Community of Nazareth
« In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town in Galilee called Nazareth
to a virgin betrothed to a man of the house of David, named Joseph.
The virgin’s name was Mary. »
(Luke 1: 26-27)
The Carmel of Nazareth was founded on a word from the Lord to Saint Mariam of Jesus Crucified: “I want a Carmel in Nazareth”,
Mariam Baouardy, the first Palestinian saint, was canonized in 2015 by Pope Francis. In 1867, she began her Carmelite life at the Carmel of Pau, in France; it was from there that she left with the group of founders of a Carmel in Bethlehem in 1875. Shortly after her arrival, she declared to Mgr. Vincent Bracco, Patriarch of Jerusalem, that Our Lord wanted a Carmel in Nazareth for y honor the INCARNATION OF THE SON OF GOD BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY BY THE ACTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. In 1878, authorizations for the foundation arrived from Rome. In April 1878, Mariam visits the land purchased in
Nazareth for the future monastery. Shortly after her return to Bethlehem Mariam entered into life on August 26, 1878. On July 28, 1907 the first stone was laid, and on October 27, 1910, the eleven founding Carmelites arrived from Bethlehem with Sister Marie-Élisabeth of the Visitation as first prioress. . On November 14, 1910, the feast of all the Saints of Carmel, they began Carmelite life at the new monastery entitled “Carmel of the Holy Family”.
« And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us … »
(John 1: 14)
At the Carmel of Nazareth, we are called to relive the life of the Holy Family: a life of adoration, of obedience to the Father, of communion of love in humble daily work.
The community has been international from the start of the foundation. Throughout the years, sisters from all continents have lived there. Today we are 14 sisters from 13 different nations, which allows us to learn to love each other with our limits and our riches, and opens us to universality.
In an open and joyful atmosphere, we work like all our brothers for daily bread: hosts, stoles and altar linens for the service of the Holy Mass; rosaries, flowered cards, embroidered scapulars, and other objects of piety for both pilgrims and locals.
The language of the community is French. But on Sundays and holidays, the celebration is in Arabic, the local language, this facilitates the participation of Christians from the surrounding area, many of whom are of the Melkite rite and even other rites, adding an ecumenical grace to our community. And we offer places of prayer for people who are seeking their vocation, as well as for different groups, such as the Legion of Mary, young couples, children, young people, etc.
If our Carmel took the name “Carmel of the Holy Family”, it is so that the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, are at the center of our lives. And we pray for the unity of families, of the Church, of peoples, of communities by letting ourselves be shaped by the grace of the Incarnation and the life of the Holy Family lived in a fraternal climate.