conversed with the Benedictines in Dutch, French, German, and Spanish. What tremendous devotion he showed while visiting the church and listening to the Gregorian chant of the monks! … Later, as we were strolling along the mountain trails, our dear Father expressed, as though a projection of his inner being, what was in his heart; and he did so with such vitality that it seemed he was dreaming out loud. He spoke of grand proposals that came together in a single ideal: the flourishing of the Order he so dearly loved. We still have so much to do, he said, in order to become what our fathers were. We need to increase vocations. … We need a comprehensive library that is available to Carmelites of the entire world. … We need a multi-lingual journal that will publish in all the major languages. … We need so much, so much, so much.

Miguel Maria Arribas, O.Carm.

Chapter IV, At the university (excerpt)

Arribas O.Carm., M 2021, The Price of Truth: Titus Brandsma, Carmelite, Carmelite Media, Darien, Illinois.

Featured image: Detail from a photograph of St. Titus Brandsma as Rector Magnificus of the Catholic University of Nijmegen. Titus served in this role from 1932–1933. Image credit: Carmelites (used with permission of the Nederlands Carmelitaans Instituut).

Quote of the day, 10 April: St. Titus Brandsma

Professor Brandsma took advantage of vacations to visit other countries for study. He was most attracted by Spain, the native land of St. Teresa of Avila. He felt a special attraction for her and her way of living out the spirit of Carmel. 

During the Easter Break of 1929, and months before the first Congress [on mysticism in Nijmegen], he had gone to Spain to study similarities between Spanish and Flemish mysticism. He visited Barcelona, Burgos, Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, and Avila; he spent time in archives, libraries, and museums. 

In some Carmelite friaries, he lectured on Carmel’s rich heritage, but he also took pains to make contact with the simple faithful whose culture and spirit had contributed so much to the 16th-century reform of the Order.

Father Simón Besalduch, a well-known Carmelite scholar and author, accompanied Titus through Catalonia; while there, they visited the rector of the University of Barcelona and the Monastery of Montserrat. Recalling this latter visit, Fr. Simón wrote:

We visited the monastery, and the monks put whatever he wanted to see at his disposal. … He conversed with the Benedictines in Dutch, French, German, and Spanish. What tremendous devotion he showed while visiting the church and listening to the Gregorian chant of the monks! … Later, as we were strolling along the mountain trails, our dear Father expressed, as though a projection of his inner being, what was in his heart; and he did so with such vitality that it seemed he was dreaming out loud. He spoke of grand proposals that came together in a single ideal: the flourishing of the Order he so dearly loved. We still have so much to do, he said, in order to become what our fathers were. We need to increase vocations. … We need a comprehensive library that is available to Carmelites of the entire world. … We need a multi-lingual journal that will publish in all the major languages. … We need so much, so much, so much.

Miguel Maria Arribas, O.Carm.

Chapter IV, At the university (excerpt)

Arribas O.Carm., M 2021, The Price of Truth: Titus Brandsma, Carmelite, Carmelite Media, Darien, Illinois.

Featured image: Detail from a photograph of St. Titus Brandsma as Rector Magnificus of the Catholic University of Nijmegen. Titus served in this role from 1932–1933. Image credit: Carmelites (used with permission of the Nederlands Carmelitaans Instituut).

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No. 4 UConn rallies out of a 13-point hole to beat Providence in OT, remain perfect in Big East play

No. 4 UConn has once again survived a scare at Providence. The Huskies had to rally out of…
#UnitedStates #US #USA #AlexKaraban #america #BraylonMullins #Entertainment #Friars #health #SilasDemaryJr. #SoloBall #sports #theHuskies #UConn #unitedstatesofamerica
https://www.europesays.com/2687259/

Quote of the day, 28 November: Peter Thomas Rohrbach, OCD

The Jesuits at Medina del Campo made the preliminary arrangements for her [second] foundation, and in the summer of 1567, she set off in three lumbering, creaking carts to establish the second house of the reform. She took six nuns with her… The prior of the Carmelite monastery in Medina, Anthony de Heredia… offered Mass in the new monastery, but a close inspection afterward showed that the building needed extensive repairs…

A wealthy merchant offered the nuns the upper story of his home while they waited… During that time Teresa… revealed to [Father Anthony] the permission she had from the general to found two houses of reformed friars. She was startled when he volunteered to become the first friar of the new reform… Teresa later wrote… “I thought it was a joke, and told him so.”

The following month Anthony brought another Carmelite to meet Teresa at her temporary dwelling. He was a newly ordained priest, twenty–five years old, and he had confided to the prior that he too wanted to leave the Order and join the Carthusians. Anthony felt that the young man had better speak to Teresa. His name was John de Yepes.

“When I spoke to the friar I liked him very much,” Teresa said, and she explained her project to him, asking him to put off his plan to enter the Carthusians until she had obtained a monastery for reformed friars. She told him that if he wanted to lead a more perfect life “he should lead it within his own Order” Teresa’s singular persuasiveness worked again, and John agreed to her proposal, “provided there were no long delay.”

John had to return to Salamanca for a final year of theology, and Teresa promised to do something about finding a house suitable for a monastery of friars during that time. Teresa was immediately enthused with John de Yepes. “Although he is small in stature,” she later wrote, “I believe he is great in the sight of God.”

After John and Anthony left her temporary convent that autumn day in 1567, she told the nuns that she now felt she could proceed with the establishment of the friars’ monastery, “although I was still not quite satisfied with the prior.” She said that she now had “a friar and a half,” and that phrase has caused a minor controversy among historians. Some have said that the “half friar” was the diminutive John of the Cross, while others have contended that she was referring to her doubts about Anthony, and that she would certainly not jest about the small stature of the future doctor of the church.

…A relative of hers, Raphael Mejía, offered her an abandoned farm house at Duruelo… They lost their way… and did not arrive… until dusk. And then they found the wooden farm house to be severely disappointing: “It had a fair-sized porch, a room divided into two, with a loft above it, and a little kitchen: that was all there was of the building which was to be our monastery.”… Teresa told [Anthony] that if he had the courage to at least begin the foundation, the Lord would provide better quarters in due time, but “the important thing was to make a start.” Anthony eagerly agreed… saying he would live “not only there, but in a pigsty.”

…Teresa herself sewed the new habit to be worn by the reformed friars… John tried on the habit in Valladolid… He reached Duruelo sometime in early October… On November 27, Anthony arrived at Duruelo… On the following day, the first Sunday of Advent, the provincial offered Mass, and then Anthony, John, and the deacon Joseph approached the altar, where they formally renounced the mitigation of Eugene IV and promised to live according to the rule of 1247. After this significant ceremony, they signed the deed of foundation:

“We, Brother Anthony of Jesus, Brother John of the Cross, and Brother Joseph of Christ, begin this day, 28 November 1568, to live the primitive rule.”

Peter Thomas Rohrbach, O.C.D.

Journey to Carith, chapter V

Rohrbach, P 1966, 2015, Journey to Carith: The Sources and Story of the Discalced Carmelites, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: A rustic stone farmhouse in Neila, Spain, set against the quiet Castilian landscape. Image credit: © ABUELO RAMIRO. Adobe Stock, Asset ID 35302703.

#antonioDeJesusHeredia2 #foundation #friars #stJohnOfTheCross #stTeresaOfAvila

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Quote of the day, 27 August: St. John Paul II

Once again, during my service to the universal Church in the See of Saint Peter, I come to my native town of Wadowice.

With great emotion I gaze upon this city of my childhood years, which witnessed my first steps, my first words and those “first bows” which, as Norwid puts it, are “like the eternal profession of Christ: ‘Be praised!’” (cf. Moja piosenka [My Song]).

The city of my childhood, my family home, the church of my Baptism… I wish to cross these hospitable thresholds, bow before my native soil and its inhabitants, and utter the words of greeting given to family members upon on their return from a long journey: “Praised be Jesus Christ!”

In a particular way, I wish to greet the Discalced Carmelite Fathers of Górka in Wadowice. We are meeting on an exceptional occasion: 27 August this year marks the centenary of the consecration of the Church of Saint Joseph, at the Convent founded by Saint Raphael Kalinowski.

As I did as a young man, I now return in spirit to that place of particular devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which had such a great influence on the spirituality of the Wadowice area. I myself received many graces there, and today I wish to thank the Lord for them.

I am pleased that I was able to beatify, together with one hundred and eight martyrs, Blessed Father Alfonsus Mary Mazurek, a pupil and later a worthy teacher in the minor seminary attached to the Convent.

I had the opportunity to meet personally this witness of Christ who in 1944, as prior of the convent of Czerna, confirmed his fidelity to God by a martyr’s death.

I kneel in veneration before his relics, which rest in the Church of Saint Joseph, and I give thanks to God for the gift of the life, martyrdom, and holiness of this great Religious.

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Eucharistic celebration in Wadowice, Poland
Wednesday, 16 June 1999

Featured image: Opening of the John Paul II Museum in Wadowice, 9 April 2014. Image credit: M. Śmiarowski / KPRM (Polish Foreign Ministry) / Flickr

#BlessedAlphonsusMaryMazurek #Czerna #DiscalcedCarmelites #friars #homily #martyrs #StJohnPaulII #StRaphaelKalinowski #Wadowice

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4 May: Blesseds Angel Maria Prat Hostench, Lucas of St. Joseph Tristany Pujol, Priests, and Companions (Not observed in 2025)

May 4
BLESSEDS ANGELUS MARY PRAT HOSTENCH,
LUKE OF ST. JOSEPH TRISTANY PUJOL, 
PRIESTS, AND COMPANIONS
Martyrs

Optional Memorial

In the houses in Spain:  Memorial

In a single celebration, both Orders of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel commemorate their martyrs who, in different places in Spain, bore witness to the faith before and during the long and bloody religious persecution for hatred of the faith (1936-1939). Father Angelus Mary Prat Hostench, O. Carm., was murdered with his confreres in Tárrega in 1936; Father Luke of St. Joseph Tristany Pujol, O.C.D., was slain with his confreres in Barcelona the same year. This memorial also includes the groups from Lleida, Tarragona, Toledo, Terrassa, Olot, and others. This multitude of bishops, diocesan priests, religious of various orders and lay people were beatified, in part by Pope Benedict XVI on October 28, 2007 (498 martyrs), and in part by Pope Francis on October 13, 2013 (522 martyrs).

From the Common of Several Martyrs

OFFICE OF READINGS

The Second Reading
From the writings of Blessed José María Mateos Carballido, priest and martyr
(The Holy Scapular 33 [1936], 135-137)

The history of the Church is written with the blood of its martyrs

It is an undeniable truth that the athlete is formed through exercise, that through it he strengthens his limbs and becomes strong and invincible for the fight; that gold is purified in the crucible and that the more it is purified, the better it is to make precious objects with it.

Something like this happens to the human heart, a precious gold that increases in dignity when melted in the crucible of tribulation and in which are formed holy men and heroes. And something like this also happens in the mystical body of the Church; in her, persecution brings forth unsuspected flowers, unseen virtues, unprecedented heroism. That is why her divine founder announced to her that she would be persecuted at all times: “You will be hated by everyone because of me. They will hand you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues. They will make you appear before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans” (Luke 21:12).

And under the blows of the battering ram of persecution, the Church was forged with its martyrs and its virgins, its saints and its doctors, until it became the prodigy that, after nineteen centuries, appears to the eyes of friends and enemies as the admirably divine work of its Divine founder.

From its beginning, the Church has been chiseled by that engraving tool of persecution, by which each blow that has been dealt has placed a precious stone in the always immovable walls of that beautiful building.

The pages of its history have been written with the blood of its martyrs and from its appearance until today, there has not been a century in which it has not flourished.

Thus, the Church was born; and, watered by the blood of so many innocents, this rich and generous sap flowed through her mystical body to make her produce the most beautiful flowers of science, virtue, heroism and holiness.

Thus, it was born, and over the centuries, it could be seen that those thorns of persecution never left her. But those blows did nothing other than give new vigor to that blessed tree, which, after each persecution, appeared more luxuriant, just as when spring emerges, the tree that has received the attentions of the successful hand of the pruner shows its lushness.

Given the events of recent months, what is our duty? To pray and to love. These are the two most powerful means that can revive peace among men. Pray much, because prayer will give us strength to confess Christ and not to turn our backs on Him like cowards. And love, for so much hatred, can only be drowned by a great outpouring of charity. For her enemies, the Church only has those words that came from the dying lips of Christ in agony on Calvary and were his most beautiful testament: “Father, forgive them”. The Church opens her arms as a loving Mother to all her children, even to those who persecute her, and she says to them all, “Father, forgive them.”

Faced with the danger of new persecution, let us not lose heart. Christ will always be with us, and no matter how rough the combat may be, we will emerge from it purified and the Church will gather new flowers between the folds of her tunic once again dyed with the blood of her children.

Responsory
2 Tim 4, 7-8a; cfr. Phil 3, 8. 10

℟. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. * Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, (alleluia).
℣. Indeed, I count everything as loss that I may know Christ, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. * Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, (alleluia).

Or:

From the writings of Blessed Luke of Saint Joseph, priest and martyr
(The Words of the Crucifix. Tarragona-Barcelona 1928, pp. 65-69)

The law of forgiveness shines in the martyrs

The great law of forgiveness, already promulgated from the beginning of the gospel teaching on the Mount of the Beatitudes, and so solemnly confirmed on the cross, points out to all of us the straight and sure path of eternal blessedness, and creates a wellspring of happiness and harmony, so that men can already taste it here on earth. It descends to the most intimate part of human consciousness, and stirs it all up, attacking to its deepest roots the poison of selfishness, destroyer of all happiness and harmony between souls.

This sublime doctrine of the Redeemer imposes on all of us, as a formal and necessary precept for our salvation, the sincere forgiveness of all serious injuries that have been inflicted on us. And, as an indispensable condition for inner peace and for achieving some degree of evangelical perfection, it also imposes on all of us a benevolent, total and sincere indulgence for each and every one of the many and varied deficiencies of our neighbors.

And, consequently, the great law of evangelical forgiveness is imposed not only on those who have to deal with specific enemies from whom they have received serious injuries, or from whom they know that truly bear them ill; but it reaches to all of us, whatever our state or condition, since there is no one who has not at some time felt offended or bothered, whether little or much.

This law can be applied every day and every hour of our daily life, both in the intimacy of domestic life and in social relationships; it is the same in the most secret and secluded part of the cloisters as in the whirlwind of worldly business.

For the holy Gospel, ideally beautiful as it is in everything, is always very simple and practical, because it can be adapted to all the modalities of each person’s real life. But, among all the evangelical precepts, this one of the forgiveness of enemies is one of the most eminently practical, because, as it penetrates to the most hidden depths of the human conscience, it reaches even to the most secret recesses of the heart, where the subtlest selfishness is also well hidden and concealed. This precept uncovers it; it reveals it to the conscience of every man who wants to know himself. And so this admirable law intends to intervene and inform all our actions, both the religious and the social: the religious, because we know that God does not accept them if we offer them to Him while nursing bitterness or fraternal resentments in our soul; and the social ones, because this precept reminds us that we will be treated by God just as we ourselves treat our brothers.

In this great school of the Cross, all the saints and martyrs learned its admirable wisdom and received its strength, knowing how to live without cursing anyone and how to die content, praying for those who made them shed their generous blood.

This sublime word of Jesus Christ was very fertile and creative, for it awakened, and still awakens today, in many souls, marvelous sentiments that the world had not known before. It taught so many millions of martyrs of all conditions to die with a smile on their face and a prayer on their lips, praying for the very executioners who were tormenting them.

Responsory
Mt 5, 43-45; Jn 13, 15

℟. You have heard that it was said: “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, * so that you may be children of
your Father who is in heaven, (alleluia).
℣. I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. * so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven, (alleluia).

Prayer

Almighty and merciful God,
who granted the priests Blesseds Angelus Mary, Luke of Saint Joseph,
and their companions
the grace of reaching the summit of Mount Carmel through martyrdom,
grant, we pray, through their intercession,
that we may always live with wisdom and zeal,
by bearing witness to the kingly majesty of Christ.

Who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

We are grateful to our Discalced Carmelite Friars for providing the English texts of liturgical offices published after the 1993 edition of the Carmelite Proper—Liturgy of the Hours.

#BlessedAngelMariaPratHostench #BlessedLucasOfStJosephTristanyPujol #Carmelite #DiscalcedCarmelite #friars #Liturgy #martyrs #SpanishCivilWar

Saverio Cannistrà, OCD: Carmelite Shepherd for Pisa

On February 6, 2025, Pope Francis appointed Saverio of the Sacred Heart Cannistrà, O.C.D., as the new Archbishop of Pisa. A Discalced Carmelite friar, theologian, and former Superior General of the Order, Archbishop-elect Cannistrà has served the Church with wisdom, humility, and a profound sense of the Carmelite charism.

In 2019, during the Extraordinary Definitory of the Discalced Carmelite Friars in Goa, India, he delivered a homily at the site of the first Discalced Carmelite foundation in the country, established in 1619. This gathering marked the fourth centenary of the Teresian Carmelites’ presence in India, a milestone that invited reflection on the Order’s missionary spirit.

The homily that follows was translated by the blogger for that occasion. Archbishop-elect Cannistrà reflected on the courage and spiritual depth that animated the first Discalced Carmelites in India. His words from Goa take on renewed significance today as he prepares for his new pastoral mission in Pisa.

For a deeper look at his Carmelite roots and new pastoral mission, listen to our latest podcast episode below.

https://youtu.be/q6yDfu6rhhc?si=L3sD8gqk8bAUhK3k

His full homily from the 2019 gathering follows.

A Carmelite Reflection on Mission

(Homily of Father Saverio Cannistrà, O.C.D., Goa, February 8, 2019 – Translation by the blogger)

Votive Mass of Blesseds Denis and Redemptus
Readings: Eph 6:10–20; Mt 5:1–12

It is with special emotion that I preside at this Eucharistic celebration together with all of you, my dear brothers in Carmel. We are in the place where the first Discalced Carmelite convent stood in Goa and in India. The first three Carmelites arrived in Goa on Christmas Day, 1619: they were Father Leandro of the Annunciation and two professed students, Brother Elías and Brother José Alejo.

The convent was officially inaugurated on March 19, 1621, with the vestition of seven novices, among whom was a young Portuguese soldier who took the name Brother Redemptus of the Cross [Blessed Redemptus].

On July 16 of the following year, the church was solemnly dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The community remained here for about 90 years, until 1709, when all non-Portuguese missionaries were forced to leave. The convent was then handed over to the Oratorians of St. Philip Neri.

It was in this convent, on Christmas Day in 1636, that Father Dionysius of the Nativity [Blessed Denis] made his solemn profession in the hands of Father Filippo of the Holy Trinity, a missionary, theologian, writer, and, at the end of his life, Superior General of the Congregation of Italy. While Father Dionysius was studying theology in preparation for his priestly ordination, Brother Redemptus of the Cross, who had returned to Goa from the Tatta mission (in present-day Pakistan), was serving as porter and sacristan in the same monastery.

As we know, in 1638, these two friars—Blesseds Denis and Redemptus—were sent to Sumatra as part of a diplomatic mission to the Sultan of Aceh, where they were ultimately martyred for the faith.

These simple historical notes give us an idea of the richness of the history that we commemorate today: a history of holiness, of Carmelite life, of missionary zeal, and above all, of love for God and neighbor. Many thoughts and feelings arise as we remember this.

The first is a sense of awe at the dynamism shown by the Teresian Carmel in its early years. Who would have imagined that just fifty years after its humble beginnings in Duruelo, the Discalced Carmelites would already be in Goa—the capital of the Portuguese Indies, a metropolis of about 200,000 inhabitants—having passed through Poland, Persia, the island of Ormuz, and the empire of the Great Mogul?

Scholars can analyze the historical reasons behind this extraordinary expansion of a small group of contemplative religious. But for us, this history calls us to reflect on what the true strength of our religious vocation is:

It is not the force of numbers, nor of tradition, nor of structures, which can become a burden and an obstacle. It is the power of the Spirit, the abundance of his gifts, which transforms our weakness and our fears into the courage and joy of the disciples and apostles of Jesus Christ.

As we heard in the first reading, it is the armor of God that allows us to face the trials and challenges of history. Truth, justice, peace, faith, and listening to the Word of God are the weapons that make up this armor.

A second thought concerns the relationship between contemplation and action. Nothing is more misleading than opposing these two dimensions. The more one is truly contemplative, the more one is truly active—or rather, we become instruments of God’s action, servants of His will.

The first generations of Discalced Carmelites—especially Father John of Jesus-Mary—understood perfectly the core message of St. Teresa of Avila:

Contemplation is allowing oneself to be invaded and transformed by God, who is Love. And Love is always the same: love for God and love for humanity. These two cannot be separated.

It was the fire of this love that made our confreres of four centuries ago so dynamic and effective. They loved God and gave themselves to Him without reserve. But precisely for this reason, they loved the Church and made themselves radically available to it, with obedience, without personal agendas.

They loved humanity, appreciated and valued the cultures, languages, and places where they lived. Their contemplation naturally opened them to mission, which was a movement of true encounter. These Carmelites understood that going on a mission meant getting close to others, listening, studying, and discovering the richness of different peoples.

Thus, their study of theology was not separate from their study of languages, religions, geography, and even botany.

Love is like the sun: it warms, it allows all of humanity to grow and bear fruit in those who allow themselves to be illuminated by it.

Dear brothers, let us thank the Lord for these 400 years of Carmelite presence in India. Let us do so with joyful hearts and with humble awareness of our smallness in the face of such greatness.

At the same time, let us do so with the conviction that this history is not over—it continues in us. We are the brothers of Father Leandro, Father Filippo, Father Dionysius, and Brother Redemptus.

From them, we can learn what it means to live our Carmelite vocation today—as children of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross.

Let us ask for their intercession, so that the flame that the Spirit ignited in their hearts may not be extinguished in us and in our communities.

Four hundred years ago, the first Discalced Carmelites set foot in India, carrying the spirit of St. Teresa of Avila beyond Europe. Today, one of their sons is called to shepherd the Church in Pisa. The same trust in divine providence that sustained those early missionaries now accompanies Archbishop-elect Saverio Cannistrà as he prepares for his new mission.

Let us entrust him to the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the protection of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. May the Holy Spirit, who guided the first Carmelites to distant lands, guide him now as he takes up his pastoral office in Pisa.

Want to stay updated on Carmelite wisdom and reflections? Listen to the Carmelite Quotes podcast, subscribe to our blog, and share this post with others!

Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Discalced Carmelite Superior General Saverio of the Sacred Heart Cannistrà, O.C.D. greets Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Mass for the canonization of St. Mary of Jesus Crucified Baouardy. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

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Quote of the day, 24 January: St. John Paul II

“The kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk 1:15).

Today’s liturgy presents us with two key themes for reflection: conversion and vocation.

Conversion is proclaimed by Jonah, the Old Testament prophet, whom God sent to the great city of Nineveh with the message: “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jon 3:4) because of their sins. Through the prophet, the Lord—whom the psalmist describes as the one who “instructs sinners in the way” (Ps 25:8)—calls the people of Nineveh to change their ways. And they respond: “They turned from their evil ways” (Jon 3:10), and so God, in his mercy, does not carry out the punishment.

Jesus Christ also proclaims conversion, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk 1:15). In both cases, conversion means turning away from sin. In Jonah’s time, this turning away was motivated by fear of punishment. But Jesus calls us to conversion because of God’s nearness and the promise of his kingdom.

Conversion is a pivotal moment in every person’s spiritual and moral life. It takes on different forms at various stages of life. Sometimes conversion is a major turning point that leads to a profound change in one’s direction and behavior. Other times, it happens in the small, almost unnoticed choices of daily life that are essential for the soul’s growth.

We often speak of first and second conversions, and sometimes even a third. The first conversion involves turning away from serious sins that hinder the life of grace. Later conversions are steps along the path of deeper transformation and closeness to God.

This theme is echoed in the responsorial psalm:

Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! (Ps 25:6-7).

Conversion is deeply connected to God’s mercy.

The second theme is vocation.

In the first reading, we hear God’s call to Jonah: “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you” (Jon 3:2). And Jonah obeys.

In the Gospel, we see the call of the first apostles. Jesus calls Simon (later named Peter) and his brother Andrew, as well as James and John, the sons of Zebedee, while they are fishing by the Sea of Galilee. He invites them: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people” (Mk 1:17). They leave their nets and follow him.

Vocation, as we see, is God’s call to each person, entrusting them with a mission. With the call comes the grace to fulfill it. Jonah initially resists, feeling overwhelmed by the task, while the apostles respond with readiness—though their journey will not be without challenges.

The psalm expresses this call beautifully:

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long (Ps 25:4-5).

Indeed, when God calls, he also gives hope.

These two themes—conversion and vocation—are central to the Christian life. They shape God’s saving plan for us and foster our inner growth. Conversion means breaking away from sin and striving for holiness, while vocation reveals God’s purpose for our lives and our response to his love.

As we draw closer to God, we discover the mission he has entrusted to us. Conversion and vocation go hand in hand. Just as Simon, Andrew, James, and John became “fishers of people” (Mk 1:17), so too, each of us is called to embrace God’s plan for our lives.

Today, I am delighted to visit your parish, dedicated to St. Teresa of Avila, a remarkable mystic known for her deep relationship with God and her love for others. This marks my first pastoral visit in 1982 as Bishop of Rome, and I greet you all with joy.

I extend my greetings to the Cardinal Vicar, the Apostolic Nuncio, the Auxiliary Bishop, and especially your parish priests from the esteemed Carmelite Order, who faithfully shepherd this community. I also warmly greet the lay groups supporting their ministry—catechists, the Catholic Action group, the Secular Carmelites, the Young Couples group, and many others. My heartfelt greetings go to every member of this parish—workers, families, elderly people, those who are suffering, and especially the youth, who hold a special place in my heart.

I want to embrace each of you in light of today’s Gospel message. Every person here is experiencing their own journey of conversion, known only to them and God. Some may feel far from God, others may still be awaiting that first step of conversion. And each of you has a vocation—whether as parents, children, teachers, doctors, students, or workers. To each of you, Christ says: “Follow me.”

Your parish is located in an urban setting with a growing elderly population and a decrease in births, yet with many schools for young people. It is essential that your parish be a place where all find a true sense of community. The Gospel must be known and lived here.

Your parish, dedicated to St. Teresa, is a special space within the larger Church of Rome. Here, God continues to call people to conversion and helps them discover their unique vocation. Through this, each life finds its full meaning.

May your parish truly be a place where God’s grace transforms hearts and leads each person to their calling.

In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that “for the present form of this world is passing away” (1 Cor 7:31). Indeed, time passes. The year 1981 is behind us, and we have entered 1982.

Only God remains forever. Our lives have lasting value when we turn away from sin and embrace God’s call.

May this new year be a time of ongoing conversion and renewed commitment to our vocation.

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Pastoral Visit to the Roman parish of St. Teresa (Corso d’Italia 37)
Sunday, 24 January 1982

Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: St. John Paul II is seen here during his pastoral visit to Cali, Colombia on 4–5 July 1986. Image credit: Hernan Valencia / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#conversion #DiscalcedCarmelite #friars #homily #Rome #StJohnPaulII #vocation

Pope St. John Paul II affirms that “praying for the souls in purgatory is the highest act of supernatural charity.” The Church, ever conscious of her vocation to love, has always been animated by this fraternal charity, inviting her children to pray and do penance on behalf of the faithful departed. This is expressly approved by the Bible: “It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins” (2 Mac 12:46). In response to this invitation, the Carmelite Order through the centuries of her existence, has developed a strong sense of communion with the suffering Church (the souls in purgatory).

Read More →

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/11/03/carmelite-order-and-souls-in-purgatory-carmel-holy-land/

#Carmelites #church #dead #friars #HolyLand #penance #pray #purgatory #StJohnPaulII #StellaMaris

The body of St. Teresa of Avila is still incorrupt almost five centuries after her death.

“Today the tomb of St. Teresa was opened and we found it to be in the same condition as at the last opening in 1914.”

This was the most anticipated statement on the 28th of August, and it was pronounced by the Postulator General of the Discalced Carmelite Order, Father Marco Chiesa. And, it is the first conclusion the experts reached after opening the tomb of the Saint of Avila on August 28th, whose body has remained incorrupt since 1582.

The Carmelites detailed how the process took place, beginning with opening and transferring the casket to a scientific workroom in the cloistered area of the monastery.

Fr. Miguel Angel González, OCD explained that early in the morning, “the community of Discalced Carmelite nuns together with the Postulator General of the Order, the members of the ecclesiastical tribunal, and a small group of religious transferred the casket with austerity and solemnity to the place prepared for the study. We did it singing the Te Deum with our hearts full of emotion.”

The process of reaching the silver casket containing the body of St. Teresa is very complex.

First, they had to remove the marble slab covering the tomb. Then, in the room set up for the study of the major relics of the saint, the silver casket was opened in the presence of only the scientific team and members of the ecclesiastical tribunal: they indicated that the casket captured their attention for its “excellent” craftsmanship and its “magnificent” state of conservation.

The silver casket was a gift from King Ferdinand VI (1713–1759) and his wife Barbara of Portugal (1711–1758).

Beginning with the study of the relics of the heart, arm, and hand of St. Teresa, the friars and researchers have collaborated with Salamanca goldsmiths Ignacio Manzano Martin and Constantino Martin Jaen who will be present on the first and last day of work.

The famous ten keys to the tomb have been used: three kept in Alba de Tormes, three on loan from the Duke of Alba, and three kept in Rome by the Discalced Carmelite Father General, in addition to the king’s key. Three of these keys open the exterior grille, three open the marble sepulcher, and the other four are used to open the silver casket.

Before beginning the study of the body, those present prayed before the remains of the Doctor of the Church and then proceeded to an initial visual inspection, from which it was concluded that the body was still incorrupt, just as it was in 1914. This study’s spiritual aspect is to determine St. Teresa’s state at the time of her death.

“We know that in her final years, it was difficult for her to walk, judging from the pain that she herself describes. Sometimes, looking at a body, you discover more than the person had. Analyzing the foot in Rome, we saw the presence of bone spurs that made it almost impossible to walk. But she walked anyway. Then came Alba de Tormes, and then death, but her desire was to go on and on, despite her physical defects,” Father Chiesa explained.

Likewise, the Postulator of the Order recalled that the 1914 photos are in black and white, so “it is difficult to make a comparison.”

Nevertheless, he affirmed that “the uncovered parts, which are the face and foot, are the same as they were in 1914. There is no color, no skin color, because the skin is mummified, but you can see it, especially in the middle of the face. It looks good. The medical experts, they can almost see Teresa’s face clearly,” he stressed.

Regarding the outcome of the studies underway, the Postulator General has asserted that it is too early to give details.

”The Order sees fit to do this work and it will be the specialists who will give us their conclusions after their exhaustive work. We know from similar studies that we will be able to know data of great interest about Teresa and also recommendations for the conservation of the relics, but that will be at another stage,” said Father Marco Chiesa.

See photos from the Diócesis de Ávila

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wtzbKby6Bc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x17iroMJFk8

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: The prior of the Discalced Carmelite friars of Salamanca kneels next to the silver casket of St. Teresa, surrounded by a delegation of nuns from the Carmel of Alba de Tormes and Discalced Carmelite friars from the Iberian Province. On the left is the General Postulator of the Discalced Carmelites, Father Marco Chiesa. The ecclesiastical tribunal for the aforementioned studies consists of the Episcopal Delegate, Francisco Sánchez Oreja, OCD, Provincial of the Iberian Province of St. Teresa of Jesus in Spain. The Promoter of Justice is Miguel Ángel González González, OCD, Prior of Alba de Tormes and Salamanca. The notary of the tribunal is Remigia Blázquez Martín, Superior of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Alba de Tormes. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites / Diocese of Avila

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/28/stj2024sepulcro/

#AlbaDeTormes #DiscalcedCarmelites #friars #news #nuns #science #StTeresaOfAvila #study #tomb

The body of St. Teresa of Avila is still incorrupt almost five centuries after her death.

“Today the tomb of St. Teresa was opened and we found it to be in the same condition as at the last opening in 1914.”

This was the most anticipated statement on the 28th of August, and it was pronounced by the Postulator General of the Discalced Carmelite Order, Father Marco Chiesa. And, it is the first conclusion the experts reached after opening the tomb of the Saint of Avila on August 28th, whose body has remained incorrupt since 1582.

The Carmelites detailed how the process took place, beginning with opening and transferring the casket to a scientific workroom in the cloistered area of the monastery.

Fr. Miguel Angel González, OCD explained that early in the morning, “the community of Discalced Carmelite nuns together with the Postulator General of the Order, the members of the ecclesiastical tribunal, and a small group of religious transferred the casket with austerity and solemnity to the place prepared for the study. We did it singing the Te Deum with our hearts full of emotion.”

The process of reaching the silver casket containing the body of St. Teresa is very complex.

First, they had to remove the marble slab covering the tomb. Then, in the room set up for the study of the major relics of the saint, the silver casket was opened in the presence of only the scientific team and members of the ecclesiastical tribunal: they indicated that the casket captured their attention for its “excellent” craftsmanship and its “magnificent” state of conservation.

The silver casket was a gift from King Ferdinand VI (1713–1759) and his wife Barbara of Portugal (1711–1758).

Beginning with the study of the relics of the heart, arm, and hand of St. Teresa, the friars and researchers have collaborated with Salamanca goldsmiths Ignacio Manzano Martin and Constantino Martin Jaen who will be present on the first and last day of work.

The famous ten keys to the tomb have been used: three kept in Alba de Tormes, three on loan from the Duke of Alba, and three kept in Rome by the Discalced Carmelite Father General, in addition to the king’s key. Three of these keys open the exterior grille, three open the marble sepulcher, and the other four are used to open the silver casket.

Before beginning the study of the body, those present prayed before the remains of the Doctor of the Church and then proceeded to an initial visual inspection, from which it was concluded that the body was still incorrupt, just as it was in 1914. This study’s spiritual aspect is to determine St. Teresa’s state at the time of her death.

“We know that in her final years, it was difficult for her to walk, judging from the pain that she herself describes. Sometimes, looking at a body, you discover more than the person had. Analyzing the foot in Rome, we saw the presence of bone spurs that made it almost impossible to walk. But she walked anyway. Then came Alba de Tormes, and then death, but her desire was to go on and on, despite her physical defects,” Father Chiesa explained.

Likewise, the Postulator of the Order recalled that the 1914 photos are in black and white, so “it is difficult to make a comparison.”

Nevertheless, he affirmed that “the uncovered parts, which are the face and foot, are the same as they were in 1914. There is no color, no skin color, because the skin is mummified, but you can see it, especially in the middle of the face. It looks good. The medical experts, they can almost see Teresa’s face clearly,” he stressed.

Regarding the outcome of the studies underway, the Postulator General has asserted that it is too early to give details.

”The Order sees fit to do this work and it will be the specialists who will give us their conclusions after their exhaustive work. We know from similar studies that we will be able to know data of great interest about Teresa and also recommendations for the conservation of the relics, but that will be at another stage,” said Father Marco Chiesa.

See photos from the Diócesis de Ávila

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wtzbKby6Bc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x17iroMJFk8

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: The prior of the Discalced Carmelite friars of Salamanca kneels next to the silver casket of St. Teresa, surrounded by a delegation of nuns from the Carmel of Alba de Tormes and Discalced Carmelite friars from the Iberian Province. On the left is the General Postulator of the Discalced Carmelites, Father Marco Chiesa. The ecclesiastical tribunal for the aforementioned studies consists of the Episcopal Delegate, Francisco Sánchez Oreja, OCD, Provincial of the Iberian Province of St. Teresa of Jesus in Spain. The Promoter of Justice is Miguel Ángel González González, OCD, Prior of Alba de Tormes and Salamanca. The notary of the tribunal is Remigia Blázquez Martín, Superior of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Alba de Tormes. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites / Diocese of Avila

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/28/stj2024sepulcro/

#AlbaDeTormes #DiscalcedCarmelites #friars #news #nuns #science #StTeresaOfAvila #study #tomb

… I tell you that ever-present to me is what they did with Fray John of the Cross, for I don’t know how God bears with things like that; even you don’t know everything about it.

For all these nine months he was held in a little prison cell where small as he is, he could hardly fit. In all that time he was given no change of tunic, even though he had come close to the point of death. Only three days before his escape the subprior gave him one of his shirts. He underwent harsh scourges, and no one was allowed to see him.

I experience the greatest envy. Surely our Lord found in him the resources for such a martyrdom. And it is good that this be known so that everyone will be all the more on guard against these people. May God forgive them, amen.

An investigation should be conducted to show the nuncio what those friars did to this saint, Fray John, without any fault on his part, for it is a pitiful thing. Tell this to Fray Germán; he will do it because he’s quite mad about this …

Saint Teresa of Avila

Letter 260 to Father Jerónimo Gracián, Madrid
Avila, 21–22 August 1578

Saint John of the Cross escaped from his prison cell in Toledo during the night of 17-18 August 1578. #StJohnOfTheCross

Tweet

Discalced Carmelite scholar, translator, and editor of the collected works of Saints John and Teresa, Father Kieran Kavanaugh offers his analysis of Saint Teresa’s letter to Father Gracián:

“These are two fragments from one letter. They reflect Teresa’s first impressions on learning of St. John of the Cross’s escape from his prison cell in Toledo and of what he suffered there.”

The nuncio at the time was the Italian Archbishop Filippo (Felipe) Sega. Father Kavanaugh’s editorial note is too tantalizing to excerpt, so we present it in its entirety.

Born in Bologna, he became Bishop of Ripa and nuncio to Flanders before being appointed nuncio to Spain in 1577 as successor to Ormaneto. He entered Spain with a bias against Teresa and her reform, the source of which was Cardinal Buoncompagni, a relative of his and nephew of the pope.

But the entire conflict that had developed in Spain among the Carmelites was so complex that he had little inkling of what he was getting into. He supported Tostado who was seeking to put into effect the decisions of the chapter of Piacenza. It was he [Sega] who called Teresa “a restless, gadabout woman.”

Sega considered the discalced friars who took part in the chapter of Almodóvar in 1578 delinquents and rebels, never listened to their defense, and imprisoned their leaders in different monasteries of the observant Carmelites.

Through the intervention of the king, an investigating committee was set up, and the friars as a result were placed under the care of Angel de Salazar, a former provincial of the observant Carmelites in Castile. Salazar dealt with the matter gently and promoted greater peace between the two groups of friars.

Sega then mellowed somewhat and acquiesced when the discalced formed a separate province. After leaving Spain, he served in Portugal, Germany, and France. He was made a cardinal in 1591 and died in Rome.

Finally, we share Father Kavanaugh’s note concerning Fray Germán:

“Fray Germán de San Matías was a confessor for the nuns at the Incarnation along with John of the Cross. He was taken prisoner at the same time as John, but very soon afterward broke free from his captors.”

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: View of Toledo is an oil on canvas painting executed ca. 1599–1600 by Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco (Greek, 1541–1614). This artwork is found in Gallery 619 of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue in New York. The Met’s gallery label provides the following details:

Writing to the sculptor Auguste Rodin after having been astonished by this painting in Paris in 1908, the poet Rainer Maria Rilke described how “splintered light tills the ground, turning it over, tearing into it and bringing up here and there pale green meadows behind the trees standing like insomniacs.” Regarded as El Greco’s greatest landscape, it portrays Toledo, the city where he lived and worked for most of his life. But it is an emotive rather than a documentary vision that not only imaginatively revises the skyline—most notably, the cathedral has been moved—but also distorts architecture and landscape such that they are fully in service of the kind of drama Rilke and other modernists appreciated in his work.

Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art (Public domain)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir-J6a635UM

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/16/stj-ltr260-2/

#Carmelites #escape #FilippoSega #FrKieranKavanaughOCD #FrayJerónimoGracián #friars #nuncio #prison #StJohnOfTheCross #StTeresaOfAvila #StJohnOfTheCross #Toledo

… I tell you that ever-present to me is what they did with Fray John of the Cross, for I don’t know how God bears with things like that; even you don’t know everything about it.

For all these nine months he was held in a little prison cell where small as he is, he could hardly fit. In all that time he was given no change of tunic, even though he had come close to the point of death. Only three days before his escape the subprior gave him one of his shirts. He underwent harsh scourges, and no one was allowed to see him.

I experience the greatest envy. Surely our Lord found in him the resources for such a martyrdom. And it is good that this be known so that everyone will be all the more on guard against these people. May God forgive them, amen.

An investigation should be conducted to show the nuncio what those friars did to this saint, Fray John, without any fault on his part, for it is a pitiful thing. Tell this to Fray Germán; he will do it because he’s quite mad about this …

Saint Teresa of Avila

Letter 260 to Father Jerónimo Gracián, Madrid
Avila, 21–22 August 1578

Saint John of the Cross escaped from his prison cell in Toledo during the night of 17-18 August 1578. #StJohnOfTheCross

Tweet

Discalced Carmelite scholar, translator, and editor of the collected works of Saints John and Teresa, Father Kieran Kavanaugh offers his analysis of Saint Teresa’s letter to Father Gracián:

“These are two fragments from one letter. They reflect Teresa’s first impressions on learning of St. John of the Cross’s escape from his prison cell in Toledo and of what he suffered there.”

The nuncio at the time was the Italian Archbishop Filippo (Felipe) Sega. Father Kavanaugh’s editorial note is too tantalizing to excerpt, so we present it in its entirety.

Born in Bologna, he became Bishop of Ripa and nuncio to Flanders before being appointed nuncio to Spain in 1577 as successor to Ormaneto. He entered Spain with a bias against Teresa and her reform, the source of which was Cardinal Buoncompagni, a relative of his and nephew of the pope.

But the entire conflict that had developed in Spain among the Carmelites was so complex that he had little inkling of what he was getting into. He supported Tostado who was seeking to put into effect the decisions of the chapter of Piacenza. It was he [Sega] who called Teresa “a restless, gadabout woman.”

Sega considered the discalced friars who took part in the chapter of Almodóvar in 1578 delinquents and rebels, never listened to their defense, and imprisoned their leaders in different monasteries of the observant Carmelites.

Through the intervention of the king, an investigating committee was set up, and the friars as a result were placed under the care of Angel de Salazar, a former provincial of the observant Carmelites in Castile. Salazar dealt with the matter gently and promoted greater peace between the two groups of friars.

Sega then mellowed somewhat and acquiesced when the discalced formed a separate province. After leaving Spain, he served in Portugal, Germany, and France. He was made a cardinal in 1591 and died in Rome.

Finally, we share Father Kavanaugh’s note concerning Fray Germán:

“Fray Germán de San Matías was a confessor for the nuns at the Incarnation along with John of the Cross. He was taken prisoner at the same time as John, but very soon afterward broke free from his captors.”

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: View of Toledo is an oil on canvas painting executed ca. 1599–1600 by Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco (Greek, 1541–1614). This artwork is found in Gallery 619 of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue in New York. The Met’s gallery label provides the following details:

Writing to the sculptor Auguste Rodin after having been astonished by this painting in Paris in 1908, the poet Rainer Maria Rilke described how “splintered light tills the ground, turning it over, tearing into it and bringing up here and there pale green meadows behind the trees standing like insomniacs.” Regarded as El Greco’s greatest landscape, it portrays Toledo, the city where he lived and worked for most of his life. But it is an emotive rather than a documentary vision that not only imaginatively revises the skyline—most notably, the cathedral has been moved—but also distorts architecture and landscape such that they are fully in service of the kind of drama Rilke and other modernists appreciated in his work.

Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art (Public domain)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir-J6a635UM

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/16/stj-ltr260-2/

#Carmelites #escape #FilippoSega #FrKieranKavanaughOCD #FrayJerónimoGracián #friars #nuncio #prison #StJohnOfTheCross #StTeresaOfAvila #StJohnOfTheCross #Toledo

In 1931 to solemnly commemorate the third centenary of the re-acquisition of Mount Carmel, it was decided to hold the General Chapter of the Order in the monastery on the promontory. In preparation for the event the church was once more redecorated. The Maltese lay brother, Luigi Poggi, an accomplished artist, painted the ceiling and the interior of the dome, and the walls were covered with precious marble.

The bell tower was enriched by the addition of three new bells presented by the General Definitory, the nuns of Lisieux Carmel, and the nuns of Haifa respectively. Along the road leading towards the Bay of Haifa, fourteen small chapels were erected containing reproductions of the Stations of the Cross, the work of Rafael of the Infant Jesus of the province of Catalonia, whose work was financed by benefactors in his native country.

Participating at the solemn opening of the Chapter were representatives from all the countries in which the Order was established, including America, India, Mesopotamia, Persia, Poland, Ireland, England, Austria, Bavaria, Hungary, Italy, France, Spain, and Malta. Fr. William of St. Albert was elected as General of the Order for a second term of office. The Chapter decided to place votive lamps before Our Lady’s statue to represent every province of the Order.

Because it was felt that the statue’s garments were not in accord with its ornate surroundings, it was decided to have them carved in wood. Brother Luigi Poggi, conventual on Mount Carmel, carved a copy to be enthroned temporarily, while the head and hands were sent off to Rome [in 1932].

The body was carved in Lebanese cedar, with instructions to keep the same proportions and pose as the original. In Europe, the work of restoration was entrusted to Emanuele Rieda, who finished it in less than a year.

The statue’s return to Mount Carmel was accompanied by great celebrations. In July and August, the image was displayed in the Discalced Carmelites’ Roman churches and was blessed by Pius XI on the 25th of July, 1933.

[When the statue arrived on 8 September 1933, it] was escorted by a long procession made up of civic and religious leaders, all Catholic groups in Haifa, and a group of pilgrims who had come specially from Europe. In the evening it was solemnly enthroned above the high altar in the basilica.

Father Elias Friedman, O.C.D.

Excerpts from chapters 3 and 4

Giordano, S, Salvatico, G & Maccise, C 1996, Carmel in the Holy Land: From Its Beginnings to the Present Day, Il Messaggero di Gesù Bambino, Arenzano.

Featured image: Thousands of pilgrims accompanied the Pilgrim Virgin statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the slow, arduous procession from Saint Joseph Latin Catholic Parish in the City of Haifa up to the Stella Maris Church and Monastery of the Discalced Carmelite friars on the promontory of Mount Carmel on 5 May 2019. It was the 100th anniversary of the procession, which began as an act of gratitude for the liberation of the city from Turkish rule at the end of the First World War. Image credit: Discalced Carmelite General Curia / Facebook (used by permission)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/24/friedman-25jul33-2/

#bells #blessing #CarmelOfHaifa #CarmelOfLisieux #DiscalcedCarmelites #friars #generalChapter #Haifa #HolyLand #OurLadyOfMountCarmel #PopePiusXI #Rome #statue #StellaMaris

6 July 1591 in Madrid

At this point in his life, St. John of the Cross is taken up with spiritual direction and governance of the Order. Translator and editor Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D. notes that “John continued his ministry of spiritual direction; the business matters of the order’s government were always claiming attention as well. In fact, these latter sparked another conflict, this time among the discalced themselves.”

Let’s listen to Father Kavanaugh explain further:

The clash began when Nicolás Doria called an extraordinary chapter in June 1590 for the purpose of undertaking two controversial moves. First, he wanted to abandon jurisdiction over the nuns, a reprisal against Madre Ana de Jesús who opposed his plans; Doria had hoped both to make changes in Teresa’s constitutions and to govern the nuns through a body of councillors rather than through one friar appointed to the task. Second, he proposed the expulsion of Teresa’s close collaborator, Father Jerónimo Gracián, from the discalced Carmelites. Fray John spoke in opposition to both moves.

The situation changed, though, with the election of a new council in the chapter of 1591. Father Kavanaugh provides the details:

In the chapter the following year, different councillors were elected to assist Doria, and John remained without an office, a fact that was more a problem for others than for himself. When the news got about, some began raising strong protests.

Among those who were disturbed by the news were two nuns in Segovia: Madre Ana de Jesús (Jimena), a widow, who made her profession in Segovia in 1575, and her daughter, María de la Encarnación, who was the prioress. St. Teresa speaks of them in her Foundations, chapter 21, no. 3:

There was a lady there who had been the wife of the owner of an entailed estate. Her name was Doña Ana de Jimena. She had once come to see me in Avila. She was a good servant of God, and her calling had always been to be a nun. Thus after the founding of the monastery, she and one of her daughters, who was living a devout life, entered it. And the Lord took away the unhappiness she had experienced both while married and as a widow and gave her a double measure of happiness in the religious life. Both mother and daughter had always been very recollected and faithful servants of God.

On the same day that Saint John of the Cross wrote to Madre Ana de Jesús (Jimena) in Segovia, he also wrote to her daughter in the same monastery, Madre María de la Encarnación. Both were disturbed by the news coming to them through Carmelite sources.

But as Father Kavanaugh indicates, “John looked at things differently, as he so often did, and expressed his mind in a letter to the prioress in Segovia,” as we read here in his letter to the daughter, María de la Encarnación:

Do not let what is happening to me, daughter, cause you any grief, for it does not cause me any. What greatly grieves me is that the one who is not at fault is blamed. Men do not do these things, but God, who knows what is suitable for us and arranges things for our good.

Think nothing else but that God ordains all, and where there is no love, put love, and you will draw out love.

Letter 26 to Madre María de la Encarnación in Segovia (excerpt)
Written from Madrid 6 July 1591

And, Saint John was just as unflappable in this letter written the same day to her mother, Madre Ana:

But whether leaving or staying, wherever or however things may come to pass, I will neither forget nor neglect you, as you say, because truly I desire your good forever.

Now, until God gives us this good in heaven, pass the time in the virtues of mortification and patience, desiring to resemble somewhat in suffering this great God of ours, humbled and crucified. This life is not good if it is not an imitation of his life.

Saint John of the Cross

Letter 25 to Madre Ana de Jesús in Segovia (excerpt)
Written from Madrid 6 July 1591

John of the Cross, St. 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, Revised Edition, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K and Rodriguez, O with revisions and introductions by Kavanaugh, K, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This detail from an image of St. John of the Cross was engraved in 1788 by Gilles Antoine Demarteau. The technique used—of which Demarteau was a master—was crayon-manner in red and black, based on a drawing by Taillasson. The Art Institute of Chicago has a marvelous image of the tools used in crayon-manner engraving with detailed figures of the process. Image credit: Rijksmuseum, Antwerp (Public domain)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/05/juan-6jul91/

#acceptance #biography #DiscalcedCarmelites #friars #history #inspiration #love #Segovia #StJohnOfTheCross

Jesus be with your reverence, my padre.

I don’t know why you neglected to write to me through this muleteer and acknowledge that you have received the answer from the Council which I sent you last Thursday.

I would like to know how you can be in that city without living with the friars, I mean in the Carmelite monastery, since the nuncio [Nicolás Ormaneto] has insisted so much on this. It’s only right that we not displease him in anything; it would not be fitting for us to do so. I would very much like to speak with you because there are things that can be spoken but not written.

Up until now with the expectation of having a house there, any arrangement seemed acceptable. But believe me, padre, so prolonged a stay, and with four discalced friars, doesn’t seem right to anyone, and it attracts attention, and not just the attention of the friars of the cloth [the O.Carm. friars], which we don’t have to be concerned about.

But I would not want us to provide the slightest occasion for criticism by doing anything that would give the appearance of non-compliance. Pay no attention to the fact that the marquis [the Marquis of Mondejar, Luis Hurtado de Mendoza, a friend of Padre Mariano] tells you the nuncio would not be displeased.

I also beg you to speak with great caution, whether you have any complaints about the nuncio or not. Because of your frankness—with which I am familiar—I fear that you are careless about this; please God nothing will reach his ears.

You must realize that all the devils are waging war against us, and that it is necessary to look for support only from God. This we do by obeying and suffering, and then He will take over.

I would think it very fitting that when Passion Sunday comes you and the other discalced friars go to your monastery in Pastrana or Alcalá, for it isn’t the appropriate time for carrying on business. If there is some business to be attended to, it’s enough that the licentiate [Juan Calvo de Padilla] be there to take care of it as he has always been.

Days such as these are not the time for religious to be outside their monasteries. It wouldn’t look good to anyone, much less to the nuncio who is so retiring. It would be very consoling to me if you did this.

Think it over carefully and realize that it is the appropriate thing to do. Otherwise, you will have to live with the friars of the cloth, which I think would be worse.

Saint Teresa of Avila

Letter 189 to Padre Ambrosio Mariano de San Benito (excerpt)
15 March 1577

Note: Nicolás Ormaneto (in Italian, Nicolò Ormanetto) was the “holy nuncio” who favored St. Teresa’s work. He died in Madrid on 18 June 1577.

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This detailed image of the Illumination of Saint Teresa is a mural painting by an unknown artist of the Quito School, ca. 1653, located in the upper cloister of the Carmen Alto museum in Quito, Ecuador. Image credit: Project for the Engraved Sources of Spanish Colonial Art, PESSCA 2129B (Some rights reserved)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/06/17/teresa-ltr189/

#anniversary #apostolicNuncio #business #Carmelites #devil #DiscalcedCarmelite #friars #God #NicolásOrmaneto #PadreAmbrosioMariano #StTeresaOfAvila #support

For me, the episcopal ministry has been a very special grace, the opportunity God gives me to be able to serve as a pastor to God’s people. The most difficult thing has been to fight against my egoism, my own sin, my human limitations, my imperfections, but as Saint Paul says, when we are weak, then we are strong (Cf. 2 Cor 2:10).

Bishop Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.
Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Titular Bishop of Zica

Silvio José Báez, o.c.d. is one of nineteen living bishops who are affiliated with the Discalced Carmelite order; he is the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua.

Bishop Báez began his Discalced Carmelite formation in the General Delegation of Central America in 1979 and was ordained a priest on 15 January 1985. He pursued advanced studies in Sacred Scripture, biblical geography, and archeology, not only in Rome but also in Jerusalem.

In 1999, Bishop Báez defended his doctoral thesis in biblical theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome on the subject, Tiempo de callar y tiempo de hablar: el silencio en la Biblia Hebrea (A time to keep silence, and a time to speak: Silence in the Hebrew Bible).

Going on to serve as a seminary professor, Bishop Báez authored numerous articles and books, and has been a frequent speaker at conferences and retreats. He also served as a member of the Council of the Discalced Carmelite friars’ General Delegation of Central America.

In 2006 Bishop Báez was appointed Vice-President of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology Teresianum in Rome, where he was a Professor of Sacred Scripture, also teaching Biblical Theology and Spirituality; in addition, he was the editor of the theology journal Teresianum. On 9 April 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Managua and Titular Bishop of Zica.

On 30 May 2009 Silvio José Báez, o.c.d., was consecrated bishop in the Cathedral of Managua. The principal consecrator was Archbishop Leopoldo José Brenes Solórzano, Archbishop of Managua; the principal co-consecrators were the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Henryk Józef Nowacki,  and Bishop César Bosco Vivas Robelo, Bishop of León en Nicaragua.

You may view Bishop Báez’s episcopal lineage here.

Featured image: Bishop Báez is seen with pilgrims at World Youth Day in Panama, January 2019. Image credit: Silvio José Báez Facebook page (Used by permission)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/29/baez-30may2009/

#anniversary #AuxiliaryBishop #BishopSilvioJoséBáez #consecration #DiscalcedCarmelite #episcopalLineage #friars #Managua #ministry #pastor #StPaul

For me, the episcopal ministry has been a very special grace, the opportunity God gives me to be able to serve as a pastor to God’s people. The most difficult thing has been to fight against my egoism, my own sin, my human limitations, my imperfections, but as Saint Paul says, when we are weak, then we are strong (Cf. 2 Cor 2:10).

Bishop Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.
Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Titular Bishop of Zica

Silvio José Báez, o.c.d. is one of nineteen living bishops who are affiliated with the Discalced Carmelite order; he is the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua.

Bishop Báez began his Discalced Carmelite formation in the General Delegation of Central America in 1979 and was ordained a priest on 15 January 1985. He pursued advanced studies in Sacred Scripture, biblical geography, and archeology, not only in Rome but also in Jerusalem.

In 1999, Bishop Báez defended his doctoral thesis in biblical theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome on the subject, Tiempo de callar y tiempo de hablar: el silencio en la Biblia Hebrea (A time to keep silence, and a time to speak: Silence in the Hebrew Bible).

Going on to serve as a seminary professor, Bishop Báez authored numerous articles and books, and has been a frequent speaker at conferences and retreats. He also served as a member of the Council of the Discalced Carmelite friars’ General Delegation of Central America.

In 2006 Bishop Báez was appointed Vice-President of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology Teresianum in Rome, where he was a Professor of Sacred Scripture, also teaching Biblical Theology and Spirituality; in addition, he was the editor of the theology journal Teresianum. On 9 April 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Managua and Titular Bishop of Zica.

On 30 May 2009 Silvio José Báez, o.c.d., was consecrated bishop in the Cathedral of Managua. The principal consecrator was Archbishop Leopoldo José Brenes Solórzano, Archbishop of Managua; the principal co-consecrators were the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Henryk Józef Nowacki,  and Bishop César Bosco Vivas Robelo, Bishop of León en Nicaragua.

You may view Bishop Báez’s episcopal lineage here.

Featured image: Bishop Báez is seen with pilgrims at World Youth Day in Panama, January 2019. Image credit: Silvio José Báez Facebook page (Used by permission)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/29/baez-30may2009/

#anniversary #AuxiliaryBishop #BishopSilvioJoséBáez #consecration #DiscalcedCarmelite #episcopalLineage #friars #Managua #ministry #pastor #StPaul

At no better moment, out of the mouths of the religious, could the plea to Mary resound that their Jesus, who is now veiled from their sight, will someday appear unveiled after they have departed from this place of exile: Et Jesum benedictum fructum ventris tui nobis post hoc exilium ostende. And reveal to us, after this exile, Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb.

All now stand before the altar of Mary. The Blessed Sacrament is placed on the repositorium, above which the statue of Mary glimmers in the light. Her hands hold the Scapular, the promise of her protection.

Saint Titus Brandsma

Saturday Evening in the Church of the Carmelites (excerpt)

Note: We thank the Titus Brandsma Instituut for providing this translation by Susan Verkerk-Wheatley and Anne-Marie Bos of Brandsma’s fine essay,  ‘Zaterdagavond in de kerk der Carmelieten’, which appeared in the review Carmelrozen, Vol. IV, August 1915, p. 93-96.

Featured image: Father Brandsma preaches at the Marian Congress in Nijmegen, Holland in 1920. At that time he was teaching philosophy and mathematics to the Carmelite students in Oss. Photo credit: Nederlands Carmelitaans Instituut (used by permission).

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/17/mdj2024-ep18/

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May 4
BLESSEDS ANGEL MARIA PRAT HOSTENCH,
LUCAS OF ST. JOSEPH TRISTANY PUJOL, 
PRIESTS, AND COMPANIONS
Martyrs

Optional Memorial

In the houses in Spain:  Memorial

Carmel desired to bring together in one single memorial its own martyrs who, in different locations in Spain, bore witness during the long and bloody Civil War (1936-1939). Mentioned in this memorial are Father Angel Maria Prat Hostench, O. Carm., killed with his community in Tarrega in 1936, and Father Lucas of St. Joseph O.C.D., killed with his fellow friars in Barcelona, also in 1936. In this memorial, we also remember the groups from Lérida, Tarragona, Toledo, Olot, Terrasa, etc. The entire group of bishops, diocesan priests, religious from various orders, and laity was beatified partly (498 martyrs) by Benedict XVI on October 28, 2007, and partly (522 martyrs) by Francis on October 13, 2013.

From the Common of Several Martyrs

OFFICE OF READINGS

The Second Reading
From a letter by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr
(Ep. 6, 1–2: CSEL 3, 480–482)

I greet you, dearest brothers, and would like also to enjoy your company face to face, if only the conditions in which I find myself did not prevent my coming to see you. What could be more desirable or more joyful for me than to embrace you now, to be encircled by those pure and sinless hands that have kept the faith of the Lord and refused to offer sacrilegious worship?

What could be more pleasant, more sublime, than to kiss at this moment those lips of yours, which have given such glorious utterance in praise of the Lord; to be seen also by those eyes of yours, which have despised the world and proved themselves worthy of seeing God?

But, because there is no opportunity for my sharing this joy, I send this letter as my representative for your ears and eyes to hear and see. Through it I congratulate you, and at the same time urge you to persevere courageously and steadfastly in your witness to heavenly glory, and to continue with spiritual courage, now that you have entered on the way that the Lord has graciously opened up for you, until you receive the crown of victory. You have the Lord as your protector and guide, for he has said: Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.

How blessed is the prison honored by your presence, how blessed the prison that sends men of god to heaven! Darkness brighter than the sun  itself, more resplendent than this light of the world, for it is here that God’s temples are now established, and your limbs made holy by your praise of God.

Let nothing else be now in your hearts and minds except God’s commandments and the precepts of heaven: by their means the Holy Spirit has always inspired you to bear your sufferings. Let no one think of death, but only of immortality; let no one think of suffering that is for a time, but only of glory that is for eternity. It is written: Precious in the sight of God is the death of his holy ones. And again: A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit; a broken and humbled heart God does not despise.

Holy Scripture speaks also of the sufferings which consecrate God’s martyrs and sanctify them by the very testing of pain: Though in the eyes of men they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality. They will judge nations, and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them forever.

When, therefore, you recall that you will be judges and rulers with Christ the Lord, you must rejoice, despising present suffering for joy at what is to come. You know that from the beginning of the world it was so; justice is here oppressed in its conflict with the world, for at the very outset Abel the just is killed, and after him the just, and those sent as prophets and apostles.

The Lord himself is an example of all this in his own person. He teaches us that only those who have followed him along his way arrive at his kingdom: He who loves his life in this world, will lose it. And he who hates his life in this world, will save it for eternal life. And again he says: Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; fear rather him who can kill both body and soul and send them to hell.

Paul too admonishes us, that as we desire to gain the Lord’s promises we must imitate the Lord in all things. We are God’s children, he tells us. If children, we are also heirs of God, and coheirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.

Responsory

R/. We are warriors now, fighting on the battlefield of faith, and God sees all we do; the angels watch and so does Christ. * What honor and glory and joy, to do battle in the presence of God, and to have Christ approve our victory (alleluia).
V/. Let us arm ourselves in full strength and prepare ourselves for the ultimate struggle with blameless hearts, true faith and unyielding courage. * What honor and glory and joy, to do battle in the presence of God, and to have Christ approve our victory (alleluia).

Prayer

Almighty God,
you gave your blessed Carmelite martyrs of Spain
the grace to confront death
so to confess your word and bear witness to Jesus;
grant us the power of the Holy Spirit
to remain steadfast in the faith
and strong in the confession of your name.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Catholic Church 1993, Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Rev. and augm.), Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/02/spmartmenlit24/

#BlessedAngelMariaPratHostench #BlessedLucasOfStJosephTristanyPujol #Carmelite #DiscalcedCarmelite #friars #Liturgy #martyrs #SpanishCivilWar

Some years before our departure for France, M. de Bretigny made a journey to Spain. He begged most earnestly of the Superiors of the Order permission to take some Spanish Carmelites to France; but he could not then succeed in his design.

Not having been able to get the Carmelites, he took home the writings of the Saint and had them translated into French. As in these works there is so much said in favor of France, the French servants of God who had devotion to our holy Foundress loved her more and more, and took new courage.

In several cities they gathered together some very virtuous high-born ladies to initiate them little by little into the spirit of this new Order. These reunions once well established, they asked permission of the king to found a monastery in Paris, desiring for this purpose to have Spanish Carmelites brought there; but in case the Carmelites were not willing, their plan was to have our Constitutions brought from Spain and be taught to these young ladies whom they had gathered together, with the intention of giving them the habit and making them daughters of the Order of our Holy Mother, St. Teresa. 

This first foundation having been arranged, the servant of God whom I mentioned above, M. de Bretigny, returned to Spain, bringing with him three noble French ladies. They intended, if their enterprise was successful, to take Spanish religious with them to France. Besides, during their stay in Spain, they were to learn the language of the country.

Messrs. Rene Gauthier and de Berulle also went to Spain, not without meeting great dangers at sea, as they themselves narrated. For our Lord tried their courage in every way and on all sorts of occasions. But they were so faithful to God and so firm in their design, that nothing terrified them.

They were several months in Spain without succeeding in obtaining religious from the Order. Seeing this, M. de Berulle and the others did their utmost and labored for a whole year before obtaining from the Superiors of the Order what they asked.

The deputation sent from France had to endure much labor and many affronts; this, because it was not known what great servants of God they were; for they certainly were such—their works and the zeal they showed for the glory of God proved their great fervor.

But in order that their virtue might be more purified, God permitted that they should not be esteemed at their proper worth. Some said that they were heretics, and other things of a similar nature. They suffered with much patience and humility, and, persevering in this way, their enterprise was crowned with success.

At last our Father General, Francis of the Mother of God, came to Avila with several Fathers of the Order to arrange for our departure. We left on the morning of the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. [1604] Our Father General accompanied us a great part of the day. When he was obliged to leave us we begged his blessing. He gave it with an emotion that was shared by all the religious. In parting, both Fathers and daughters made a great sacrifice to God.

Two friars of our Order, great servants of God, two French priests, one of whom was M. de Berulle, and the other, M. Rene Gauthier, together with three Frenchmen on horseback, and several Spaniards, accompanied us on this journey. The three French ladies were alone in one carriage and the six religious in another. We were together in the inns.

The French ladies taught us their language; it must be acknowledged we did not make great progress in it; we learned sufficient, however, to understand most of what was said to us. But we did not speak fluently; we could, with difficulty, say only a few sentences. Our Lord wished to humble us in this, and I think it was best for us, for by speaking little we did not give disedification. Every nation has its own customs.

Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew

Third Book, Chapter 1, Deputation Sent From France

“Every nation has its own customs,” wrote Blessed Anne. Truer words were never spoken. The influence of “Monsieur de Bérulle” upon the Carmelites in France grew and expanded as his authority expanded, not only in the Church but also in government.

Considered by many as the founder of the French School of Spirituality, he collaborated with Blessed Marie of the Incarnation, better known as Madame Acarie, in the foundation of the first Discalced Carmelite monastery in Paris, the original destination of Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew, Venerable Anne of Jesus and their traveling companions in 1604. 

As a priest, Pierre de Bérulle was passionate in his ministry. Educated by the Jesuits, he had only been ordained five years earlier when he set out on his great adventure in Spain in the year 1604. In 1611, he undertakes another great project: the foundation of an Oratory in France similar to the Oratory founded by Philip Neri in Italy.

In the space of 18 years, Bérulle founded 40 Carmels and 60 houses for his Oratorians in France.

As his fame spread in the Church in France, he naturally attracted the attention of the royal family, as well. In 1625, he became a personal chaplain to Queen Consort Henrietta Maria of France, the wife of England’s King Charles I.

In 1627, Pope Urban VIII insisted upon creating him a Cardinal. His influence in affairs of state continued to develop when he was named head of the queen’s council, then councilor of state. Through all of this, Bérulle’s influence on the French Carmelites remained firm.

But there was dissension. The Venerable Anne of Jesus, Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew’s companion in making the original foundation, believed that Bérulle was leaving an imprint upon the Carmels in France that decidedly was not in keeping with the Teresian ideal. Further, she desired for the nuns to be directed by Discalced Carmelite friars. Frustrated, in 1607, she accepted an offer from the Archduke of Belgium to transfer to Flanders, where she founded Carmels in Brussels, Louvain, and Mons.

Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew had moved from Paris to Pontoise where she was elected prioress (1605) and then assumed the same office in the Carmel of Tours (1608). But in 1611, she too was called to make the journey north. She left on 5 October, “the day following the anniversary of the death of the Saint.” She wrote that she “had no desire to go to Flanders,” but Anne of Jesus needed her in Mons, and she would go on to found the Carmel of Antwerp.

Meanwhile, in France, the spirituality of le Carmel Bérullien that so concerned Venerable Anne of Jesus continued to thrive without the Spanish foundresses. Cardinal de Bérulle died suddenly while he was celebrating Mass on 2 October 1629, making the greatest ecclesiastical figure in France seem larger than life. His legacy did not fade.

Discalced Carmelite theologian François-Marie Léthel points out that the Bérullien influence is seen in the writings of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. For example, Christocentrism is one of the hallmarks of his French School of spirituality. Father Léthel indicates that Thérèse refers to the name of Jesus twice as much as she mentions “God”: more precisely, she writes the name of Jesus more than 1600 times, but she only makes roughly 800 references to “God” (Léthel 2011).

Antoinette Guise Castelnuovo has carefully documented the history of the Bérullien crisis in the 20th century. In response to the promulgation of the new Code of Canon Law in 1917, all religious orders were obliged to revise their constitutions, including the Discalced Carmelites.

In France, disorder reigned supreme; every Carmel’s superior was the local bishop, and none of the local superiors consulted with one another. Thus, the nuns of the Carmel of Clamart—the post-revolutionary re-foundation of the original Carmel of Paris in Faubourg Saint Jacques—undertook the task to issue a set of constitutions in 1924 that might unify the Discalced Carmelites of the so-called “French Observance”. Getting Vatican approval for their text was another matter completely. (Castelnuovo 2015)

Every other Discalced Carmelite monastery worldwide turned to the general curia of the Discalced Carmelite friars for their care and direction. In short order, the friars’ revised constitutions for the nuns were approved in 1926. In France, no word of approval had been received yet.

At this point, St. Thérèse’s own sister, Mother Agnès of Jesus—then the prioress in Lisieux—saw an opportunity to restore a true Teresian spirit in France and make Venerable Anne of Jesus’ dream a reality, that the nuns in France might once again submit to the governance of the Discalced Carmelite friars in Rome.

Although Mother Agnès herself enjoyed an office that was hardly Teresian, having been named prioress-for-life by Pope Pius XI in 1923, she had gained a level of influence, unlike no other prioress, due to her tireless efforts to make Thérèse known, loved, and canonized. She set forth to use that influence to seek the imposition of the friars’ constitutions in France.

Castelnuovo describes the conflict between Mother Agnès and the Carmel of Clamart as degenerating from a struggle for influence into an all-out fratricidal war. Letters to the apostolic nuncio, the Sacred Congregation for Religious, and even to the pope were flying fast and furious.

Mother Agnès wrote in 1925 to the nuncio, Archbishop Cerretti, that she was confident that 12 to 15 monasteries would pass to the Teresian observance with Lisieux; she said the “Bérullien Carmels” who would stick with Clamart were blind.

In 1927, Mother Agnès sent a confidential report to the new nuncio, Archbishop Maglione, outlining why this or that Carmel—although desirous to adopt the friars’ constitutions—could not do so. In every case, although the nuns were in favor of the change, the superior (either the bishop or his delegate) prevented such a transition. Nevertheless, a handful of monasteries joined Lisieux and adopted the friars’ constitutions of 1926.

Sadly, Mother Agnès learned in 1931 that the prioress of the Carmel of Agen circulated a letter among her fellow prioresses in the circle of Bérullien Carmels, accusing those who followed the 1926 Constitutions like Lisieux of being “lax” and “mitigated”.

In her historical study, Castelnuovo draws a distinct correlation at this point between the Lisieux-Clamart conflict in the 1920s and the constitutional crisis between the followers of Saint Maria Maravillas (1990 Constitutions) and the majority of the nuns who were committed to the direction of the Discalced Carmelite friars (1991 Constitutions). The similarities are striking.

To resolve the conflict in France, the Sacred Congregation for Religious issued a decree on 20 September 1936 to impose the adoption worldwide of the 1926 Constitutions revised by the Discalced Carmelite friars’ general curia in Rome.

This was an unprecedented action that proved unsuccessful; the Bérullien Carmelites refused to accept the decree of the Sacred Congregation and continued to follow their French Observance.

Divine intervention finally came with the nomination of an apostolic visitator in 1948: the vicar general of the Discalced Carmelite friars who was himself a native of France, Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus. It was a stroke of genius. Castelnuovo notes that  Bérulle in his day had placed great importance in the role of a visitator. St. Teresa, for her part, had great recourse to the visitators to save her reform.

Marie-Eugène was known and respected by all, thanks to his preaching during the canonization of Thérèse. Now, he had 130 Carmels to visit; he began in September 1948 and completed his visits in March 1951, delivering his report at the end of the month. In the meantime, Pope Pius XII published Sponsa Christi and an Instruction concerning the cloister.

No longer was there simply a matter of constitutional conformity in France to deal with; Blessed Marie-Eugène also realized that the Carmelites needed guidance in the implementation of Sponsa Christi, as well. He set to work as an invaluable courier between the Holy See and the nuns, helping the pope to safeguard the contemplative vocation and helping the nuns to broaden their horizons.

In a final, grand effort to assure that his hard work would not be wasted and that the new-found unity of the Discalced Carmelite nuns in France might be preserved, Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus took the bold step of assisting the nuns to organize themselves into four federations according to geographic location. Two federations in the north, conforming to the friars’ Paris Province, and two federations in the south under the care of the Province of Avignon-Aquitaine were established, and Marie-Eugène himself was the assistant to all four federations.

Anne of St. Bartholomew, M; Bouix, M 1917,  Autobiography of the Blessed Mother Anne of Saint Bartholomew, inseparable companion of Saint Teresa, and foundress of the Carmels of Pontoise, Tours and Antwerp, translated from the French by Michael, M A, H. S. Collins Printing Co., Saint Louis.

Guise Castelnuovo, A 2015, ”Femmes en réseau et centralisation romaine : le gouvernement des
carmélites de France au XXe siècle,’ Les Carnets du LARHRA, 2015, Gouverner l’Eglise au XXe
siècle, no. 28, pp.109-131, halshs-01404512, viewed 17 April 2024, <https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01404512/document>

Lethel, F 2011, La lumière du Christ dans le coeur de l’Église : Jean-Paul II et la théologie des saints : retraite de carême avec Benoît XVI, 13-19 mars 2011, Parole et Silence, Paris.

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: This is a detailed image from a stained glass window in the 1946 series by French stained glass artist Raphaël Lardeur in the Church of Notre-Dame des Blancs-Manteaux (Our Lady of the White Mantles, the French Order of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin, founded in 1257 and suppressed in 1274). It shows Cardinal Pierre de Bérulle blessing the Discalced Carmelite nuns who were brought to Paris from Spain through the resourceful efforts of Madame Acarie. A curiosity: the artist did not depict the nuns in their white mantles, which they most certainly would have worn to receive the Cardinal’s blessing. Image credit: GFreihalter / Wikimedia Commons (Some rights reserved)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/04/17/acarie-customs/

#BlessedAnneOfStBartholomew #BlessedMarieEugeneOfTheChildJesus #BlessedMaryOfTheIncarnation #CarmelOfLisieux #conflict #Constitutions #DiscalcedCarmelite #federations #FrançoisMarieLéthel #France #friars #history #MadameAcarie #nuns #PaulineMartin #PierreDeBérulle #Spain #VenerableAnneOfJesus

St. Raphael Kalinowski received the Discalced Carmelite habit on 26 November 1877 and made his religious vows on the same date in 1878. Visit our #blog to read an excerpt from his conference for the Carmelite friars in Wadowice: “Mother of God, Hope of the World.”
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#StRaphaelKalinowski #OnThisDay #BrownScapular #DiscalcedCarmelites #friars #VirginMary #MotherOfGod #novice #religious #vocation #vows #Catholic #spirituality #Carmelite #Poland

St. Raphael Kalinowski received the Discalced Carmelite habit on 26 November 1877 and made his religious vows on the same date in 1878. Visit our #blog to read an excerpt from his conference for the Carmelite friars in Wadowice: “Mother of God, Hope of the World.”
❤ https://carmelitequotes.blog

#StRaphaelKalinowski #OnThisDay #BrownScapular #DiscalcedCarmelites #friars #VirginMary #MotherOfGod #novice #religious #vocation #vows #Catholic #spirituality #Carmelite #Poland

St. Raphael Kalinowski received the Discalced Carmelite habit on 26 November 1877 and made his religious vows on the same date in 1878. Visit our #blog to read an excerpt from his conference for the Carmelite friars in Wadowice: “Mother of God, Hope of the World.”
❤ https://carmelitequotes.blog

#StRaphaelKalinowski #OnThisDay #BrownScapular #DiscalcedCarmelites #friars #VirginMary #MotherOfGod #novice #religious #vocation #vows #Catholic #spirituality #Carmelite #Poland