The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (Latin: Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Latin: Ordo Carmelitarum Discalceatorum; abbrev.: OCD; sometimes called in earlier times, Latin: Ordo Carmelitarum Excalceatorum), is a Catholic mendicant order with roots in the eremitic tradition of the Desert Fathers. The order was established in the 16th century, pursuant to the reform of the Carmelite Order by two Spanish saints, Teresa of Ávila (foundress) and John of the Cross (co-founder). Discalced is derived from Latin, meaning “without shoes”.
The Carmelite Order, from which the Discalced Carmelites branched off, is also referred to as the Carmelites of the Ancient Observance to distinguish them from their discalced offshoot. The third order affiliated to the Discalced Carmelites is the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites.
Background
The Discalced Carmelites are friars and nuns who dedicate themselves to a life of prayer. The Carmelite nuns live in cloistered (enclosed) monasteries and follow a completely contemplative life. The Carmelite friars, while following a contemplative life, also engage in the promotion of spirituality through their retreat centres, parishes and churches. Lay people, known as the Secular Order, follow their contemplative call in their everyday activities. Devotion to the Virgin Mary is a characteristic of Carmelites and is symbolised by wearing the brown scapular.
Carmelites trace their roots and their name to Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. There, in the 13th century, a band of European men gathered together to live a simple life of prayer. Their first chapel was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and they called themselves the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.
The Muhraka monastery on the top of Mount Carmel near Haifa in Israel is a historic Carmelite monastery. The monastery stands on the place where the prophet Elijah is said to have lived and fought the prophets of Baal.
The first Carmelites were pilgrims to Mount Carmel who settled there in solitude. These early hermits were mostly laity, who lived a life of poverty, penance and prayer. Between 1206 and 1214, Albert Avogadro, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, brought the hermits on Mount Carmel together into community. At their request he wrote them a rule, which expressed their own intention and reflected the spirit of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and of the early community of Jerusalem. They were also inspired by the prophet Elijah, who had been associated with Mount Carmel. The words of Elijah, “With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts” (IKg 19:10) appear on the Carmelite crest. Around 1238, within fifty years of receiving their rule, the Carmelite hermits were forced by the Saracens to leave Mount Carmel and to settle in Europe.[
CARMELITE SAINTS AND DOCTORS.
The Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
By God’s grace, we bear the name ‘Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel’ and belong to a religious family dedicated to her love and service. This special bond with our Lady influences our whole approach to the pursuit of perfect charity. It pervades our communities and stamps our life of prayer and contemplation, our apostolic zeal and activity, and even the kind of self-denial we practice, with a distinctly Marian character.
The Prophet Elijah.
The prophet Elijah appears in Scripture as a man of God who lived always in His presence and fought zealously for the worship of the one, true God. He defended God’s law in a solemn contest on Mount Carmel, and afterwards was given on Mount Horeb an intimate experience of the living God. The inspiration that was found in him from the very beginnings of the Order so pervades its whole history that the prophet may deservedly be called the founder of the Carmelite.
St. Teresa of Jesus (1515-1582).
She was born in Ávila, Spain. She entered the Carmelites, progressing in perfection and receiving mystical revelations. Seeking to renew the Church, she lived her religious life ardently, attracting many companions. She aided in reforming the friars despite enduring trials. St. Teresa wrote spiritual classics like The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, showcasing her deep spirituality. She died in 1582 and was named the first woman doctor of the Church in 1970.
St. John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Born in Fontiveros, Spain, Juan de Yepes joined the Carmelites and adopted a stricter observance with permission. He collaborated with St. Teresa to establish the Discalced reform, enduring many trials. St. John of the Cross authored spiritual classics like The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night, The Spiritual Canticle, and The Living Flame of Love. He died in 1591 in Úbeda, renowned for his holiness and wisdom. St. John is a poet, mystic, and Doctor of the Church.
St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face (1873-1897).
Thérèse Martin was born in Alençon, France. While still young, she entered the Carmel of Lisieux. There she lived with the greatest humility, evangelical simplicity, and confidence in God. By her words and example, she taught the novices these same virtues, offering her life for the salvation of souls and the spread of the Church. Her autobiography is the popular Story of a Soul and is well known for its relating of her Little Way. St. Thérèse was made a Doctor of the Church in 1997 by Pope John Paul II.
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (1891-1942).
Born Edith Stein to a Jewish family in Breslau, Germany, converted to Catholicism in 1922 after finding truth in St. Teresa of Jesus' autobiography. She entered the Carmel of Cologne in 1933, taking the name Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Martyred at Auschwitz on August 9, 1942, during the Nazi persecution, she offered her life for the people of Israel. Canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1998, she is co-patroness of Europe, known for her doctrinal richness and profound spirituality.
St. Raphael Kalinowski of St. Joseph (1835-1907)
Raphael Kalinowski was born to Polish parents in the city of Vilnius in 1835. Following military service, he was condemned in 1864 to ten years of forced labor in Siberia. In 1877 he became a Carmelite and was ordained a priest in 1882. He contributed greatly to the restoration of the Discalced Carmelites in Poland. His life was distinguished by zeal for Church unity and by his unflagging devotion to his ministry as confessor and spiritual director. He died in Wadowice.
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906).
Elizabeth Catez was born in 1880 in the diocese of Bourges in France. In 1901 she entered the Discalced Carmelite monastery of Dijon. There she made her profession of vows in 1903 and from there she was called to “light, love, and life” by the Divine Spouse in 1906. A faithful adorer in spirit and in truth, her life was a “praise of glory” of the Most Blessed Trinity present in her soul whom she loved amidst interior darkness and an excruciating illness. In the mystery of divine inhabitation, she found her “heaven on earth”, which was her special charism and her mission for the Church.
St. Miriam of Jesus Crucified (1846 -1878).
Miriam Baouardy (also spelled Mariam Bawardy) was known in religion as Sr. Miriam of Jesus Crucified. She was born in Ibillin, located in the hill country of upper Galilee, Palestine. Her family originated in Damascus, Syria. They were Catholics of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Rite. This rite originated in the Archeparchy of Antioch, which was the place where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians.