Our Spirituality
« He decided beforehand who were the ones
destined to be moulded to the pattern of his Son. »
(Rom 8: 29)
Carmelite-Theresian spirituality finds its roots in the experience of the first hermits who inhabited Mount Carmel. This experience was then expressed in the writings of the tradition of the Order, first of all in the Rule of Saint Albert. Then they were experienced by Saint Thérèse of Jesus and Saint John of the Cross who gave them a particular imprint.
Mary is the model of our life, the full realization of our ideal. Every Carmelite tends to welcome him into her home as a beloved disciple.
The Teresian Carmel
new expression of Carmel
By carrying out her work, Saint Thérèse intended to faithfully ensure the continuity of Carmel. She breathed new life into filial worship of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. She left as a legacy to her family the communion that she herself experienced with the figures of the Bible, the prophets and the holy fathers of Carmel. She gave new vigor to the observance of the “primitive” Rule and infused it with new apostolic intentions. She wanted everything to be characterized by a particular lifestyle. She presented asceticism and mortification as a function of a deeper theological life in the service of the Church. She proposed living religious observance and community life with a magnanimous and fraternal heart, as members of the family of God where everything contributes to joy. She emphasized the dignity of person, friendship between
sisters and communion between the various monasteries. (extracts from the Constitutions of Discalced Carmelites)
We highlight these five essential aspects of our spirituality.
