Our Vocation: A Call to Carmel
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Discalced Carmelite Seculars come from all walks of life, from every level of education and from every type of work. We are Catholic laypersons over the age of 18 (married or unmarried) or ordained diocesan priests or deacons.
There are more than 45,000 Discalced Carmelite Seculars worldwide and more than 6,000 in the United States. We gather in canonically erected communities or recognized Study Groups under the guidance and leadership of the Order.
Discalced Carmelite Seculars are practicing members of the Catholic Church who, under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and inspired by St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross, make the commitment to the Discalced Carmelite Order to seek the face of God for the sake of the Church and the world.
What is the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order?
Discalced Carmelite Seculars are members of the Carmelite family of the 16th century reform of St. Teresa of Jesus. Discalced means unshod.
St. Teresa’s followers wore sandals rather than shoes, a practice which distinguished them from Carmelites of the Ancient Observance. These followers are present in the modern world as friars, enclosed nuns, and seculars. The Discalced Carmelite Order is “nourished by the long tradition of Carmel, expressed in the Rule of Saint Albert and the doctrine of the Carmelite Doctors of the Church and the Order’s other saints.” (Constitutions of the Secular Order of the Teresian Carmel, 2003)
What is required of Discalced Carmelite Seculars?
The following principles of the Rule of Saint Albert, written for the hermits on Mount Carmel in the 13th century, guide Carmelite Secular life today:
Living in allegiance to Jesus Christ
Being diligent in meditating on the law of the Lord
Giving time to spiritual reading
Participating in the liturgy of the Church, both the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours
Arming ourselves with the practice of the virtues
Seeking interior silence and solitude
Using prudent discretion in all that we do.
(from the “Constitutions of the Secular Order of the Teresian Carmel,” 2003)
What is the timetable for becoming a Discalced Carmelite Secular?
The entire period of initial formation commonly requires about six years.
Aspirancy: Attendance at 12 monthly meetings of the community is required, so the Aspirant may be supported by its members as he or she learns more about secular life and discerns whether he or she has a vocation to the Order.
First period of formation: A minimum of two years is required for study and growth in prayer, the apostolate and community life. At the end of this time, the council of the community may invite the candidate to make a three-year First Promise to the Order to strive to follow Christ in poverty, chastity, obedience, and the beatitudes.
Second Period of formation: At least three years of further study and growth in the vocation is needed to make the Definitive Promise, which confirms the commitments of the First Promise for the rest of the person’s life. Either period of formation may be extended if the council and the individual in formation agree that doing so is in the best interest of the candidate. After the Definitive Promise, ongoing formation and transformation in Christ is a life-long commitment.
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Shortly after founding the nuns, St. Teresa worked to bring men into her new mission. With St. John of the Cross, she founded the friars. The friars live a life based on three pillars: prayer, fraternity, and the apostolate. With a primary service to their brothers, the nuns, and the Secular Order, the friars also serve in ministries that help to spread the spirituality of Carmel, bringing others to union with God through prayer. These ministries include spiritual direction, parishes, retreats, and more. The life of the friars also includes the two hours of daily mental prayer desired by St. Teresa.
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St. Teresa's first foundation of nuns in the 1500s in Avila, Spain would grow into a global family of monasteries throughout the world. In a spirit of sisterly love, the nuns live a cloistered, contemplative life of prayer for the Church and the world. This life of prayer and friendship with God and each other is nurtured by daily Mass, the Divine Office, times of recreation and work, and two hours daily of mental prayer.
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