From the Desk of the Provincial Delegate to the Lay Carmelites

Patrick McMahon,
O. Carm.

Our Carmelite vocation, as defined by St. Therese of Lisieux, is to be charity within the heart of the Church. As we have reflected on this great insight, we have come to appreciate our call not only to be an Order within the church, but even more to be a family within the human community, a family dedicated to following Jesus Christ in a contemplative wonder at the goodness of God and in deep compassion for all whom God loves. We are growing in our understanding to be an open and inclusive family of men and women for whom the Love of God energizes us to love of neighbor. Both and an Order and as a family our membership embraces mendicant friars, cloistered nuns, religious sisters and dedicated laity -- all brothers and sisters to one another, all brothers and sisters to all of God's children, all brothers and sisters to Christ himself.

This web-page is designed to introduce you to the Lay Carmelites--the branch of our family that is composed of dedicated lay persons who follow the Carmelite vocation in the midst of our secular life. We describe their vocation like this:

Lay Carmelites, "though not in Religious Life, choose to live out their baptismal commitment according to the spirit of the Carmelite Order, Carmelite spirituality stresses purity of heart and 'vacare Deo' the emptying of self so that God can be our all. The call to Carmel, a call to seek God's will in the ordinary circumstances of everyday life, roots Lay Carmelites in a love of those with whom they live and work, in the search for God's face, and in solidarity with God's people everywhere."

Lay Carmelites share their gifts "individually and collectively in a spirit of true communion with the entire family of Carmel of which they are an integral part. Their mission is the mission of the church and Order itself, to live the Gospel message and to bring Christ toothers through their lives. (Lay Carmelite Provincial Statutes, Provinces of the Most Pure Heart of Mary and St. Elias, Part I, Chapter 1)

We have over 10,000 dedicated members in over 280 communities in Canada and in the United States who strive to follow Jesus Christ in the midst of daily life. Our members are professors and janitors, physicians and shut-ins, students and accountants, musicians and home-makers, teachers and retirees, and just about everything else you could think of. We even have an association of the incarcerated who, in their conversion to Christ, follow him in their lives in prison.

What makes them all Carmelite is their dedication to following Christ according to the ancient Carmelite way, a way of life rooted in profound contemplative attention to the Word of God in Sacred Scripture and an attempt to live out that Word in one's daily life. They follow a discipline of daily contemplative prayer, of scripture reading, frequent participation on the Eucharistic Banquet, regular meetings of their community, and apostolic service in cooperation with the local bishop and clergy.

When entering the Order they undergo a formation similar to the formation program used for the friars and nuns. Meeting regularly with the formation directors of their community they are introduced to spiritual doctrines of the great saints of Carmel, especially the three great Carmelite Doctors: Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and Therese of Lisieux. This formation program takes approximately two and a half years before the person makes a commitment to follow the Carmelite path of Christian discipleship for the rest of his or her life.

Our Carmelite family spans the globe and we have lay Carmelites in many more countries than we have friars and nuns.! We continue to grow because people today are looking for spiritual roots, and our Carmelite tradition has long offered these roots to hungry souls. We invite you to take a look at what we have to offer and to be in touch with us about becoming part of our family, the Brothers and Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel-----others and sisters to all, brothers and sisters to Jesus.

Sincerely,

Fr. Patrick McMahon, O. Carm., Ph.D.
Provincial Delegate