Lay Carmelites in Botany Bay
Although the first official Carmelites foundation in this country was made in 1881, the first Carmelites in Australia had arrived nearly eighty years before. They were the Lay Carmelites (Tertiaries or Confraternity members) James Dempsey and John Butler. Both were transported to Botany Bay for life for their alleged involvement in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
Carmelite Figures
There are many famous Carmelites who have influenced generations of spiritual seekers throughout the Order's history. Here are just some of them.
Saint Albert of Jerusalem was born in Emilia, Italy in the mid 12th Century. He became a Canon Regular of the Holy Cross at Mortara (Pavia) where he was elected Prior in 1180. He was appointed Bishop of Bobbio in 1184 and of Vercelli the following year. During his 20 years there he undertook a number of missions of national and international importance. He brokered peace between the cities of Pavia and Milan in 1194 and between the cities of Parma and Piacenza in 1199. In 1191 he held a Diocesan Synod, the statutes and decrees of which continued to serve as a norm until modern times.
In 1205 he was elected Patriarch of Jerusalem and soon after nominated as papal legate for the ecclesiastical province of Jerusalem. He arrived in Palestine early in 1206, taking up residence at Acre, at the foot of Mount Carmel, as Jerusalem was occupied by the Saracens. In Palestine he continued his peace-making efforts not only between Christians but also between them and non-Christians.
On 14 September 1214 he was stabbed to death during a procession to celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross by the Master of the Hospital of the Holy Spirit whom Albert had denounced for his unjust and abusive behaviour.
Somewhere between his arrival in Palestine in 1206 and his death in 1214 the first group of Carmelites asked Albert to write for them a "formula of life" which later became the Carmelite Rule approved by Pope Innocent VI in 1247.
Saint Teresa of Avila, who almost single handedly reformed the order in the 16th century, was responsible for the establishment of the Discalced Carmelites in the latter part of the century. Her life was a colourful and supernatural series of events that had amazed and awed observers and followers of the order for centuries. Teresa was born in Avila in Spain in 1515. She entered the Carmelites and made great progress in the way of perfection and was granted mystical revelations. Wishing to share in the spiritual renewal of the Church of her time, she began to live her religious life more ardently and soon attracted many companions, to whom she was like a mother. She also helped in the reform of the friars with Saint John of the Cross, and in this had to endure great trials. She wrote books which are renowned for their depth of doctrine and which showed her own spiritual experiences. She died at Alba de Tormes in 1582. In 1970 Teresa was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI.
Saint John of the Cross was born at Fontiveros in Spain about 1542. He entered the Carmelites and with the permission of his superiors began to live a stricter life. Later he was persuaded by St Teresa to begin, together with some others, a reform within the Carmelite friars which cost him much hard work and many trials. He died in Ubeda in 1591, outstanding in holiness and wisdom, to which his many spiritual writings give eloquent witness. His writings were first published in 1618. After his death the reform he introduced within the friars eventually separated from the Carmelite Order to become the Order of Discalced Carmelite Friars. John was canonised in 1726 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1926.
Famous Carmelites of the 20th Century include
Saint Therese of Lisieux, one of only four women Doctors of the Church, so named because of her famous teaching on the 'way of confidence and love' set forth in her best-selling memoir, 'Story of a Soul'. Thérèse Martin was born in Alencon in France in 1873. Whilst still young she entered the Discalced Carmel of Lisieux, where she lived - as Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face - in the greatest humility and evangelical simplicity and confidence in God. By word and example she taught the novices these same virtues.
Offering her life for the salvation of souls and the spread of the Church, she died on 30 September 1897. She was 24 years old. She was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997.
Blessed Titus Brandsma, a Dutch scholar and writer who was killed in Dachau Concentration Camp because of his stance against Nazism. Born at Bolsward (The Netherlands) in 1881, Titus joined the Carmelite Order as a young man. Ordained priest in 1905, he obtained a doctorate in philosophy in Rome. He then taught in various schools in Holland and was named professor of philosophy and of the history of mysticism in the Catholic University of Nijmegen where he also served as Rector. He was noted for his constant availability to everyone and for his concern for his students for whom he collected food, clothing and blankets.
He was a professional journalist, and in 1935 he was appointed ecclesiastical advisor to Catholic journalists. Both before and during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands he fought, faithful to the Gospel, against the spread of the Nazi ideology and for the freedom of Catholic Education and the Catholic Press. For this he was arrested and sent to a succession of prisons and concentration camps where he brought comfort and peace to his fellow prisoners and did good even to his tormentors. In 1942, after much suffering and many humiliations, he was killed by lethal injection at Dachau. He was beatified by John Paul II on 3 November 1985.
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, a Jewish convert to Catholicism who was also imprisoned and died at Auschwitz. Edith Stein was born to a Jewish family at Breslau on 12 October 1891. Through her passionate study of philosophy she searched after truth and found it in reading the autobiography of St Teresa of Jesus (Avila). In 1922 she was baptised and in 1933 she entered the Carmel of Cologne where she took the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. She was gassed and cremated at Auschwitz on 9 August 1942 during the Nazi persecution and died a martyr for the Christian faith after having offered her holocaust for the people of Israel. A woman of singular intelligence and learning, she left behind a body of writing notible for its doctrinal richness and profound spirituality. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II at Cologne on 1st May 1987, and canonised by him in 1998. In 1999 she was declared one of the six patron saints of Europe.
Saint George Preca was born in Valletta, Malta, on 12 February 1880. Ordained priest in 1906, he immediately began working with young people. In 1907 he founded the Society of Christian Doctrine, commonly known as M.U.S.E.U.M. (Magister Unitam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus). He dedicated his life to preaching and teaching. His effective ministry was the fruit of a life of prayer and constant meditation on the Sacred Scriptures. On 21st July 1918, Fr George was received into the Carmelite Third Order and one year later, on 26th July 1919, he made his profession. In 1952 he was 'affiliated' to the Order as a recognition of his efforts to spread devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He died on 2nd July 1961 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 9 May 2001, and canonised by Pope Benedict XVI on 3 June 2007. His canonisation made Saint George the first member of the Carmelite Third Order to be formally recognised by the Church as a saint.
Blessed Hilary Januszewski was a Polish Carmelite born on 11 June 1907 and joined the Carmelites in September 1927. Following his studies and ordination in Rome he was appointed lecturer in Dogmatic Theology and in Church History for the students of the Polish province in Krakow. In 1939 he was appointed Prior of that community. World War II was to jeopardise all the hopes and projects of the young prior. On 1 September 1939, after several months of widespread international tension, Germany declared war on Poland. Twenty days later, Soviet troops launched an attack from the East. A year after the invasion, the invading forces ordered the arrest of large numbers of monks and priests. On 18 September five Carmelites were arrested including Fr Hilary, who offered to go instead of Fr Konoba, who was older than him and sick. In the concentration camp at Dachau he volunteered to look after prisoners suffering from typhus in the infamous Hut 25. After 21 days serving the sick, he died of typhus. Read the full story of Fr Hilary.
St Elizabeth of the Trinity was born on 18 July 1880. As a young child she earned a reputation as an incessant chatterbox and vivacious crawler. She was strong-willed and determined. As she grew up she became known for her generous and loveable nature. She was an excellent musician whose concerts won critical acclaim. At the same time her awareness of God began to grow. In the midst of a busy social life she managed to find time to help with troubled youth and seemed to radiate the presence of God wherever she went. She entered the Carmelite Convent at Dijon in 1901. She was given the name 'Elizabeth of the Trinity'. Here she grew in the Carmelite attributes of reflective prayer, living in the present moment, loving God wholeheartedly and serving others with simplicity. Much like St Therese of Lisieux, Elizabeth's way was one of simple conversation with God and a deep, abiding awareness of God's presence within. Read the full story of St Elizabeth of the Trinity.
Carmelite Library
Carmelite’s National Treasure
It has been called “a national treasure” but for well over 100 years it has been accessible to just a few.
Now that has changed. The Carmelite Library – Australia’s finest specialised collection of books and journals in the area of Christian spirituality and mysticism – has a permanent home in Middle Park.
And it welcomes both “the scholar and the seeker” to make use of its rich resources.
The Carmelite friars arrived in Australia from Ireland in the early 1880s and brought with them the nucleus of today’s Carmelite Library.
Among its treasures were the Ceremoniale of 1616 which guided the priest through the intricacies of celebrating mass according to the Order’s ancient Rite of the Holy Sepulchre which dated to the time of the Crusades; and the Carmelite Constitutions of 1625 (reprinted 1721) then still in force.
In 1928 the Carmelites began training their Australian novices and students in Melbourne rather than send them to Ireland. An academic library began to develop at Whitefriars House of Studies, which was first in Kew and from 1937 in Donvale.
It included the textbooks and other works required by the students and their professors across a broad philosophical and theological range. By the 1980s financial pressures, the development of new theological centres and the Order’s changing educational strategy prompted a change of policy and focus.
In 1985 it was decided to discontinue collecting across the whole range of theological disciplines and today the library is concentrated in three areas closely associated with the life and spirit of the Order. These are:
- Carmelitana: all aspects of the life, history and spiritual tradition of the Order;
- Spirituality: the Christian spiritual and mystical tradition, both historical and contemporary, and its links to other world spiritual traditions;
- Mariology: the theological study of the Virgin Mary.
The Rare Book Collection includes about 300 pre-1800 titles, most of them with a Carmelite connection. The oldest book, a controversial work against Lutheranism by the Italian Carmelite Giovanni Maria Verrato, dates from 1538.
In 2003 the Library contained some 30,000 books and other items and is housed in the heritage Carmelite Hall next to the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Middle Park, where the Carmelites have ministered since 1882.
New Management
The Carmelites know the library requires further development if it is to realise its potential as a cultural, intellectual and spiritual resource for the Australian community. To this end, the Carmelites have formed a partnership with the University of Divinity for the management of the Library from October 2023 to December2024. During this time the University team will work with the Carmelite Library Interim Board to collaboratively develop recommendations as to the most appropriate long-term structure for the library's operation.
Open again
To enable the University team to prepare for this project, the Carmelite Library was closed to the public on 28 September 2023 and reopened on 6 February 2024.
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- You can visit the Library website by clicking here.
- You can access the Library catalogue by clicking here.
Carmelite Library
214 Richardson Street, Middle Park, Victoria 3206 Australia
Tel : (03) 9682 8553
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Open Tuesdays 10am - 3pm
History of the Province
30 October 1802 – Lay Carmelites James Dempsey and John Butler arrive in Sydney aboard the Atlas having been transported for life for their alleged involvement in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Butler died on April 4, 1836 and Dempsey on February 10, 1838.
7 May 1824 – Father Samuel Coote, an Irish Carmelite, arrived in Hobart aboard the Ardent to minister among the Catholics of Van Diemen's Land. He was only the fourth priest to come free to work in Australia, but left the colony for England in December 1825 and died in London on September 18, 1837.
16 April 1881 – Irish Carmelites Joseph Butler, Ignatius Carr, Patrick Shaffrey, Brocard Leybourne and Hilarion Byrne (pictured right) arrive in Port Adelaide aboard the SS Liguria to begin the Australian Mission. It was Holy Saturday that year and the Prior of the Mission, Joseph Butler, continued on to Gawler the same day to celebrate his first Mass in Australia on Easter Sunday.
7 May 1882 – Carmelites celebrate their first Mass in St Joseph's Church, Port Melbourne, Fathers Butler and Shaffrey having accepted charge of the newly-formed parish of Sandridge.
October 1886 – Opening of Priory on Beaconsfield Parade.
January, 1902 – Carmelites move from Gawler to the parish of Port Adelaide. Carmelites withdrew from the Parish of Port Adelaide/Pennington on 10 January 1999.
1909 – Division of Sandridge parish into the parishes of Port Melbourne and Middle Park and establishment of separate priories.
28 June 1928 – Foundation of first Australian Novitiate at St Vincent’s Place, Albert Park, Vic. The Novitiate and House of Studies moved to Whitefriars, Kew in 1930 and then to Whitefrairs, Donvale in 1937. In 1946 the Novitiate was established in Wahroonga, NSW and moved from there to Hunters Hill in 1956 then to Lawson and in 1964 to Winston Hills. In 1974 the Novitiate returned to Donvale and moved to Vermont in 1976, returning to Donvale in 1977. In 1984 the Student House moved from Donvale to North Box Hill, returning to Donvale in 1986. The Novitiate and House of Studies were combined at Port Melbourne in 1987, returned to Whitefriars, Donvale in 1990, returning to Port Melbourne in 2000. In 2005 the Novitiate and House of Studies moved to Middle Park.
22 March 1930 – Foundation of the Australian Commissariat. Father Robert Power first Commissary General.
January, 1937 – Foundation at Cavendish Road, Coorparoo.
26 August 1937 – Opening of Whitefriars Monastery, Donvale, VIC by Archbishop D Mannix. Monastery was sold on 25 January 2002.
1947 – Foundation of the Lay Carmelites in Australia by Father E.J. Nugent.
13 September 1948 – Foundation of the Australian Province. Father E.J. Nugent first Provincial.
January, 1949 – Foundation at Meadowbank, New Zealand. Foundation closed in 1970.
1956 – Frs William Morganti and Robert Dowd together with Br George Parsons went to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to join the Carmelite mission which had been established by the Irish Province in 1946. The Province’s involvement continued until 1961.
1956 - Foundations at Hilton and Wentworthville. Foundation in Hilton closed on 31 January 2005.
1961 – Foundation of Whitefriars College at Donvale, VIC.
1973 - At the invitation of the Indonesian Province, the Australian Province took over the mission in Sumbul in North Sumatra in March 1973 and continued to have responsibility for it until 1982. In that year Fr Anthony Scerri, who had been parish priest in Sumbul, became vice rector of the new St Thomas’ University in Medan and remained there until September 1995 when he was elected General Councillor. The Australian mission in Indonesia ceased at that date.
27 January 1977 – Foundation of the House of Prayer at Vermont which moved in 1978 to Warburton, and of the Whitefriars College community firstly at East Doncaster, then at McGowans Road, Donvale in 1978 and finally at Merinda, Donvale in 1979.
8 May 2001 - Provincial Chapter: The Australian Carmelites accept the invitation of the Indonesian Carmelites to incorporate Timor-Leste (East Timor) as part of the Australian Province.
16 August 2001 – The Australian Carmelites accept responsibility for the Carmelite Presence in Timor-Leste and for the Mission Parish of Zumalai.
2 August 2004 - Foundation of the first Timor-Leste Novitiate at Fatuhada, Dili.
24 September 2004 - Change of Province name to ‘Australia and Timor-Leste’
22 January 2005 - Reunification of the parishes of St Joseph, Port Melbourne and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Middle Park as one parish.
20 July 2005 - Foundation of Titus Brandsma Community, Fatuhada, Dili.
17 April 2007 - Foundation of St Elijah Novitiate in Hera, Timor-Leste.
29 July 2009 - Carmelite Centre formally launched by Fr Wayne Stanhope, Prior Provincial.
8 May 2010 - Blessing & opening of St Nuno Student House, Hera, Timor-Leste.
History of the Carmelite Order
Origins & growth
The Order of Carmelites has its origins on Mount Carmel, in Palestine, where, as we read in the first Book of Kings, the great prophet Elijah defended the true faith in the God of Israel, when he won the challenge against the priests of Baal. It was also on Mount Carmel that the same prophet, praying in solitude, saw the small cloud which brought life-giving rain after the long drought. From time immemorial, this mountain has been considered the lush garden of Palestine and symbol of fertility and beauty. Indeed, "Karmel" means "garden".
In the 12th century (perhaps after the third crusade, 1189-1191), some pilgrims who had come from Europe, came together near the "spring of Elijah", in one of the narrow valleys of Mount Carmel, to live out their Christianity as hermits after the example of the prophet Elijah in the very land of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then and in later times, the Carmelites did not acknowledge anyone in particular as their founder, but remained faithful followers of Elijah who was associated with Mount Carmel through biblical events and through Greek and Latin patristic tradition which saw in the prophet one of the founders of the monastic life. In the middle of the cells they built a chapel which they dedicated to Mary, Mother of Jesus, thus developing a sense of belonging to Our Lady as Patroness, and they became known by her name as "Brothers of Saint Mary of Mount Carmel". Thus Carmel is deeply associated with Elijah and Mary. From Elijah the Carmelites inherited a burning passion for the living and true God and the desire to make His Word intimately their own in order to witness to Its presence in the world; with Mary, the Mother of God, they are committed to live "in the footsteps of Jesus Christ" with the same intimate and deep feelings which were Mary's.
In order to have some juridical stability, this group of lay hermits turned to the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Albert Avogadro (1150-1214), who was then living at St John of Acre near Mount Carmel. Between 1206-1214, Albert wrote for them a formula of life. Successive approvals of this formula of life by various Popes helped the process of transforming the group into a Religious Order, a fact which took place at the time of the definitive approval of the text as a Rule by Innocent IV in 1247. Thus the Carmelite Order took its place alongside the Mendicant Orders.
However, about 1235, the Carmelites were forced to abandon their place of origin due to the incursions and persecutions of the Saracens who were reconquering the Holy Land from the crusaders. Most of them went back to their country of origin in Europe.
Soon they increased and flourished in the sciences and in holiness. Later some women attached themselves to the monasteries of the friars and in 1452 became cloistered nuns living in their own communities.
Reform & development
In the 15-16th centuries there was some relaxation of discipline in various communities, a fact greatly opposed by Priors General such as Blessed John Soreth (+1471), Nicholas Audet (+1562) and John Baptist Rossi (+1578), and by some reforms (among others those of Mantua and Monte Oliveti in Italy and of Albi in France) to put a stop to the spread of the abuses and the mitigations. The most famous reform is certainly the one started in Spain by St Teresa of Jesus for the reform of the nuns and then, helped by St John of the Cross and Fr Girolamo Gracian, for the reform of the friars. The most relevant aspect of this reform of Teresa is not so much that she opposed the mitigations introduced in the life of Carmel, but rather her ability to integrate in her project, vital and ecclesial elements of her time. In 1592 this reform, called that of the "Discalced Carmelites" or of the "Teresians", became independent from the Carmelite Order and grew rapidly in the congregations of Spain and Italy which were then united in 1875. Thus there are two Orders of Carmelites: "The Carmelites", also known as of the "Ancient Observance" or "Calced", and "The Discalced Carmelites" or "Teresians" who consider St Teresa of Jesus their reformer and foundress.
In spite of this division, during the following centuries the Carmelite Order continued its spiritual journey. Many illustrious men and women gave new spirit to Carmel with their own spirituality and genius. There was also significant development among the laity with the institution of the Carmelite Third Order and the Confraternities of the Scapular of Our Lady of Mt Carmel throughout the world. With the Reforms of Touraine in France, and of Monte Santo, Santa Maria della Vita, Piedmont, and Santa Maria della Scala in Italy, in the XVII and XVIII centuries the movement for a stricter observance spread everywhere.
At the dawn of the French Revolution, the Carmelite Order was established throughout the world with 54 Provinces and 13,000 religious. But as a result of the French Revolution the Order suffered great losses, such that at the end of the 19th century it was reduced to 8 Provinces and 727 religious. But it was this small band of religious who during the 20th century, with determination and courage, re-established the Order in places where it had been and also planted the Order on new continents.
The Carmelite Order today
Since the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962 - 1965), Carmelites have reflected at length on their identity, on their charism, on what is fundamental in their lives and what is for them a "life-project", namely "to live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ and serve him faithfully with a pure heart and a good conscience" (Rule). They found their allegiance to Christ in their commitment to seek the face of the living God (contemplative dimension), in living in fraternity and service (diakonia) in the midst of the people. They see all this in the lives of the prophet Elijah and the Blessed Virgin Mary who were led by the Spirit of God. Looking at Mary and Elijah, it is easy for the Carmelites to understand, to interiorise, to live and to announce the truth that makes a person free.
Carmelites, conscious of being part of the Church and of history, live in a fraternity that is open to God and to people, able to listen and give an authentic response to the evangelical life according to their own charism, and they commit themselves to build the Kingdom of God wherever they are. Indeed they are committed to evangelisation in houses of prayer, centres for spiritual exercises, parishes, Marian sanctuaries, schools, religious associations; and to Justice and Peace wherever human dignity is trodden underfoot, especially among the poor, the marginalised, the suffering.
To this vast and varied challenge of the Carmelite friars, one will find in close collaboration: communities of cloistered nuns, Congregations of sisters, Consecrated Lay people, numerous groups of Third Order Lay members and Confraternities of the Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. All these groups, born of the Spirit throughout the centuries, and inspired by the Carmelite Rule are intimately united by the bond of love, of spirituality and of the communion of spiritual goods. They constitute the Carmelite Family in the Church. At present the Carmelite Order (the friars) is formed of Provinces, General Commissariats, General Delegations, Hermetical Communities and an Affiliated Community with a total of about 2,000 religious. They are found in all the continents.
About the Lay Carmelites
Since our beginnings in the 13th century, Carmelites have sought to follow Christ in a fraternal community united in a spirit of contemplative prayer and our desire to be of service to God and to the people among whom we live. The Lay Carmelites are just what the name implies: lay men and women who form an integral part of the Carmelite family and try to live out the Carmelite way of life in the ordinary circumstances of our family and social life.
Carmelite Charism
A charism is a gift from God to the Church for the world. With regard to a Religious Order, the term refers to the gift which God gives to an individual or group to inspire the founding of a new religious family within the Church. This gift is handed down through the centuries and enriched by all who are called to live it. The charism of each religious family is the particular way in which its members are called to follow Christ. Since all Christians follow Christ, the charisms will have many elements in common, but the way in which these elements are emphasised gives each religious group its unique feel. All religious families have been asked by the Church to rediscover their original founding charism and make it come alive in each culture and in every age.
The charism of the Carmelite Order is God's gift given originally to those nameless hermits who gathered together on Mount Carmel, beside the well of Elijah, at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries. The Carmelite Order has no known founder but sprang from the desire of those first hermits to follow Christ together with a pure heart and a good conscience. They asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem, St Albert, to write for them a rule of life (c.1206-1214) which laid down certain guidelines based on the previous way of life of the hermits.
This Rule of St Albert and the experience of the Carmelites as they sought to be faithful to it in various circumstances gave definitive shape to the charism. We can say that there are several elements which make up the Carmelite charism. Firstly, and most importantly, it is a way of following Christ with total dedication. Carmelites do this by seeking to form contemplative communities at the service of God's people in whose midst they live. Fraternity, service and contemplation are therefore essential values for all Carmelites.
Fraternity
Carmelites seek to form communities where each person feels accepted and valued not for what he can do but simply because he is. This kind of community is in itself a witness that the love of Christ can break down the barriers which human beings set up and that it is possible for people of different backgrounds and nationalities to live together in peace and harmony. Carmelites are also aware of being part of an international fraternity which is present in many parts of the world.
Service
The hermits were forced to leave their home on Mount Carmel and settle in Europe. There they changed their style of life from hermits to friars. The major difference is that friars are called to serve the People of God in some active apostolate. Some Religious Congregations were founded for a specific work but the Carmelite Order tries simply to respond to the needs of the Church and the world which differ according to time and place, and so, many friars work in parishes, schools, universities, retreat centres, prisons, hospitals etc. The kind of service which each individual friar is involved in will depend on the needs of the people in whose midst he lives and his own particular talents.
Contemplation
The heart of the Carmelite charism is prayer and contemplation. The quality of our prayer determines the quality of the community life and the quality of the service which is offered to others. The goal of the Carmelite life is union with God. We seek to live in God's presence and consent to God's will for us. This involves us in listening to God who speaks to us in many ways and especially in the words of Scripture. Prayer is the way we relate to God and as we grow in friendship with Christ our prayer will tend to become more and more simple. The relationship with Christ will change us, impelling us to move out of the prison of selfishness towards the bright daylight of pure love for God and our fellow men and women. We are called to embark on a journey of faith whereby we are gradually stripped of all that is not God so that we can put on Christ. We do all we can to respond to God's initiative in calling us but we are very aware that in the end only God can change our hearts and so we learn to wait patiently for the coming of God to us. As we follow Christ along this path of trust in God we are inspired by the example and virtues of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the Prophet Elijah.
Prayer and contemplation for the Carmelite are not private matters between the individual and God but are to be shared with others since the charism is given for the whole world. Therefore there is an emphasis in the Order on the ministry of teaching prayer and giving spiritual direction. The Carmelite is aware that the transformation of the human heart by God may be hidden from most eyes but has far reaching consequences for our world. The way of prayer is mysterious and goes beyond our normal human categories. Prayer opens us to the Ultimate Mystery.
The Brown Scapular
Signs in ordinary human life
The world in which we live is full of material things which have symbolic meaning: light, fire, water...
There are also, in everyday life, experiences of relationships between human beings, which express and symbolise deeper realities such as sharing a meal (as a sign of friendship), taking part in a protest march (as a sign of solidarity), joining together in a national celebration (as a sign of identity).
We need signs and symbols to help us understand what is happening at present, or what happened before, and to give us an awareness of who we are, as individuals and as groups.
Signs in Christian life
Jesus is the great sign and gift of the Father’s love. He founded the Church as a sign and instrument of his love. Christian life also has its signs. Jesus used bread, wine, and water, to help us understand higher things, which we can neither see nor touch.
In the celebration of the Eucharist and the other sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Matrimony, Holy Orders, the Sacrament of the Sick) the symbols, (water, oil, the laying on of hands, the rings), all have their own meaning and bring us into communication with God, present in each of them.
As well as liturgical signs, the Church has others related to some event, to some tradition, or some person. One of these is the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The Scapular is a sign of Mary
One of the signs in the tradition of the Church from many centuries ago is the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It is a sign approved by the Church and accepted by the Carmelite Order as an external sign of love for Mary, of the trust her children have in her, and of commitment to live like her.
The word scapular indicates a form of clothing which monks wore when they were working.
With the passage of time, people began to give symbolic meaning to it: the cross to be borne every day as disciples and followers of Christ. In some religious orders, such as the Carmelites, the Scapular turned into a sign of their way of life. The Scapular came to symbolise the special dedication of Carmelites to Mary, the Mother of God, and to express trust in her motherly protection as well as desire to be like her in her commitment to Christ and to others. Thus it became a sign of Mary.
From Religious Orders to the People of God
In the middle ages many Christians wanted to be associated with the Orders founded at that time: Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians and Carmelites. Groups of lay people began to emerge in associations such as confraternities and sodalities.
All the religious Orders wanted to give these lay people a sign of affiliation and of participation in their spirit and apostolate. That sign was often a part of their habit: a cloak, a cord, a scapular.
Among the Carmelites, the stage came when a smaller version of the Scapular was accepted as the sign of belonging to the Order and an expression of its spirituality.
The value and meaning of the Scapular
The Scapular finds its roots in the tradition of the Order, which has seen in it a sign of Mary’s motherly protection. It has, therefore, a centuries old spiritual meaning approved by the Church:
It stands for a commitment to follow Jesus, as did Mary, the perfect model of all the disciples of Christ. This commitment finds its origin in baptism by which we become children of God.
The Blessed Virgin teaches us,
- to be open to God, and to his will shown to us in the people, circumstances and events of our lives;
- to listen to the Word of God in the bible and in life, to believe in it and to put into practice its demands;
- to pray always,as a way of discovering the presence of God in all that is happening around us;
- to be involved with people, being attentive to their needs.
It leads us into the community of Carmel, a community of religious and lay men and women, which has existed in the Church for eight centuries. It calls on us to live out the ideal of the Carmelite family: intimate friendship with God in prayer.
It reminds us of the example of the saints of Carmel, with whom we establish a close bond as brothers and sisters to one another.
It is an expression of our belief that we will meet God in eternal life, aided by the intercession and prayer of Mary.
Some practical rules
People are enrolled in the Scapular only once, by a priest or authorised person.
The Scapular can be replaced afterwards by a medal which has on one side the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the other the image of Mary.
The Scapular holds us to live as authentic Christians in line with the teaching of the Gospel, to receive the sacraments, to profess our special friendship for Mary, which should be expressed each day – for example, by praying the Hail Mary, prayerful reading of the Scriptures, service to someone in need.
The Carmelite Scapular
is not:
- a magical charm to protect you
- an automatic guarantee of salvation
- an excuse for not living up to the demands of Christian life;
it is:
A Sign which
stands for the decision to follow Jesus as Mary did:
- open to God and to God's will,
- guided by faith, hope and love,
- close to the needs of people,
- praying always,
- discovering God present in our life;
brings people into the family of Carmel;
with Mary's help, strengthens our desire to be with God forever.
Rite of Enrolment in the Brown Scapular
Mary and Elijah
As we attempt to follow Christ more closely, we Carmelites find inspiration in the Old Testament Prophet, Elijah, and in the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Prophet Elijah
Elijah's memory was kept alive especially on Mount Carmel where he challenged the people to stop hobbling first on one foot and then on the other but to choose who is God in Israel - Yahweh or Baal. According to the story, which can be found in the First Book of Kings, chapter 18, Elijah's sacrifice was consumed by fire from heaven which proved to the people that Yahweh was the true God.
Elijah in the presence of the Lord on Mount Horeb
Elijah made himself available for God's work and was sent into various situations to proclaim God's word. Elijah undertook a long journey through the desert where he began to despair. He sat down under a bush and wished he were dead but God would not allow him to die and prodded him to continue his journey to Mount Horeb. When he arrived there, God became present to Elijah. God came not with the signs usual in the Old Testament of fire, earthquake and mighty wind but in the sound of a gentle breeze. Elijah was sent back to his people to carry out God's will.
From Elijah, Carmelites learn to listen for the voice of God in the unexpected and in silence. We seek to allow the Word of God to shape our minds and our hearts so that the way we live and the things we do may be prophetic and therefore faithful to the memory of our father Elijah.
The Blessed Virgin Mary
The first hermits on Mount Carmel built a church in the middle of their cells. This was the centre of their lives where they converged each day to celebrate Mass together. This little church they named in honour of Our Lady. By this fact the first group of Carmelites took her as their patroness, promising her their faithful service and expecting her protection and favour. They were proud to bear the title of "Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel" and they defended this title with vigour when their right to it was challenged.
Mary ever ready to accomplish the wish of God
Mary consented to God's will when she was asked to be the mother of the Saviour. She pondered on the events of her life and was able to see in them the hand of God at work. Mary did not become proud about her unique vocation but instead praised God for looking on her lowliness and doing great things in her. She was with Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry when, at the marriage feast at Cana, she made known to him the simple need, "They have no wine". She was with him as he died and there she became the mother of all believers. At the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles we find Mary gathered in the upper room praying with the other disciples waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For us Carmelites, Mary is a constant presence in our lives, guiding us and protecting us as we seek to follow Christ.
The brown scapular has for many centuries summed up the Carmelite's relationship with Our Lady. The scapular is a piece of cloth based on the traditional Carmelite friar's garb. Wearing the scapular is a sign of consecration to Mary, the Mother of God, and is a symbol showing that the person is putting on the virtues of Mary and is being protected by her.
Mary symbolises for the Carmelite everything that we hope for - to enter into an intimate relationship with Christ, being totally open to God's will and having our lives transformed by the Word of God. Carmelites have always thought of Mary as the Patroness of the Order. We seek to live in spiritual intimacy with her so that we can learn from her how to live as God's children.
Elijah and Mary are inspirational figures for all Carmelites. They play a very important part in the life and spirituality of the Order which sees itself as belonging to Mary and looks to Elijah as our spiritual father.
The Carmelite Story
We do not know exactly when the forbears of the Order of Carmelites first came to Mount Carmel: it was around the year 1200 AD. They settled in a small valley on the western slope of the mountain, near a spring known since antiquity as the "spring of Elijah".
The Carmelites shared many of the spiritual aspirations of the hermits and pilgrims in the Holy Land at the time of the Crusades: the commitment to poverty and simplicity of lifestyle, their desire for spiritual freedom, their intimacy with the Scriptures and their longing to hear the Word of God in the quiet of solitude, the central place given to love, their wish to build a brotherhood in which they could learn to see Jesus in each other.
These values continue to inspire Carmelite life today.
The Carmelite travels the most demanding journey of all … the journey inwards into one’s own heart.
As Prophetic Contemplatives …
Carmelites find inspiration in the persons of Elijah, prophet of Mount Carmel, and Mary, the first disciple of the Lord.
Like them, Carmelites create an open space in themselves in order to recognise God, and so embark on the most demanding of all journeys, the journey into one’s own heart. As prophets they are called to share this experience of God with all people.
In Ministry …
Carmelites work in many and varied ways … Welcoming people to participate in their life and spirituality in…
parish life hospitality education & formation
spirituality ministry communications retreat work
Through Our Life Together…
Carmelites are called to share their commitment to Christ within a community.
They live a common life — sharing their time, their income, their wisdom, their talents, their prayer. The way of poverty, chastity and obedience offer great freedom to live life fully.
Download our pdf vocations brochure (1.24 MB) .
Finding out what God wants – Discerning My Personal Vocation
Discernment is experiencing with understanding and commitment
the presence and guidance of God in my whole life….
Ernest Larkin, O.Carm
For further information please contact:
Zumalai
Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish is in Zumalai, a sub-district in Covalima Municipality on the south-west coast of Timor-Leste. There is only one main church in Zumalai, so the parish serves all the 8 villages, approximately 15,000 people. Many villages also have small chapels where mass services and prayer groups are held, as well as local youth groups.
The main work undertaken by people in the area is subsistence farming, followed by small business enterprises and employment by State-based institutions such as the police, military, schools, or local government. Education levels in the community are generally low, with 35% of the population having either never been to school or not completed their education.
Around the Zumalai church there are several buildings and institutions connected to the Carmelite community there. The compound includes Our Lady of Mount Carmel Central Catholic School (a primary and junior high school), the Beato Tito Brandsma boarding house accommodation, two residential accommodation facilities for Carmelite friars and visitors, and a kindergarten currently run by Carmelite Sisters.
Zumalai is also a central part of the Carmelites’ community development work in Timor-Leste. The Carmel Impact charity supports several projects there, including: paying volunteer teacher subsidies; providing teaching resources and school building maintenance; running an annual youth festival; organizing safeguarding children training for local education and parish leaders; offering Community Scholarships for students at senior high school, vocational training courses and university; funding the boarding house; and providing emergency assistance when required, such as after Cyclone Seroja caused storm damage in April 2021.
Students at OLMC Catholic School in class. The school regularly receives new teaching resources, including stationary, art supplies, math and
science resources, musical instruments and sports equipment.
OLMC School is situated next to Zumalai Church
Brother Antonio (left) works with boarding house students to fix a gardening tool. The boarding house students are actively involved in
maintaining the grounds, including a beautiful garden and productive
vegetable patch.
Teachers at the Catholic primary school in Raimea village, Zumalai, install a new water pump as part of a Carmel Impact funded project,
ensuring the staff and students have access to clean water at school.
For further information about the Carmelites in Timor-Leste, please contact:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
75 Wright Street
Middle Park Vic 3205Telephone: (03) 9699 1922
Dili
Fatuhada - Blessed Titus Brandsma Community
Blessed and opened in July 2005, Blessed Titus Brandsma House serves as the main administration centre for the Carmelites. It is the only Carmelite house with a postal service. It is a 'transit house' for Carmelites and other visitors travelling between the parish of Zumalai and Dili.
Blessed Titus Brandsma Community is also the formation house for the Pre-Novices - young men beginning their formation as Carmelites. The two-year pre-Novitiate is an introduction to Carmelite life and formation and a time of deeper discernment. During their second year these students take part in an Inter-Congregational programme for young men and women who are beginning their formation in religious life. The daily programme for the Pre-Novitiate includes attendance at Eucharist, community and personal prayer, manual and pastoral work and sporting activities, studies in English, Portuguese, introduction to scripture and theology, and a programme for human development.
The Carmelite sisters “Hermanas Carmelitas” live nearby so the Carmelite priests celebrate daily Mass for them and also at the Mission Centre.
As well as providing accommodation for the Carmelite friars and pre-novices, there are also rooms for male high school students from Zumalai. There are few senior high schools in East Timor. By providing accommodation in Dili for these students, the Carmelites are making it possible for at least some students from Zumalai to complete their secondary or technical education. Most families cannot afford to pay for board and education expenses for their children. The Carmelites are helping these students by providing for their needs while they study. These students with the Pre-Novices also contribute to the daily up-keep of the house and the community.
Fr Carlito Da Costa Araújo looks after the Pre-Novices at Fatuhada.
Hera- Santo Elias Community
In April 2007 Santo Elias Novitiate in Hera was blessed and opened. Hera is a 20 minute drive east from Dili. Santo Elias was built with generous financial assistance from Australia, Rome, Ireland, Britain and USA. It was a two year project that was managed with patience and hard work with those close by. This beautiful building has 20 rooms for novices and 5 rooms for professed Carmelites. Among the rooms there is also a classroom, a small library and a chapel which is large enough to invite the local people to join the community for Mass on Sunday and other feast days. In the grounds a fruit and vegetable garden has been established as well as a soccer field. There are many flowering plants in the internal garden of the Novitiate building, most of which are tended lovingly by our young Carmelite students.
The novitiate is a special time of formation in the Carmelite spirit. During these two years the Novices learn more about the Carmelite Order and its charism and try to grow in a life of prayerful union with God. It is a journey of personal transformation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, supported by the Novice Director and the Carmelite community.
São Nuno House
The Carmelite students in Timor-Leste who are preparing for priesthood study at the Diocesan seminary at Fatumeta, Dili. These young Carmelites now study the Portuguese language and take their seminary classes in Portuguese and Tetum, the other national language.
São Nuno House was blessed and opened by Carmelite Prior General, Fr Fernando Millan, in May 2010. It provides accommodation for twelve young Carmelites and two rooms for formators. It is quite close to the Santo Elias building. The new building is named for the Carmelite, Saint Nuno, known as Portugal's "Father of the Nation" and declared a saint by Pope Benedict XVI on 26 April 2010.
Fr Bruce Clark is the Prior of the community and the Novice Director. Frs Roque and Fausto look after our students in various stages of formation and Fr Agostinho Exposto is the spiritual director.
For further information about the Carmelite Formation Programme in Timor-Leste, please contact:
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Director of Carmelite Formation
Carmelite Province Centre
75 Wright Street
Middle Park Vic 3206
Telephone: (03) 9699 1922
Fax: (03) 9699 1944
For further information about the Carmelites in Timor-Leste, please contact:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Carmelite Province Centre
75 Wright Street
Middle Park Vic 3206
Telephone: (03) 9699 1922
Fax: (03) 9699 1944
Timor-Leste Mission
The Carmelite Friars have been in Timor-Leste (East Timor) since January 1999. Two friars from the Indonesian Province, Frs Gheta and Mandius, lived first with the Carmelite Sisters at Maubara about 60 kilometers from Dili. During the final stages of the struggle for independence they witnessed the suffering and hardship of the people and the destruction of the country. In 2000 Bishop Belo asked the Carmelites to go to Zumalai.
In January 2001, the Indonesian Carmelites asked the Australian Carmelites to take responsibility for the Timor-Leste mission and the Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Zumalai. On 15 August 2001, the Australian Carmelites formally took responsibility for the Timor-Leste Mission.
20 years later, the Timor-Leste Mission is now firmly established with a formation program, a parish in Zumalai, and a community development program.
The Carmelite friars work closely with the Carmelite Sisters in providing pastoral care, health and education services and in community building.
Two Carmelite Centres - Dili & Zumalai
Dili
There are two main Carmelite centres in Timor-Leste. In Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste,
Titus Brandsma House in Fatuhada, a suburb in central Dili, serves as the mission centre and a transit house for Camrelites travelling to and fron the parish of Zumalai. As well as providing accommodation for Carmelites, there are rooms for Carmelite seminarians and for several Community Scholariship recipients from Zumalai.
At Hera, just outside Dili, the Saint Elijah community is the main formation house for young Carmelites in Timor-Leste. Here the novices and professed students live, work and study. The professed students preparing for ministry study at the Diocesan Seminary and other technical centres in Dili. The community has a library and a chapel.
In all, there are over 40 young Timorese Carmelites in formation.
Click here for further information on the Carmelites in Dili
The Parish of Zumalai
The Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Zumalai, is situated on the south coast of Timor-Leste, near the regional centre of Suai in Covalima Municipality. The parish comprises 8 villages, each of which have their own locally elected village chief and village council. The population is approximately 15,000 people and the median age in the community is 19.5 years old. The Carmelites visit each of the village centres to celebrate mass and the sacraments for the people. During the wet season it is only possible to visit some of the villages.
Connected to the Zumalai parish are three Catholic schools with over 500 students enrolled, and the Beato Tito Brandsma College boarding house which provides accommodation for 24 students each year from remote areas in Zumalai and throughout Timor-Leste.
Click here for further information about the Carmelites in Zumalai
Carmelite community development projects – Carmel Impact
After nearly 2 decades of consistent project work in Timor-Leste, The Carmelites of Australia and Timor-Leste established Carmel Impact in 2019, a charity organization dedicated to transforming lives and helping to build communities in East Timor – one of the poorest countries in the world. This work for change is achieved together with the help of supporters around the globe.
With a focus on education and youth, the aim is to create lasting, positive change in Timor-Leste. Carmel Impact is proud to build on the Carmelites’ legacy in the region, drawing on experience and a wealth of local knowledge. This long-term commitment has built strong relationships with local Timorese communities. Carmel Impact’s community building programs are designed to provide the people of Timor-Leste with the same fundamental human rights all people deserve.
Carmel Impact implements projects that are largely focused on the local rural communities in Zumalai and Hera. There are currently four key program areas:
- Education = Freedom
- Youth Engagement
- Leadership for Change
- Critical Emergency Response
Transforming Lives, Building Communities, Together
Carmelite Mission Support Groups
The Carmelites have established a number of support groups in Australia who are providing friendship and material support to help the people of Timor-Leste.
If you are interested in setting up a group to help the people of Timor-Leste, please use the link below.
For further information about the Carmelites in Timor-Leste, please contact:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
75 Wright Street
Middle Park Vic 3205Telephone: (03) 9699 1922
Fax: (03) 9699 1944
