The Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The Carmelite Charism is prayer. Carmelites are asked to be people of deep prayer and to always be in a state of prayer. We withdraw to our Monasteries to be quiet so we can hear the still small voice of the Lord within us and to allow the Holy Spirit to draw us within to where the Blessed Trinity dwells in communion with each other.
During his life on earth Jesus withdrew to lonely places to pray to his Father, to praise and glorify him and to ask for all the needs of his disciples. When the disciples asked him to teach them how to pray he gave them what we now call the Lords Prayer or Our Father.
So it is in imitation of Jesus and at his invitation that we withdraw to quiet places to pray. We praise and thank God for all his goodness as we intercede for all our brothers and sisters throughout the world.
God so loved the world that he sent his only Son. Jesus came so that we could approach God without fear but with reverence and love. The Scripture from St Paul to the Ephesians: Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.
Filled with the utter fullness of God – God wants to give himself utterly and totally to us. Prayer puts us in touch with that reality and with God.
A Calling and an Invitation
To be a Carmelite is not just a matter of personal inclination, it is something more mysterious. It is a personal calling from the Lord to follow Him, to live in His presence and to pray in His Name. A Carmelite vocation is above all a grace, a gift from God, to be received with thanksgiving and lived with wholehearted joy.
When all elements of the Discalced Carmelite vocation come together they form a simple unity. That unity comes from the centrality of Christ. It is He who invites us to share His friendship. Through His gift of His Spirit He enables us to follow Him and to be instruments of His grace and truth. With Him our life’s journey becomes a pilgrimage to the Father. In Him we discover ourselves and our destiny. In His love is our beginning and our end. If you seek the meaning of our life, look at the face of the Lord Jesus. We are privileged to know His joy and to celebrate His love and peace.
Life in Carmel is challenging and vital. It is for those who dare to strive for the best in a world satisfied with mediocrity. For those who dare to know and love God in a world unable to see beyond itself. For those who dare to care for others in a world content to look the other way.
Today, as never before, we are called upon to answer ever new challenges. We need men: young, spirited, creative, and strong in faith and love to work in a field neglected by the world. “The harvest is great but the laborers are scarce. Beg the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to gather His harvest” (Matt 9:37-38).
We welcome those who seek to dedicate their lives to this work of the Lord in a life of contemplative prayer united to apostolic zeal. If you feel the Lord might be calling you to share this vision and commitment you are invited to contact the vocation office. The vocation director and his staff are happy help in any way they can.
Superior: Revd. Seth Ben Archer
Should you be interested in finding out about joining the order, please click here.
The Charter of the Order is Here.
If you feel God is calling you to serve in his kingdom. You are drawn to a life of service through Faith, Hope and Charity. You want to explore the inner way of prayer, meditation and contemplation please get in touch below.