Fr Fernando Millán Romeral, Carmelite Prior General, has issued a letter and video message to the Carmelite Family for the approaching Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on 16 July.
Peter Thomas, of the JPIC Team, shares his thoughts on JUSTICE ... "Justice is at the cutting edge of the Christian calling, a requirement without which love becomes pure sentimentality."
Deep wells … Living water is the theme of the Provincial Assembly of Carmelites to be held in Melbourne form 18-22 June this year. Taken from the story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well (John 4:1-42), the image of the deep well is an image of the Carmelite contemplative journey. As Jacob dug the well in the story to find water, we also need to dig deep within so that we might meet the living water which is Jesus Christ. During our days together we will work on a common vision for our Province, launch our Safeguarding Policies and begin our preparation for the Provincial Chapter next year. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Recently our English language students, Brs Marco, Avelino and Agostinho, took part in a Cultural Day organised by the English Language School for Pastoral Ministry. Wearing traditional dress, each cultural group made a presentation about their country of origin and various cultural traditions and practices.
Marco, Avelino and Agostinho wore the traditional Timorese woven cloths called tais and the gold disks and crowns common in Timorese culture.
View more photos here.
Just 2 months ago we reached 100k followers on Facebook. Since then another 10,874 people have joined our Facebook Family! And over 21k people in Timor-Leste are now following us. Through our Facebook page people regularly ask us to pray for their needs. We also have over 500 followers on Instagram and 314 people downloaded the latest issue of Carmel Contact through our social media sites. Just over 900 people visited our website in May. See the full size image of our 110k post here.
Find us on Facebook @carmelitesAET and click on ‘follow’ so you can see all our posts in your news feed.
Contemplating our Care for Creation. This month Anglican Priest, Rev. Linda Chapman, shares with us her reflections on Laudato Si'. “The ecological crisis is a spiritual crisis of humanity as we are living in a way that degrades our environment.This reflection explores a possible way of recovering a sense of our human vocation as creatures gifted with life.”
United Nations World Environment Day is on Tuesday 5 June.
The Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians (24 May), not only celebrates Mary as patroness of Australia, but also as patroness of the Carmelites in Australia and Timor-Leste.
The first synod of Bishops in Australia in 1844 chose Mary as patron of the fledgling Church under the title of Our Lady, Help of Christians. It is an ancient title for Mary. St John Chrysostom was the first to use it in the year 345. Pope Pius VII instituted the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians in 1815 on the anniversary of his return to Rome after exile and captivity. He attributed his deliverance to Our Lady.
Wishing all our mothers a very happy Mothers' Day and remembering with love and gratitude those who are now with God.
God bless you all.
Three of our young Carmelites in Melbourne, Brs Agedo Bento, Martinho Da Cruz Lemos and Avelino Dos Santos, recently joined other members of the East Timorese community to raise funds for the Bairo Pite medical clinic in Dili. The clinic, founded in 1999, had been treating up to 300 patients a day before the funding crisis hit earlier this month. The crisis has caused the clinic to cancel its malnutrition. maternal care and inpatient services.
Agedo, Martinho and Avelino put on a program of Timorese music and songs as part of the fundraising effort. More photos.
Dozens of Bishops from across Australia gathered to celebrate Mass on 6 May, 2018 at St Patrick’s, Church Hill to mark the 200th anniversary of the preservation of the Blessed Sacrament in the home of Lay Carmelite, James Dempsey. \
Father Jeremiah O’Flynn arrived in Sydney as unofficial chaplain to the Catholic community at the end of 1817. When after six months no official papers for him had arrived, he was deported. Whether by accident or design, he left a consecrated host behind in a pyx in either the home of William Davis or James Dempsey (or possibly both), according to The Catholic Weekly.
