citoc magazine i-2011.pdf

8/9/2019 Citoc Magazine I-2011.pdf

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No. 1- 2011


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CITOC | PAGE 3

CONTENT

Pilgrimage of Hope

Canonical Erection of a New

General Delegation in Kenya

Bl. Angelo Paoli

Letter from the

Prior General

InternationalCongress

ofCarmeliteSchools

The International

Formators’ Course

4

5

12

16

2420

Editorial 2

Americas 6

Asia-Australia-Oceania 7

Africa 8

Europe 10

Justice and Peace 11

ALACAR 14

Formation 19

Evangelization 22

First International

Congress of the

Carmelite Family 23

Carmelite News 26

New Federation of

Monasteries of

Italian Nuns 31


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N ew means of communication offer, among many other

possibilities, the facility for receiving information

almost instantly and in an inexpensive and constant

way. In recent years, CITOC online has been regularly fullling

this role. Many members of the Carmelite family now feel

more connected to the Order because of the fact that they are

informed almost at “the present moment” and can feel the pulse

and vibration of Carmel in the 21st Century.

Nevertheless, it is also necessary to have other kinds of

information that go beyond what is immediate. Despite the

fact that many communities and Orders have abolished the

printed newsletter at an international level, we believe that itis right to launch a print version of CITOC that in some ways

will compliment and enrich the computer version. Despite the

general increase in the price of postage and paper, we believe

it is worth making this small effort to increase our information

service, to enable us see that we are a part of a family that is

on the move, lives and works, and is a witness to the presence

of God in our lives.

In the many trips that I have made throughout the world one

nds proof that the Carmelite presence in these countries is

very rich and active: missions, schools, parishes, work in the

eld of education, justice and peace. It is also necessary toprovide good information about events and initiatives taking

place on a wider level (congresses, beatications, international

meetings, government of the Order, etc.). Being aware of our

reality will help us to increase our self-esteem as a religious

family, to celebrate the work that our brothers and sisters are

doing and to thank God for what He is doing through Carmel, for

the service of the church and for the people of God.

As we begin this new venture with CITOC, I cannot forget

the testimony of Titus Brandsma who was a true pioneer of

the Church’s presence in the press and media. With great

enthusiasm he worked all his life in various

newspapers and magazines and, in turn, reected

on the importance of these means for society

and for evangelization, and on the ethical

criteria that are necessary

in the eld of

Letter fromthe Prior General

CITOC | PAGE 4

Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán, O. Carm.

communications. His message is

relevant today more than ever before

and some of his conclusions anticipated

by more than thirty years what would be

afrmed in the Second Vatican Council

in the famous decree “Inter Mirica”. I

think its preface is worth reproducing

here:

“Among the wonderful technological

discoveries which men of talent,

especially in the present era, have

made with God’s help, the Church

welcomes and promotes with special

interest those which have a most

direct relation to men’s minds andwhich have uncovered new avenues

of communicating most readily news,

views and teachings of every sort. The

most important of these inventions are

those media which, such as the press,

movies, radio, television and the like,

can, of their very nature, reach and

inuence, not only individuals, but the

very masses and the whole of human

society, and thus can rightly be called

the media of social communication.”

(Paragraph 1, Decree on the Media ofSocial Communication “INTER MIRIFICA”

solemnly promulgated by His Holiness

Pope Paul VI on December 4, 1963. )

I thank wholeheartedly the work of

those that have made this new edition

of CITOC possible and ask Our Lady of

Mount Carmel, Stella Maris, that it be

truly a Universal Information Center

of the Carmelite Order (Informationis

Centrum totius Ordinis Carmelitarum,

CITOC) that shines and enlightens thegreat Carmelite family in the world.


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On July 16, the Solemn Commem-oration of our Lady of Mount

Carmel, in our house in Nairobi

(Bustani ya Karmeli), the Prior General,

accompanied by the Councillor for Afri-

ca, Fr. Désiré Unen Alimange, co-signed

the decree of canonical erection of the

General Delegation of Kenya, which will

be under the patronage of Our Lady of

Carmel. The rst General Delegate is

Fr. Boniface Makau Kimondolo (Cat). Fr.

Fernando emphasised the importance of

this occasion for the history of Carmel in

Kenya and in the African continent.

During the celebrations, the gener-

ous contribution to this mission on the

part of four provinces was recalled: Up-

per Germany, Arago-Valentina, Catalonia

and India.

The rst assembly of the Delegation

was also held during which both short-

term and medium-term objectives were

set for this promising presence in Africa.

T he Carmelite presence in Kenya isthe result of the efforts of a numberof provinces that made a commit-ment to begin the mission. The decision

to begin this mission in Kenya was made

by the General Council in December of

2000. This decision was based on the

recommendation of Fr. Anthony Scerri,the General Councillor for Africa, Asia

and Australia.

A number of factors led to this de-

cision.

A meeting of the Provincials from the

provinces who were committed to help-

ing the mission took place. These in-

cluded: Fr. Christian Körner, O.Carm.,

Provincial of the Upper German Province,

Fr. Manuel Bonilla, O.Carm., Provincial of

the Catalonian Province, Fr. David Oliver

Felipo, O.Carm, Provincial of the Arago-

Valentina Province and Fr. John Adapoor,

O.Carm., the Commissary Provincial of

the Commissariat of India.

The meeting was held in Barcelona. In making this deci-

sion, the General Council also took into account the Carmel-

ite presence in Kenya of our enclosed nuns in the diocese

of Machakos (since 1998) and subsequently in the diocese

of Ngong (2005), as well as the presence of our Missionary

Workers of the Missionary Family Missionary Donum Dei in

Nairobi, and of many lay members of the Carmelite Third Or-der spread over many dioceses in Kenya. Also, Nairobi, the

capital of Kenya, is an important centre of religious studies in

Africa and could become a Carmelite centre of formation for

Carmelites in an Afri-

can environment and

culture.

The General Coun-

cil also noted that

there are other foun-

dations in Africa and

recognized the will-

ingness for frater-

nal collaboration and

Canonical Erectionof a New GeneralDelegation in Kenya

There are now ve General Delegations in the Order:

France, “Titus Brandsma” in Colombia, Bohemia and Moravia

and now Kenya.

The Prior General also took advantage of the occasion to

present a letter which will be shortly sent to the Carmelite

Family entitled “A Purchased People”. This is to mark the

50th anniversary of a letter by the same name written by the

Carmelite Bishop, Mons. Donal Lamont, against apartheid. In

the letter, Fr. Fernando calls on Carmel to encourage growth

in Africa.

History of the General Delegation of Kenya

CITOC | PAGE 5

Continued on page 9


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The presence of Carmelite friars can be found in thirteendistinct countries in a very large territory that extends

from Canada in the north to Argentina in the south

where we have approximately 530 Carmelites.

The American continent is divided into two regions:

The North American Region1.

The Latin American and Caribbean region.2.

In this rst triennium we visited the majority of the Carmelite

places in this enormous continent. We tried to encourage

greater interchange and mutual collaboration betweenboth regions and between the existing entities. Likewise,

we animated the friars to participate in various permanent

formation programs, to continue studies in specialized areas

after theology and to learn one of the ofcial languages of

the Order. These visits also included visits to monasteries of

cloistered nuns and some convents of sisters afliated with

our Order when time and distance permitted us to do so.

During this time we had the opportunity to participate in

four provincial chapters, four provincial commissariat

assemblies and one general delegation meeting. Also,we were present at various celebrations, congresses

and meetings among which we can highlight: the

Beatication of Madre Candelaria de San José in

Venezuela, the meeting of Superiors of the Americas in

Brazil, the Golden (50th) Anniversary of Crespi Carmelite

High School in the United States, The O.Carm-O.C.D.

Latin American Congress (ALACAR) in Colombia, and

three formation courses for Latin America in Peru,

Bolivia and Brazil.

It should be noted that in the Meeting of Superiors of

2008, the group carefully studied the Global Plan of the

The Dedication of the new “Xiberta Center of Theological Reection” in El Salvador

Fr. Raúl Maraví C., O.Carm.

Americas

Carmelite Novices in Brazil

CITOC | PAGE 6

General Council for the Order in distinct

areas such as: formation, justice and

peace and the integrity of creation,

Carmelite schools and youth, Carmelite

laity. The assistants, friars and someCarmelite sisters worked and analyzed

the most viable ways to implement this

plan in their communities.

On the other hand, it is also important

to note that during the International

Course for formators in August of 2010

in Brazil, the formators of the American

continent met to discuss a plan to develop

three single international novitiates in

the continent (one in English, one in

Spanish and one in Portuguese). The

majority of the participants (around

thirty formators) were in agreement

to continue supporting this initiative in

order to achieve a better interchange

and to enrich the novices and students

with a more international and diversiedexperience of our Carmelite Order.


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A

s a General Councilor, I would like to

continue building cooperation amongCarmelites in the region, and making

more contribution to the whole Order. In order to

achieve this, clear and constructive communication

is needed to facilitate collaboration and consolidation

in the whole regional Carmelite Family.

I arranged the rst meeting for the superiors

of the region in Bali in November 2008, in which

collaboration, especially in Carmelite formation was

the priority. During the Council of Provinces XVI in

San Felice, September 2009, the superiors of the

region agreed to organize training for formators. InMay 2010, 19 formators came together, participating

in a training facilitated by Fr. Joseph Chalmers.

I took advantage of the training by creating

a regional committee for formation whose

responsibility is to facilitate a cooperative formation

in the region. It was decided to organize a seminar

on formation and JPIC for Carmelite students which

will be held in East Timor April 26 – May 2, 2011 and

to have a meeting for formators in India in 2012.

During the International Gathering in Camoçim,

Brazil in August 2010 the regional formators

strongly agreed to continue collaborating in such

areas as joint formation, formators and students

exchange, and sharing experiences.

But meetings are not enough; therefore, visiting

various Carmelite communities is needed. I have

visited India (St. Thomas Province and St.Therese-

St.Albert delegation), Philippines (Chapter and

fraternal visit), China and Vietnam (canonical visit

with Fr. General), Indonesia (Chapter and canonicalvisit with Fr. General), Australia and East Timor

(Chapter and fraternal visit with Fr. General).

I have also

visited CarmeliteNuns of

Indonesia (Batu

& Palangkaraya),

Philippines

(Tanay,

Dumaguete,

Butuan, Guiguinto, Tarlac, Burgos, Roxas), and

some Carmelite sister communities in India,

Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, and

East Timor. We also met Lay Carmelite groups in

the Philippines, Indonesia, and East Timor. They

highly appreciated these visits. Thanks to them

for their hospitality!

The Carmelites of the region are taking part

in the Carmelite mission of the Order. Indonesia

is responsible for a mission in China, India is

partaking in a Kenya mission, the Philippines is

working in their Papua New Guinea mission. These

missions are managed as regional projects in which

provinces, commissariats, and delegations support

each other and strengthen their cooperation.

Br. Amilton Vidotto (Pern) is teaching Portuguese

to our East Timorese Carmelites, and the New York

province is sending some Vietnamese Carmelites

there for sharing Carmelite life during the summer.

The General Council has stimulated the region to

build stronger internationality. Studying or working

in other provinces like Ireland, England, Germany,

France, Italy, United States, and Australia may

strengthen our internationality and should be done

according to a clear agreement among provinces,

commissariats, and delegations; otherwise, it maycreate confusion.

Asia-Australia-Oceania Fr. Albertus Herwanta, O.Carm.

Provincial chapter of Province of Australia and East Timor

CITOC | PAGE 7


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F r o m

among the

p r o j e c t s

for Africa

in these 6

years that

e m e r g e d

from the General Chapter in 2007, we would like to

present the present-day situation and that which

will be realized in the following days.

The current situation (already realized)

a. The formation of formators and formandi are

the highest priority. All of the priors provincial are

concerned with the formation of the members of

their respective missions: Zimbabwe, Rep. Dem.

Congo, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,

Kenya, Tanzania.

b. The existing foundations are asking to be

consolidated. Certainly, the Carmelite charism has

become a reality in these respective places. In

order to afrm the brothers in their faith, fraternal

visits have all been completed in all the missions

by the Councilor of the area.

Regarding canonical visits, the Prior General,

accompanied by the Councilor of the area, went to

the following missions: Zimbabwe, Mozambique,

Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Kenya, Rep. Dem.

Congo.

In certain missions at this time, missionaries

are helping one another out in terms of personnel

in order to support the fraternal life by having a

sufcient number of members in the community

and assisting in the formation of some members.

At the level of governance, and conscious of the

future, progressively new productive structures of

management and the administration of goods are

being created.

Situation for the future (to be achieved)

a. The creation of the Institute of Carmelite

Spirituality in Nairobi (Kenya) “under the immediate

jurisdiction of the Prior General” (Constitutions

166) emerging from the General Chapter is a

crucial question. It demands the preparation of

competent and actively engaged friars. Some

things are moving slowly.

b. The primary need of the animator of the

African geographical area is to afrm the friars in

their Carmelite vocation. Therefore, the canonical

visit to Tanzania will take place in the coming daysat a determined date.

c. Thanks be to God, the new foundations

are not lacking in Africa, whether on the part

of the provinces who want new experiences of

evangelization, or in the internal development of

existing missions.

It is fraternally recommended to follow the ofcial

criteria of the Order: From the start, our charism

Aica

Canonical visitation of the Mission in Camerun

Fr. Désiré Unen Alimange, O.Carm.

CITOC | PAGE 8


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should not be neglected, to provide a

sufcient number of friars to the new

communities to conduct the fraternal

life worthily, in no case to neglect or

sacrice formation, to provide adequate

means of sustenance, to maintain a

good relationship with the local Church

regarding Carmelite patrimony (thedocument Mutuae Relationes can help

very much in this situation), following

the recommendations stipulated in the

norms of universal law.

“The mission ad gentes-in other

words, the task of announcing the

Gospel in places where it is not known

is one of the fundamental activities

of the Church, for the Church is

missionary by its very nature. The main

agent of the mission ad gentes is theHoly Spirit, who inspires Provinces and

Commissariats to appoint members

to this task. It is the Spirit who gives

the missionary charism to those who

are sent. In this work, the Order

recognises “immense opportunities

in such areas as charity, evangelical

proclamation, Christian education,

culture, and solidarity with the poor,

the marginalized, the oppressed, and

those who suffer discrimination.”

All our communities shall support

this essential task with their prayers

and by encouraging the faithful to

become personally involved and,

according to their circumstances, to

provide material help. Missionary

work requires a specic spirituality

and a process of inculturation; we are

condent therefore, that the mission

ad gentes will reveal the heart of the

Carmelite charism in a new way for thegood of the Church and of the Order.”

(Constitutions #105)

generosity of the above mentioned Provinces.

The Upper German Province accepted the main responsibili-

ty for the mission and, especially its Provincial Commissariat of

India, which was committed to providing personnel and taking

on the practical running of the mission. The other Provinces,

Catalonia and Arago-Valentina, expressed their willingness to

cooperate closely with the mission, in part with material means

as well as personnel, because Catalonia had two solemnly pro-

fessed and one Arago-Valentina member from Kenya.

On 1st August 2001, two Indian Carmelites arrived in the

city of Ngong, which is also the seat of the diocese, in order

to begin the mission. Later, they were joined by another In-

dian Carmelite. Later one of them went to the north of Kenya

where he was working separately. The other two Carmelites,

having taken on a quasi-parish entrusted to them by the di-

ocesan bishop and, adjacent to the church, built the house of

formation, which was inaugurated in June 2005. Concerning

personnel, apart from the Indian brethren mentioned above,

in 2005 two Indian students joined the mission. They nishedtheir studies in Nairobi and returned to India.

On the 1st and 2nd of March 2005 the four superiors involved

in the mission of Ke-

nya met in Rome

together with the

Prior General, and

the General Coun-

cillor for Africa,

Asia and Austra-

lia, to discuss the

future of the mis-

sion. They agreed

on the points re-

lating to jurisdic-

tion, personnel,

and nance. With

the erection of the

Indian province of

Saint Thomas the major responsibility for the mission passed

to that Province.

Presently, there is one Indian friar, two Kenyans from the

Catalonia Province, one Kenyan from the Arago-Valentina

Province, one Indian friar studying in Nairobi, four Kenyan pre-novices and three aspirants.

Taking into account the development of this mission and

after considering the views of the members of the Province of

St. Thomas, Fr. Fernando Millán, O.Carm., the Prior General,

together with his Council, erected the mission in as a General

Delegation at its meeting held on May 25, 2010.

The General Delegation of Kenya came into existence on 16th

July 2010 and Boniface Makau Kimondolo was named the rst

Delegate General of the General Delegation. The statutes were

approved on 22 December 2009 and came into force with the

erection of the Delegation. The agreement with the Provincesof Upper Germany, Arago-Valentina, and Catalonia remain in

force during this time, regarding the mission in Kenya.

(from the Degree of the Canonical Erection of the General Del-

egation of Kenya)

CITOC | PAGE 9

Kenya: continued from page 5


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At the General Chapter of 2007 it was agreed to unite

all of Europe into one geographical area having one

General Councilor responsible for the whole area. Up

to this Europe was divided into North and South. The Global

Plan of the General Council (2007-2013) states: “Uniting the

two regions of Europe into one geographical area presents us

with a challenge and an opportunity for re-evaluation, growth

and change.” There are 13 provinces, two commissariats and

two general delegations in this area. About one third of the

friars live in Europe and the majority of the enclosed nuns are

mainly in Italy and Spain. The heritage and tradition of the Or-

der nd deep roots in the European Carmel. Its support to the

developing parts of the Order throughout the world is very sig-

nicant.

Many of the European provinces have either begun or arebeginning to evaluate their situation. Visitations have taken

place in many of the provinces and provincial chapters are ad-

dressing urgent issues common throughout most of these prov-

inces. The age level of the brethren indicates that we are fac-

ing a time of rapid change regarding numbers, and this willbe very evident within the next 10 to 20 years. Many of them

are facing painful decisions regarding closure of houses, -

nancial income, personnel, etc. This necessitates a sense of

priority regarding ministry and location. Some provinces are

addressing the question of unication or “fusion” with oth-

er provinces (Arago-Valentina and Castile, Upper and Lower

Germany). The Church in Europe is going through signicant

change and multiple crises. Pope Benedict XVI has endeav-

oured to address this crisis as a central part of his ponticate.

Europe itself also faces issues regarding political leadership,

economics, secularization, immigration, birth-rate, etc. The Or-

der in Europe provides a vast service to the local church through

its diverse ministries in parishes, schools, sanctuaries and often

quite remarkable service to the poor. The members of the prov-

inces have to address the question of declining church atten-

EUROPE

dance, lack of vocations, closure or

“clustering” of parish communities,

and pastoral service. Those in for-

mation and the number of vocations

are small. Many of the younger Car-

melites in Europe see a new visionfor the future and this is a challenge

for provinces and for inter-provin-

cial cooperation at all levels. These

times are very challenging and Eu-

ropean Carmelites too must look to

the renewal of the face of the Or-

der especially through our spiritual-

ity, charism, and new expressions of

Carmelite presence in the old world.

To this end many inter-province

meeting take place in the three re-

gions of Europe (Northern European

Region, Iberian Region and with the

recent meeting of the provincials of

Italy and Malta, the reestablishment

of an Italy/Malta Region).

The Carmelite Youth European

Pilgrimage of Hope in 2010 has

opened the way for a renewal of

engagement with our young people

and many provinces have set about

building anew its pastoral involve-ment with young people. A number

of provinces already have a well-

developed youth ministry who offer

help to young people and give them

an opportunity to support the mis-

sion Carmel in Europe and around

the world. This is in tune with the Six

Year Plan of the General Curia: “De-

velopment of the a European policy

of youth, forms of youth association

and direct involvement by our laity.”

Youth ministry will be given special

attention in the coming years in the

European area.

Fr. John Keating, O.Carm.

CITOC | PAGE 10

Canonical visitation of the Province of Poland - formation house


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The JPIC Commission

In September 2008, the General Commission

for JPIC had its rst meeting at Sassone, Italy,where Fr. Albertus Herwanta, (Chairman), Fr.

Cees Bartels, Fr. David Blanchard, Fr. Michael

Agung, Fr. Jerry Sabado, Fr. Eduardo Agosta,

Fr. Boniface Kimondolo and Fr. Boby Sebastian

(James) Tharakunnel (Secretary) were present.

It came out with an action plan for 2008-2011

to raise an awareness of the JPIC issues and to

take real action to bring possible solutions in the

whole Order.

The Action Plan

It includes communicating the work of the In-

ternational JPIC Commission to the Order, gath-

ering information from the Carmelite Family re-

garding activities of provinces, commissariats,

delegations related to JPIC, and disseminatingthem to the Order, disseminating the docu-

ments of the Order on JPIC to the members of

the Carmelite Family, setting-up a task-force for

interreligious dialogue, organizing courses and

Justice and Peace and Integrity of Creation

We live in a world full of injustice where

the poor and marginalized suffer, where we

are exhausting the Earth’s limited resources

and destroying ecological environments. This

new millennium has witnessed an increase in

domestic and social violence, global genocides

and war.

Fr. Boby Sebastian Tharakunnel, O.Carm.

continued on page 15

CITOC | PAGE 11

The JPIC Seminar in Zimbabwe

resources on JPIC, at local and regional levels,

an immersion and exposure program to JPIC re-alities, setting-up a Web Page on JPIC, publica-

tion and documentation on JPIC issues, an essay

contest for the Carmelite students, Assembly in

2011, and JPIC Commission meetings to evalu-

ate our program in order to face the International

assembly in 2011.

A. JPIC courses: The rst was held in April

14-16, 2009 in El Salvador for the Central Ameri-

can region. The second was on environment, held

in Indonesia (August 1-2, 2009) in collaborationwith the Indonesian Carmelite-NGO. The third

one was held in Harare, Zimbabwe for the Afri-

can region (July 25-29, 2010). We have planned

one for the Asian-Australian and Oceania region

in East Timor, 2011. We are also planning to or-

ganize such a course for the European students

and for the whole Order.

B. Communication: We have been commu-

nicating with the whole Order and the Carmel-

ite-NGO in order to work together and are still

looking for stronger collaborationfrom provinces, commissari-

ats and delegations. Some

activities of the commis-

sion have been dissemi-

nated through CITOC

Online. Fr. Albertus

Herwanta gave a talk

on the commitment

to JPIC and Carmel-

ite Formation at the

International Carmel-ite Formators meeting

in Racife, Brazil. He is

attending different JPIC

meetings around the globe

and organizing different seminars and courses in

the Order in spite of his busy schedule of being

the General Councilor for Asia- Australia-Ocea-

na.

C. Titus Brandsma JPIC Essay Competi-

tion 2009-2010: This competition was aimed

at helping the young Carmelites to reect seri-ously on JPIC topics such as globalization, climate


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T he Pilgrimage of Hope took

place in Rome from 19th-

25th of July. Almost 200

young people from across Europe

participated. The pilgrimage was

based in the Carmelite Conference

Centre in Sassone, but the group

travelled into Rome most days, to

visit signicant Christian sites. Over

5 days, the young people visited St.

Mary Major, St. John Lateran, San

Martino ai Monti, Castelgandolfo,

St. Paul’s Outside the Walls,

the Catacombs of Priscilla, the

Colosseum and, of course, St.

Peter’s Basilica.

The work of the pilgrimage was

structured around a letter from

the Prior General, Fr. Fernando

Millán, O.Carm., which was written

specically to the young people. Each

day had a particular theme, and thepilgrims were invited to explore the

various topics, through discussion,

art, music, poetry, and drama groups.

The aim of the pilgrimage was to

encourage the young people to

investigate the Carmelite tradition,

CITOC | PAGE 12

within the context of both their own

personal experience and the Christian

tradition; to share their reections, and

to listen to their various perspectives.

In order to facilitate the young people

in expressing their thoughts and hopes

in different ways, a “clothes-line” was

erected outside the main entrance tothe Conference centre. This proved

to be a great success, as it was soon

lled with wonderful artwork and poetry

which dealt with all the themes of the

week. On reection, the creative energy of the young people on

this pilgrimage was remarkable. In their work, many of the young

people showed a deep understanding of some essential aspects of

Carmelite spirituality. One signicant example might be this poem

written by one of the participants:

God calls us to reach out to each other,

And Jesus walks with us every step of the way.

We full this duty through obedience and self control,

While we look to the Word of God

for hope, guidance and strength.

We are united with the one God,

and our interdependence strengthens our sense of communion.

We gather to remember, to pray, and to give thanks to God.

by Br. Dave Twohig, O.Carm and Br. Thomas Feiten, O.Carm.


13/32

CITOC | PAGE 13

And are reminded frequently as we journey

through life:

That life on earth is a time of trial.

It is through our suffering, however, that we

emerge as stronger and wiser people.

Many people suffer in silence, but silence is the

way to foster holiness –

And this in its turn strengthens our connection

with God.

Music, whether in liturgy or more informally;

outside the entrance of Sassone or on the

coaches, provided a universal language through

which people from different countries could

communicate. This creativity perhaps found

its greatest expression

during the nal liturgy

of the pilgrimage, a

Mass celebrated by

Fr. Fernando, in which

both the entrance and

recessional songs werecomposed by members

of the pilgrimage group.

There was a great

sense of fraternity among

the young pilgrims and

the Carmelites. During

the pilgrimage, we

overheard several people saying that the Prior

General was “really cool.” This fraternal affection

was highlighted during the concert in Sassone,

when Fr. Fernando was lifted in the air for

some crowd-surng! Since the pilgrimage, the

friendships, both national and international, have

continued to develop, with the aid of the internet,

Facebook and Twitter, many of the young people

are in regular contact; sharing photographs, reections,and their hope to meet again soon, perhaps in Madrid for

the World Youth Day 2011.

At the closing ceremony of the Pilgrimage, each person

was given a simple wooden cross made in a Carmelite-

managed rehabilitation centre in Zaragoza, Spain. This

cross symbolised the renewed commitment to following

Christ, but also looks toward the World Youth Day in

Madrid, and the hope that many of the members of the

Pilgrimage of Hope will reunite there.

On the nal day, there was a plenary session with

Fr. Fernando, which was in the form of questions andanswers. Many of the questions that were brought

forward outlined the difculties facing young people in

trying to live out their Christian faith in today’s society.

Fr. Fernando addressed the questions in a very open

and sincere way, acknowledging the difculties, offering

encouragement and support. In

looking to the future, each pilgrim

was encouraged to write a letter to

the Prior General, responding to

his own letter and outlining their

hopes and wishes. These letters

will be collated and presented tothe whole Carmelite Family in the

weeks ahead. Each provincial

group was also asked to make a

commitment to how they would

continue the work which had begun

at the pilgrimage. All of them said

they would like to meet up again.

Most groups thought about having a concrete project: for

example, walking together to Santiago de Compostella;

informing the different provinces about the pilgrimage;

nding new members to join the provincial groups; havingan exchange with other countries and so on.

It is difcult to convey the energy, the enthusiasm, and



14/32

BEING AND DOING

At this time I want to share with my brothers in

faith and Carmel, something that my mother taught

me from childhood which is that God has something

set aside for us, and in my life I have to discover it.

Several years have passed and these words have

stuck with me, and each time I witness that God has

many things in store for his children and thanks to

Carmel I can discover them.

I want to share the wonderful experience that

touched my life in the ALACAR-COLOMBIA meeting

of 2009. It is through these words and the title this ar-

ticle “Being and Doing” that I arrive at the conclusion

that today a Christian has:

To Be = Mystic and Prophet = To Do

The Carmelites in accordance with their rich his-

tory, tradition and charism, show us through their 800

years of existence how we can nd criteria that tell

us whether we are really close to God, if God exists

and lives in us, and thus in our lay lives to nd a role

(propositum) to live “En Obsequio Jesucristo” – (In

allegiance to Jesus Christ).

Carmelite spirituality permits us to give a place

for God or to let God BE God in our lives, but not

like something occasional or temporary, but some-

thing that makes me act in freedom, to feel invaded

by God’s presence in my life and come to look, act,

talk, react as Christ would. Galatians 2.19 to 20: “It is

no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

A lay person must be an evangelizer, not only do

what Christ does but BE HIM. Because we all have

something to give. From the useless God brings out

usefulness. (Retreat of the Carmelite Family - Vac-are Deo. August 2009. Lima, Peru).

Being a Prophet Today

How can we be Christ?

Carmelite mysticism tells us that being a

prophet today is not only to announce and pro-

claim with words but to act in a Christ like manner.

Therefore we not only have to DO, we have to BE.

To be in the presence of God (like Elijah) is to al-

low the same God to act in my life; only then willwe be recognized as sons and daughters of God.

Prophecy is nothing else but to announce

what we receive from God: Love. And this

we give in how we each day treat others.

We will be known by love, whatever my service if I do

it out of love and charity, all works will be meaningful.

1 Cor 13:1-13.

Everything is possible when Christ is the center of

my actions in the manner of the rst Carmelites who

modeled their lives around Jesus Christ. That’s why

they were recognized as brothers, they all had a sense

of God and that is the great legacy that they left to us.

The Carmelites gifted us and presented us with their

Charism, and through this beautiful spirituality linked

to God under the example of holy Mary, we can be

partners in building the Kingdom of God.

THROUGH:

Contemplation and Prayer: How do I decode

the language of God who talks to me all the time?

Can I differentiate what is from God and what is not

ALACAR: OCARM - OCD CONGRESS Asociación Latino Americana de Carmelitas

Mr. Abraham Maximiliano Camino

CITOC | PAGE 14


15/32

from God? Listening to the heart. Discern in the

Spirit, since everything is put there to be discovered

in contemplative prayer.

HERE AND NOW

FRATERNITY:

How do I share the language of God? Confront-

ing and discerning with my brothers, which will give

me condence that this is God’s language, what we

do together will be so that we all form this “Reign”

(Kingdom of God): Here and Now.

SERVICE AND PROPHECY:

Understanding reality through the eyes of God

leads me to proclaim the good that I receive from

God and denounce what is not of God. From the

love and mercy he has with me, and so you can

have the same feelings of Christ (Philippians 2:5)

and thus care for the poor and needy and rever-

ence in them the living God.

The laity have a great challenge and indeed a

prophetic mission, to denounce without fear in these

difcult times anything that takes away from thepresence of God while the world in which we live is

encouraging us to become what is false. There we

see the Prophecy of our father Elias, embodied in

our Carmelite lives.

The history of Carmel, was no stranger to dif-

culties in each of its periods, and this has been

demonstrated since the rst Carmelites.

As committed lay Carmelites, in the spirit that

guided our Father Elijah on Mount Carmel and out

sister, the Blessed Virgin Mary in Nazareth, by theexample of them, we can live according to God’s

will that the same spirit helps us to insert ourselves

and be a main force in this reality that we live.

Fr. Saverio Cannistrà, O.C.D, General Superior,Fr. Fernando Millán, O.Carm., Prior General,

Fr. Raúl Maraví, O.Carm., Councillor General.

Justice and Peace: continued from page 11

CITOC | PAGE 15

the good will which caused this pilgrimage to be a

great success, and a truly memorable experience

for all who participated. However, Fr. Hung Tran’s

video, which he made for the closing session of the

pilgrimage, provides a wonderful glimpse of this

spirit. The video is available on both the website

of the Order and YouTube, and is denitely worthviewing.

To conclude, the Pilgrimage of Hope was exactly

that; an experience of Hope. Drawing from the

richness of the Order’s tradition, together, we

sought new ways to express the Carmelite charism

in the world of today. Many of the young people on

the pilgrimage showed a genuine desire to know

more about Carmel, and to nd some way to live

out the Carmelite values. As such, we think it is

important for us, as Carmelites, to respond to these

young people, not only by sharing our tradition, but

by being open to new expressions and new ways

of living that tradition. This will be a big challenge

for us, but we think it is a great sign of hope that

young people want to continue their way with us in

the “Land of Carmel”. Now it is up to us to take this

challenge and to go together into future.

Pilgrimage of Hope: continued from page 13

change, just investments in relation with Carmel-

ite spirituality. The winners of the competition

are: (1) Bro. Glen Attard, O.Carm. (Mel), (2) Bro.

David Augusto Sosa, O.Carm. (Arg-Cast), (3) Bro.

Praveen Lawrence, O.Carm. (Indian Delegation),

(4) Bro. Edgar A. Cayanan, O.Carm. (Phil).

D. Interreligious Dialogue Task Force,

consisting of Albertus Herwanta, Cees Bartels

and Boby Sebastian (James) Tharakunnel, has

been working in order to respond to the recom-

mendation of the General Chapter 2007. They

attended different meetings on interreligious dia-

logue, met different experts, and had discussion

with some members of the Pontical Council for

Inter- religious Dialogue and other competent

persons in this eld.

JPIC Commission is grateful to all for the co-

operation and support for the realization of itsaction plan.


16/32

After a process that lasted 287 years, on

25th April of this year, Fr. Angel Paoli was

nally declared “blessed.” We were used

to calling him simply “venerable,” from 21st Jan-

uary 1781, when Pope Pius VI issued the decree

of heroic virtue with which the ecclesiastical in-

vestigations conducted on Fr. Angelo’s life and

renown of holiness were concluded. From that

day long ago began the wait for the miracle thatwould bring along with it the beatication of this

Carmelite. The pictorial and sculptural works

created in various Italian Carmelite churches

hinted at the restless wait for the beatication

fostered by his confreres, a desire that remained

frustrated for so many years that one began to

think, with bitter resig-

nation, that Fr. Angelo

would simply and always

remain “venerable.” Thus

the memory of his lifeand the great works that

he accomplished began

to diminish, almost to the

point of disappearing al-

together.

Rome, which in Janu-

ary 1720, saluted him with

great triumph, declaring him a saint, had in fact

practically forgotten this humble Tuscan son born

in Argigliano in the province of Massa Carrara on

1st September 1642.

The eldest of a large family, he had parents

who were known in their area as people who

were profoundly Christian. His mother, remem-

bered as a living saint, died when Francesco (as

Fr. Angelo was called prior to becoming a Car-

melite) was an adolescent. His father, a man

dedicated to his family and whom he loved as

a holy patriarch, was a model for his children

through his courageous gestures of charity to-

wards his neighbor, to the point of getting into

debt through helping a friend in need.

Francesco, growing up in an environment

where faith united to charity breathed, entered

Carmel in the fall of 1660 together with his broth-

er Tomasso, choosing our religious family for the

Marian devotion of our Order. He was professed

in 1661 in Siena, and after his studies in Pisa,

was ordained a priest prob-

ably in the rst few days of

January 1667 in Florence. He

was sent to different houses

in the Tuscan province, tak-ing on the appointment of

master of novices, pastor at

Corniola near Empoli, organ-

ist and grammar teacher.

From the beginning of his re-

ligious life he showed that he

was sensitive to the suffer-

ing of people, doing his best

to alleviate the hunger of the many poor and the

despair of the sick, visiting them in hospitals and

offering them his humblest services. He was of-

fered the opportunity to continue his academiccareer and study for a doctorate in theology, but

he refused the offer, choosing for himself those

activities which were largely performed by the

CITOC | PAGE 16

Fr. Franco Granata, O.Carm.


17/32

lay brothers and maintaining that he had an-

other call to which he had to respond.

In 1687 he was called to Rome by the Prior

General, Fr. Paolo di Sant’Ignazio, who chose

from among the various provinces of the Order

brothers known for their holiness of life, with

the purpose of creating near the general curia a

community that would be an example for all ofthe other Carmelite communities at that time.

Fr. Angelo was named master of novices. Know-

ing the misery of the many poor who crowded

the streets of Rome and the state of abandon of

the sick recovering in San Giovanni hospital, he

started an organization of volunteers belonging

to different social classes, committing them to

collaborate with him. In this way, he was able

to feed more than three hundred people a day,

to nurse the poor sick and abandoned people

and to help prisoners materially and spiritually.

Particularly devoted to the passion of Christ,

Fr. Angelo provided for the recovery of the Col-

osseum, which at that time was left in a state

of abandon and became a place for prostitution

and a refuge for vagabonds, and since it was

considered that in that arena many martyrs had

shed their blood for the faith, he wanted to re-

store it to the Christian devotion, fencing it off

and erecting a cross on the site.

To prevent the necessity to beg by so manyconvalescents, who were discharged from the

hospital while still weak and unable to return

quickly to their occupations, and therefore un-

able to provide for them-

selves and their

families, Fr.

Angelo in-

s t i t u t e d

a conva-

l e s c e n t

h o m e ,a sort

of mod-

ern fam-

ily home,

w h e r e

those who

were dis-

charged

f r o m

hospi ta l

could still

be caredfor until

they com-

p l e t e l y

regained their strength.

Consumed by charity and a life lived in con-

templation of God in prayer and in the service

of his brothers, especially the poorer and un-

derprivileged, Fr. Angelo died in Rome on 20th

January 1720. Twice he was asked to become acardinal, but he always refused in order to con-

tinue to serve the poor and the sick. So great

was the admiration and the awareness that the

CITOC | PAGE 17Vigil prayer at the Coloseo


18/32

pope had for the heart of this simple friar, to

whom he would often turn for advice in the

more delicate moments in the gover-

nance of the Church, that he or-

dered that the tomb of this re-

ligious be inscribed with the

title “Father of the poor.”

The initiatives forthe beatication of

Fr. Angelo begin

in October 2009,

when the tomb

was reopened for

the canonical rec-

ognition of his re-

mains, which were

then submitted for

conservation. It

will be because thattitle of “Father of

the poor” naturally summarized the essence of

the life of Fr. Angelo, that in the course of the inves-

tigations it was found etched not only on the grave-

stone visible to all for many centuries, but also on

the lead cofn and on a metal plate placed beneath

the feet of our humble and great confrere.

A meticulous awareness campaign was car-

ried out in Rome, the city where Fr. Angelo lived

his adulthood and the crowning achievement of his

route of evangelical delity and where it was de-cided to celebrate the beatication, although at the

start, it seemed that the celebrations would have

had to have taken place in the diocese where our

confrere was born. Material was sent to every par-

ish in Rome, and the Cardinal Vicar wrote a letter

with which he illustrated through a brief account the

life and holiness of Fr. Angelo, exhorting the parish

priests to make known the gure of Fr. Angelo and

inviting faithful Romans to participate in the event

of the beatication.

The religious of the Italian Province convened in

Sassone for days of formation, and since it was the

Year of the Priest, through meetings and conferenc-

es, they had a way of getting to know Fr. Angelo as

a witness to the priesthood lived according to Car-

melite principles. Particularly touching was the vigil

celebrated in the internal chapel of the convent of

St. Martino ai Monti, which saw brothers from many

Italian communities, from the General Curia to the

College of Sant’Alberto, coming together, and dur-

ing which the wooden urn that contained the relics

of Fr. Angelo was blessed.

CITOC | PAGE 18


19/32

FORMATION

Looking at formation within the Order today

the picture is indeed a positive one. This is

not to say that there are not problems. In

the older provinces in Europe, the United States and

Australia, the numbers of those joining the Order are

small, but across the continents of Asia, Africa and

South America we see an expansion that is bringing

with it new life and many vocations. Following the

General Chapter of 2007, the General Council set up

a new international formation commission. The mem-

bers are John Keating, Councillor General, Mario Alfarano, Secretary, Quinn Conners (PCM), Günter

Benker (GerS), Desiderio García Martínez (Arag),

Giampiero Molinari (Ita), Dionysius Kosasih (Indo),

Romauldo Borges de Macedo (GerS-Par) and Vitalis

Benza (Hib-Zimb).

The commission is the guiding force behind the vi-

sion and direction of the formation policy within the

Order today. It has attempted to prioritize the issues

relating to formation for the years ahead. These they

have identied as Carmelite community lifestyle, vo-

cational promotion, the training of formation person-

nel and intercultural formation within an international

Order. Initially, the commission examined the recom-

mendations regarding formation that came from the

General Chapter. The rst task of the commission

was to prepare a series of formation courses for the

six-year term of this Coun-

cil. A special meeting of the

commission took place in

2008 to examine the course

methodology to be used

during these courses. Withthe help of the Prior General

and Professor Donna Or -

suto (Gregorian University,

Rome) a mystagogical approach was adopted “as a

means of deepening the transformative experience”

of the participants. A course for students in initial for-

mation then took place in the Holy Land, applying this

theory, in July and August of 2009. There were just

over 40 participants who spent one week on Mount

Carmel and a second week in Jerusalem. Members

of the formation commission gave presentations on

key Carmelite topics and the guide for the visit to key

locations was Fr. Alexander Vella, O.Carm. (Mel).

An International Course for Carmelite Formatorsfrom around the world took in Camoçim de São Félix,

Brazil from 1st to 15th August 2010. The two-week

course provided an opportunity for the 69 participants

to engage in a common reection on the Ratio Insti-

tutionis Vitae Carmelitanae (RIVC). There were four

main areas of discussion: the roles of formator and

formandi; the interior spiritual journey; human devel-

opment and the vows; internationality, inculturation

and fraternity. Principal speakers were: Frs. Desiderio

García Martinez (Arag), Michael Plattig (GerS), Quinn

Conners (PCM) and Carlos Mesters (Flum). A paperfrom Charlò Camilleri (Mel) was read for the partici-

pants. There were also a number of special topics

addressed by Frs. John Keating (Curia), Francisco

de Sales Alencar (Pern), Albertus Herwanta (Curia),

Giampiero Molinari (Ita) and Raúl Maraví (Curia).

In line with the Order’s Constitu-

tions (no. 129) the commission be-

gan a consultation process within the

Order regarding the updating of the

RIVC by sending a questionnaire to

all provincial, commissaries, generaldelegates and their formation person-

nel in October in 2008. Both the com-

mission members and a small sub-

CITOC | PAGE 19

Fr. John Keating, O.Carm. c o u r s e f o r s t u d e n t s i n i n i t i a l f o r m a t i o n i n t h e H o l y L a n d


20/32

committee then drafted some new articles

for inclusion in the new edition of the RIVC.

There was a common feeling expressed in

the responses to the questionnaire that only

small changes should be made to the exist-

ing text. Formators in Camoçim has the op-

portunity to look at the changes and make

suggestions.

Two further courses for on-going forma-

tion will take place in 2011 and 2012. The

rst in 2011 will take place in Spain in August

“In the footsteps and John and Teresa” and

a further course will take place in the Holy

Land in 2012.

The crucial issues facing formation in the

Order today relate to: the training of forma-

tion personnel; the role of the formation com-

munity in the formation process in line with

the RIVC (37 & 55); that all in formation learnat least one of the ofcial languages of the

Order; the emerging importance of the pre-

novitiate as solid preparation for the novitiate

and the religious life; the promotion of higher

studies relating to our history, spirituality and

charism; and nally the international aspect

of formation within a world-wide, multicultur-

al community.

For this reason, at the Council of Prov-

ince in 2009 a strategic plan for international

cooperation on formation was presented

by the commission to the provincials, and it

received a positive response. International

cooperation is now beginning to take place

especially with regard to novitiate formation.

T he First International Congress of Carmelite

schools was held from April 8-13, 2010 at “Teren-

ure College” in Dublin, Ireland. All of it, from the

beginning to the end, was a great moment and wonder-

ful opportunity to share our educational and personal

experiences with all those present.

There were religious and lay people from ve conti-

nents gathered to discuss education, specically catholiceducation with a Carmelite stamp. This congress made

us see how in spite of the geographical diversity, the

core values of our Order are present in all our educa-

tional centers. These values we try and live out in each

concrete reality within the culture and time that each

one of us is living in our place of origin.

Also, we could live the internationality of the Order,

which I think was a great discovery for the laity that

accompanied us and for the many religious who partici-

pated, especially the young people.

The four lectures that were presented helped us to

rethink the reality of our schools and can be a good ref-erence in Carmelite formation for our houses if we are

able to share it and work with it.

The round table discussions were moments to share

Fr. Goyo Señor Benedí, O.Carm.

InternationalCongressof

CarmeliteSchools

CITOC | PAGE 20


21/32

our education and pastoral experience and

helped us to see how the geographic, cul-

tural and economic situations of the differ-

ent participants do not make our local edu-

cational projects very different. In fact, the

opposite is true.

We observed values, so important to us,

including: prayer, commitment to the poor

in all places, devotion and fondness andworship of Our Lady of Mount Carmel are

present in the daily life of all our schools.

An important and well-liked part of the

Congress was working in small groups where

we could get down to discussing the spe-

cic reality of each school, where we could

share concrete and daily experiences of our

educational work, of our social commitment

and solidarity as Carmelite schools and how

we collaborate with the local church in each

place. In these small groups we also found

concrete ways of applying the human and

religious values (especially those arising

from the charism of the Order) to both the

students and faculty of our schools and with

the families that entrust the education of

their children to us.

The setting was very nice and unbeat-

able: we could participate in the celebration of the 150th

anniversary of Terenure College. Without a doubt, the

best part in regards to logistics was the support that

was given at all times by the local religious community

and the teachers and students of the school who werealways conscious of the needs, suggestions or requests

of the participants.

Another special moment was the celebration of the

Eucharist that was held in the school gym with the

school community and presided by our Father General.

It was a celebration that impressed many of us, not

only because the student body and teachers were par-

ticipating in different parts of the liturgy, but also by the

silent atmosphere that was present in the gym. The

surprise was greater for those of us who live in places

where the celebratory and sacramental practices are

cooler than in our school in Dublin.Another important aspect of this rst congress,

especially for the religious men and women who par-

ticipated in it, was the ability to check the support

and involvement of the lay people who work in our

schools. Their support and commitment to educa-

tion assists the Order in the different educational

projects that we have in many parts of the world.

The vitality and existence of our schools would be

endangered without this support and commitment

to the continuation of our schools in those countries

where there is a decline in the number of religious.

Both in the breaks and in the times of sharing

the participants commented on the great oppor-

tunity that the congress provided to know

each other personally, to know the dif-

CITOC | PAGE 21

ferent educational projects of

the Order that are happen-

ing and the opportunity that

is before us with respect to

enrichment that can bring

to our students and teachers

the reality of the exchanges

or visit that can be realized

between schools and families

of the Carmelite Family.

Personally, I hope and

wish that this great educa-

tional opportunity will not

remain wishful thinking of a

moment of euphoria, but that

we are truly able to open up

personally and make avail-

able our facilities for this pos-

sibility that many are realiz-

ing in centers that have been

discovered and are not Car-melite Schools.

Perhaps this experience

between us was more en-

riched, more easily and, in

one way, better able to cre-

ate the reality of our Carmel-

ite family.

Thanks to our Father General for his effort

and participation in this Congress as a partici-

pant and for his translation work which is es-

pecially important for those who do not handle

English well.What stands out nally is the necessity to

continue this Congress, perhaps on a regional

or national level so that it is not just a pass-

ing event. Its continuance would provide an

opportunity for a greater number of members

of our school communities to participate and

this would produce a greater enrichment of our

schools.

May Our Lady of Mount Carmel help us reap

the fruits of what has undoubtedly been the re-

sult of much hard work and dedication of our Fa-ther General and the International Commission

for the organization and development

of the First International Conference

of Carmelite Schools.


22/32

1. Members of the International Commis-

sionPP. Antonio Silvio da Costa Junior (Flum.),

Wilfrid McGreal (Brit.), Ronald Oakham (PCM),

Matteo Palumbo (Ita.), Francisco Daza Valverde

(Baet.), Christopher Exala (Phil.), 1 Cleophas

Kakule (Ita. RDC), Désiré Unen Alimange.

2. Activities

The General Chapter of 2007 had as its

theme: In obsequio Iesu Christi. Praying and

prophetic communities in a world of change.

The General Council erected at the same Chap-

ter gathered various opinions and ideas, cre-

ating general commissions amongst which is

the Commission for Evangelization. Because

of this, the global plan for the sexennial 2007-

2013 is to expound on the ideas discussed re-

garding the rubrics of evangelization.

From 19th to 23rd January 2009, the Gener-

al Commission for Evangelization held its rst

meeting at the Carmelite General Curia.

Extending a welcome to the members of the

commission, Fr. Christian Körner, O.Carm. com-mented on Ratio 41 which speaks on Brothers

in mission. We can all be servants like Jesus,

the Evangelizer serving the poor as proclaimed

in Luke (4:16-21).

The Chapter insisted very much on the fact

of maintaining our Carmelite identity, commu-

nicating our charism in delity to the spiritual

patrimony of the Order, for the benet of the

whole Church.

Therefore, the theme for our rst meeting

was the theme: how we communicate the Car-melite charism in the diverse geographical ar-

1 He died in a trafc accident on 6th June2010 in the Philippines. Let us please rememberhim in our prayers.

eas in which Carmel is found.

The Commission carried out their work in seven ses-

sions, both at home and outside, i.e., Radio Vaticana,

and one table meeting. Each of the members prepared

ad hoc documents for presentation and sharing: Latin

America and East Timor (Antonio Silvio da Costa Junior),

North America and Central America (Ronald Oakham),

Europe – Italy (Matteo Palumbo), Europe – Spain –

Africa – Burkina Faso (Francisco Daza Valverde), Asia

(Christopher Exala), Africa + Society of the Little Flower

and Evangelization (Désiré Unen Alimange).

The following points emerged: the formation,shrines, centres of spirituality, parishes, pastoral work

of health and Carmelite medical centres, peace and jus-

tice, the ecumenical movement, dialogue with Islam

and the other great religions, pastoral work with prison-

ers (chaplaincy), education (Carmelite schools).

The members of the commission looked at the fol-

lowing documents: “Doctrinal note on certain aspects of

Evangelization” from the Congregation for the Doctrine

of the Faith (Rome 3rd December 2007), “Purchased

People, Pastoral Instruction of the Right Reverend Don-

ald Raymond Lamont, O. Carm., Bishop of Umtali” (AAS

1959).

3. Observations

a. Carmelite communities are qualied as communi-

ties of hope for the people in certain countries in mo-

ments of turmoil and social suffering, war, etc. Such

is the case in East Timor, the Democratic Republic of

Congo, etc.

In countries where the Carmelite presence is new,

the friars watch over and establish Carmel, favouring

above all structures that reect the spirituality of the

Order. Parishes are not an absolute priority. In the

end, they belong exclusively to the dioceses. Where will

the vocations to the diocesan priesthood in our sister

churches of the countries that belong to the Congrega-

“Jesus said to them: Go out to all the

world and preach the gospel to every

creature” (Mk 16:15)

Fr. Désiré Unen Alimange, O. Carm.

CITOC | PAGE 22


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First International Congressof the Carmelite Family

The last General Chapter of 2007 approved the proposal to hold an International Conference of the

Carmelite Family. The General Council has been commissioned to convene representatives of the

various groups to organize this conference. The Prior General in his letter of August 23, 2010 con-

voked the rst meeting that will be held from May 23-26, 2011 at the Carmelite house in Sassone (Rome).

The Preparatory Commission has chosen for the theme of this meeting: As Living Stones Around One Font:Share the Charism of Carmel in the Church and the World Today. Representatives from the entire Carmelite

family: friars, nuns, religious, lay people as well as lay Carmelites and other lay groups, will be part of this

international conference (cf. Const EN, 28).

The main purpose of this meeting is to create a tool for collaborating and communicating between the dif-

ferent sectors of the Carmelite family in places where there is a Carmelite presence. Other objectives are to

promote fellowship among the different realities of the Carmelite family, to discuss issues of common interest

and, nally, to seek to promote the spirit and ways of cooperation in the mission of Carmel in the Church.

In practice, this rst meeting must work in organizing the Conference: statutes, the president, what to do,

meetings, how to contribute nancially, etc. The General Council hopes that in addition to experiencing the

joy of brotherhood between the different realities, these days will enable the participants to share projects,

dreams and energy to meet the challenges that the modern world throws at us as Carmelites.

After the conference, there will be a meeting of the General Council of Superiors General of the AfliatedCongregations (May 26-28, 2011) with the theme Carmelite Charism and Specic Charism, during which they

will talk about common problems and possible ways of collaborating.

We pray for the success of the two meetings. May the Mother of Carmel help us to grow as a family so that

we may better serve the Church and the men and women of our time.

tion for the Evanglization of peoples end

up? The Church would like that the reli-

gious enrich the faithful with their charism

using the appropriate structures. Some of

these organisms that are set in place can

contribute in the future to self-sufciency.

c. In reality, the Order is present in

45 countries. There are 214 parishes, 37

shrines, 33 centres of spirituality. Thanks

to the shrines, the Carmelites are able to

respond to the spiritual expectations of

the people of God, for a profound incarna-

tion of the Gospel. “The Marian shrines,

near which we develop our apostolate and

where the faithful traditionally go in large

numbers, should be held in great con-

sideration and should become more and

more centres for prayerful listening to the

Word and the liturgical life, with adequate

cultual celebrations (Eucharist and Recon-ciliation). In particular, our shrines should

become more and more centres of reec-

tion on the way of Mary and of evangeli-

zation with attention to the popular piety

toward the Mother of God, of the Church,

and of humanity. In their exemplary func-

tion, the shrines are also places of welcome, even vocational;

places of solidarity with initiatives towards those brothers and

sisters in need; places of ecumenical commitment with meet-

ings and prayer.” (Constitutions 90)

The suggestions made by the theological commission will

help the members of the Commission for Evangelization to

elaborate on the above themes. The next meetings will be

held in Rome in November 2010 and 2012.

In practice, the Commission for Evangelization must col-

laborate with all of the general commissions of the Order.

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Fr. Josef Jančář, O.Carm.


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August 1-15, 2010

Ordinarily, a 10th Anniversary may not seem like a very sig-

nicant event to celebrate, however, it has been ten years

since the second edition of the Ratio Institutionis Vitae Car-

melitanae (RIVC) was published. The RIVC has been described as

the fundamental document for formation in the Order, and as the

best document the Order has produced since Vatican II because

it heralds a break-through in the understanding and presentation

of our Charism. The International Formators’ Course, held in our

monastery at Camocin de São Félix, Brazil from August 1st -15th,

2010, marked the occasion. It was time again to revisit and engage

in a common reection on the RIVC and to deepen our commitment

to the profound work of formation.

The two week course focused on four main areas of Carmel-

ite Formation: Carmelite Identity and The Role of Formator and

Formandi; The Interior Spiritual Journey and The Role of Commu-

nity; Human Development and The Vows; Internationality, Liturgy

Inculturation and Fraternity. The presentations, given by experts

in the Order, focused on the existing RIVC

text together with new material drafted

for inclusion in a new edition. The new

material includes improved

sec t i ons

on The Liturgical Life of Commu-

nity, Work on our Journey, Silence

as the Meeting Place with Others,

and an Inter-cultural Project.

The course was excellent, en-

riching and very intense. It was so

well planned by the International

Formation Commission that each

day together was seamless. It was

a meeting full of hope for the future

as many of the 60+ formators were

younger than forty - a sign of new

life and vitality in many places. The

diversity of cultures, the younger

participants and the realization

that many of our formators are no

longer from Europe highlighted the

new and emerging reality among

us that the Order has a very dif-

ferent presence in the world thanit did ten years ago when the RIVC

was rst published. This in itself

was something to celebrate!

While vocations are plenti-

ful in Africa, Asia, South America

and parts of Oceania, sadly, there

are very few vocations in Europe

and Australia. The course not only

h i g h - lighted the cross-cultural

context in which for-

mation is happeningin various parts of the

Order, it also drew our

attention to the impor-

tance and urgency of

the international di-

mension of the Order

for our future as we

continue to explore

the new and exciting

challenges that face

both formators andformandi.

Each day began

with Morning Prayer

The InternationalFormators’ Course

Br. Daryl Moresco, O.Carm

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and Eucharist. The magnicent icon of Christ

the Teacher in the newly refurbished chapel at

Camoçim, reminded us that He is the way, the

truth and the life. We paused for Midday Prayerand then celebrated Evening Prayer at the con-

clusion of the day’s work. Each meal and social

gathering was lled with lively conversation as

participants became more and more eloquent

in languages other than their own. Building

fraternal relationships, sharing our experience

of formation ministry, hearing more about the

challenges that we face, and being in solidarity

with one another, strengthened the bonds and

deepened our dialogue each day.

Our “free day” became a day of pilgrimage,visiting several places of major historical sig-

nicance to Carmel in Brazil. Every place and

every community we visited, every meal and

every encounter with our Carmelite brothers

and sisters and the people they serve was a

festive gathering. The hospitality extended to

us by our brothers of the Pernambuco Province

was extraordinarily generous. We marveled at

what awaited us at each place we visited.

Each presentation and discussion provided

new insights, fresh challenges and thought-provoking material for formators to consider as

we deepened our knowledge and experience of

implementing the RIVC. I would like to share

some brief extracts from the major talks that

continue to resonate with me in the hope that

they might encourage you to revisit the RIVC

document for further reection.

1. Internationality and our Cultural

Roots: We are not exclusively linked to our cul-

tures, however our culture is essential to each

one of us for we are concretely incarnated intoit. The challenge is that we cannot be too local-

ized in it or too scattered by this reality. How do

we achieve this balance? Prior General

2. Self-Knowledge and Carmelite Identi-

ty: A Carmelite is called to a spiritual experience

of deep attraction to and love for Jesus Christ,

an attraction that commits us to Christ in a jour-

ney of transformation. This requires an interior

freedom reached only by self-knowledge: to ac-

cept and love myself as I am because God loves

me and accepts me as I am in the secret that

leads the candidate to personal interior freedomwhich enables him to embrace the God and the

value of the Kingdom. Charlò Camilleri (Mel)

3. Formator as Sculptor: The sculptor is

one who works with the beauty that is hidden

in the stone. The formator liberates the beauty

that is hidden in the person. This is a contem-

plative task in which the formator sees with the

eyes of Christ. It recognizes that we begin the work of

formation but it is ultimately God’s work for He is at the

center. This is a mystagogical process that pervades for-

mation. Desiderio Garcia Martinez (Arag)

4. The Challenge of Silence: Our Rule gives special

emphasis to silence in our life as Carmelites. We need

to be anchored in it in order to be sustained by God “to

live in allegiance to Jesus Christ. It is not a silence that

is merely the absence of noise or sound but a silence

that is nourished by relationships, a silence that is at

the service of one another and God. It is a silence that

enables us to nd a balance, a way of putting things in

order in our living and being with one another and God.

Michael Plattig (GerS)

5. Sexuality as Gift from God: That our sexuality

is a great source of energy for every person, an energy

that moves us into relationship with another because of

our desire to connect as human beings. We recognize

that both the physiological and psychological ground-

ing needed for our capacity to love is what God desires

for each one of us, which enables us to live authentic

humanness, not in isolation but deeply connected with

others. Quinn Conners (PCM)

6. Internationality, Inculturation and Frater-

nity: These three elements come together in our Rule.Albert found a way to bring the various countries and

places that the early hermits came from into one lan-

guage, a way of life, a formula vitae. How do we do this

today? Inculturation occurs in limited time and space

but it is concrete. In the concrete situations and reali-

ties that we live, how do we help people discover God’s

presence in their lives? Like Elijah on Mount Horeb, we

need to rediscover our mission. Fraternity is an attitude

of life that permeates everything we do. Carlos Mesters

(Flum)

The Carmelite formation process is also called “AJourney of Transformation”. The RIVC invites us all of

CITOC | PAGE 25



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CITOC | PAGE 26

NCI (Nederlands CarelitaansInstitut) Boxeer

In August 2009, a well prepared reorganiza-

tion of the staff of in the Dutch Carmelite Institute

(NCI) took place. Fr. Tjeu Timmermans has been

appointed as the new director and Fr. Rudolf van

Dijk as the academic secretary. The staff holdsits monthly meetings of which a report will be

given to the NCI commission. This commission

functions as the daily board of the institute and

reports to the Provincial Council of the Dutch

Province.

The Dutch Carmelite Institute consists of

seven main sections: 1) Carmelite library, 2)

Carmelite archives, 3) Titus Brandsma archives,

4) documentations, 5) iconographic collection, 6)Carmelite scientic research and publication and

7) formation and education.

The staff of the institute decided to give high

priority to the Titus Brandsma archives. Sr. Susan

van Driel has been given the task of reorganizing

these archives, to analyse and describe their

contents and to digitise them. The Titus Brandsma

archives contain material that can be used

worldwide for publications on Bl. Titus and his

inheritance.

Recently, Fr. Harrie Reinders was appointed to

work on listing, describing, digitising and opening

up the iconographic collection. The collection

contains several thousand Carmelite illustrations,

cards, etchings, prints, pictures, slides and lms.

By reorganising the iconographic collection the

NCI will be able to full the growing need of

Carmelites icons.

Asian Forators Conference,Cikanyere, Indonesia, 25-30May 2010

The Asia-Australia-Oceania Formators

Conference was held in Cikanyere, Indonesia

from 25th to 30th May 2010. Although the

facilitator, Fr. Joseph Chalmers, O. Carm., was

unable to come due to unforeseen problems, theconference ran smoothly using procedures Fr.

Chalmers provided for use in his absence.

On 25th May, the conference was opened by Fr.

Albertus Herwanta, O.Carm., General Councillor

for Asia, Australia and Oceania, and then

continued with a discussion on the reality (world)

in which the formators live. In the session, they

discussed the descriptions and expectations of

their respective realities.

The titles of the topics discussed were:

‘Transformed in Order to Transform’, ‘Living

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in Allegiance to Jesus Christ’, ‘Fraternity’,

‘Dealing with Darkness’, ‘Into the Night’, ‘Into

the Castle’, ‘The Call to Contemplation’, ‘Mary

and the Eucharist’, and ‘Carmelites in the Midst

of the People’.

On the nal day, the participants were invited

to evaluate the program together. Each of themshared their experiences and what they felt

and learned during the conference. Then the

participants were invited to study the statement

of the Asia-Australia-Oceania Formators which

will be sent to the International Conference of

Carmelite Formators to be held in Brazil this

coming August.

25th Anniversar of the Car - melite Form

The annual Carmelite Forum, with the theme

“Carmel’s Quest for the Living God,” took place

on June 16-20 at St. Mary’s College in Notre

Dame, Indiana (USA). The theme was inspired

by the popular book, Quest for the Living God, by Sr. Elizabeth Johnson. Some 250 people from

the various branches of Carmel in North America

(priests, brothers, cloistered nuns, sisters of the

various congregations, Third Order, and laity from

various groups) participated in the conference.

The three principle conferences were given

by Camilo Maccise, OCD, who dealt with the

theme from the biblical perspective; Ms. Dolores

Leckey, who approached the theme from the lay

point of view; and Fernando Millán Romeral, O.

Carm., who spoke on Titus Brandsma and Edith

Stein as examples of the quest for the living God

in dramatic and dark times. These three addresses

will be published in full in the next issue of The

Sword, the journal published by the Carmelites

of the Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary

(PCM). In addition, there were workshops on

various themes in Carmelite spirituality and two

roundtable discussions with representatives of the

various participating groups.

This Carmelite conference marked the 25th

anniversary of the North American Carmelite

Forum’s annual seminars at St. Mary’s College. We

congratulate Keith Egan and those who organized

the congress for its valuable contribution to the

growth of Carmel in North America.

Recogition of the mardomof Fr. Carelo Maria MoyanoLinares and 9 companions

Another group of Carmelite martyrs from the

time of the religious persecution in Spain in 1936

will now join those of the Catalonian Province

who have already been beatied. Pope Benedict

XVI during an audience granted to His Excellency,

Archbishop Angelo Amato, SDB, Prefect of the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints on 1st

July, authorized the Congregation to promulgate,

together with a number of others, the decree of

martyrdom of the Servants of God, Carmelo Maria

Moyano Linares and 9 Companions of the Order

Carmelite. They belonged to the monasteries of

Hinojosa del Duque and Montoro, in the Betica

Province.

Fr. Carmelo Maria Moyano Linares, who had been provincial of the Betica Province, was killed

on September 23rd, 1936, and prior to him, Fr.

José Mª González Delgado was martyred on the

July 27th 1936. On 14th August 1936, Brothers

Eliseo Mª Carmargo Montes, José Luis Mª Ruíz

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Cardeñosa, Antonio Mª Martín Povea and a

postulant Pedro Velasco Narbona were killed.

At Montoro on July 22nd 1936, Fr. José María

Mateos Carbadillo, Fr. Eliseo Mª Durán Cintas,

Brother Jaime Maria Carretero Rojas and Brother

Ramón Mª Pérez Sousa were killed.

Regarding the beatication ceremony, theadvice of the Spanish Episcopal Conference and

the Congregation for the Causes of Saints will be

followed.

The judgment on two other groups of

presumed martyrs are pending and are presently

with the congregation: namely, those of Castile,

which is in the hands of the General Postulator

of the Brothers of Christian Schools, and those

of Arago-Valentina Province, who form part

of a larger group of martyrs of the Diocese of

Segorbe-Castellón. Our Postulator General is

presently completing this Positio.

Announcement of theTits Brandsma JPIC EssayCompetition 2009-2010 forCarelite Stdents

The winners of The Titus Brandsma JPIC

Essay Competition 2009-2010 for Carmelite

Students are:

First prize 1000 Euro: Bro. Glen Attard,•

O.Carm. (Mel) writing on “Contemplation and

globalization in a Carmelite Perspective”.

Second Prize 750 Euro: Bro. David•Augusto Sosa, O.Carm. (Cast-Arg) writing

on “Ensayo sobre el hombre en su relación de

comunión con Dios y la creación. Un matiz

Carmelita”.

Third prize 500 Euro: Bro. Praveen•

Lawrence, O. Carm (CSTSA) writing on

“Contemplation and globalization in the

Carmelite Perspective”.

Fourth prize 250 Euro: Bro. Edgar•

A. Cayanan, O.Carm (Phil) writing on

“Globalization and the Carmelite Lifestyle”

The prize-giving money will be sent to the

winners to be spent on any Justice, Peace, and

Integrity of Creation project in their communities.

Following a textual revision, their essays will

then be published.

The General Commission for JPIC of the

Order is deeply grateful to all participants and

to the prov

citoc magazine i-2011.pdf

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