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CARMELITES
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BEGINNINGS ON MOUNT CARMEL
The Carmelite Order originated in the Holy Land in the late 12th century during the Crusades, when a group of men, including Europeans and indigenous Christians, settled at a site on Mount Carmel near the spring of Elijah called the Wadi-es-Siah near an oratory which had been built in honor of the Blessed Virgin. These early Carmelite hermits lived in caves and came to be known as the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. They drew their heritage from the rich legends and Scriptural accounts associated with the land on which they settled.
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| | Ruins of the ancient Carmelite monastery on Mount Carmel. |
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| The Prophet Elijah: Spiritual Founder
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THE PROPHET ELIJAH
According to the tradition of the Order, Elijah was the first monk, called by God to withdraw into the desert; and the first Carmelites were his successors, the ‘sons of the prophet’ who ‘retreated far from men, living in the wilderness and solitary places’ where they became “wrapt in divine conversation, to which they clung, keeping their hearts pure…”.
St. Albert of Jerusalem gave the Carmelites their first Rule of life, The Rule of St. Albert (c. 1206), and a decree of Pope John XXII in 1317 established the Carmelites as an autonomous Religious Order. The Pope instructed the Carmelites to “put far from them all worldly attractions and to give themselves totally to contemplation of divine matter”. When violent confict between the Christian and Saracens forced them to migrate to Europe, they adapted to a mendicant way of life; preserving their contemplative lifestyle in community while engaging in apostolic works.
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MARY, MOTHER AND SISTER
The first Carmelites on Mount Carmel understood their relationship to Mary in the medieval context of chivalry – she was the lady to be defended and honoured in return for her favor. She was the "Domina Loci", meaning ‘the Lady of the Place’, and the Carmelite was seen as her vassal with everything belonging to her; including houses, churches, and even the habit, as part of her fief and property. It was traditional to call Mary the Prioress of Carmelite Houses and she came to be known and loved as a sister in the Order.
The Brown Scapular, one of the great Sacramentals of the Church, was conferred upon the Order by Mary when she appeared to Saint Simon Stock at Aylesford, England, in the thirteenth century. The Scapular is a brown cloth worn over the shoulders which was commonly worn as an apron in the Middle Ages. Carmelites call this garment Mary’s ‘livery’ or ‘apron’; that is, the garment of a servant, because the sincere use of this sacramental obligates the wearer to place himself totally at God’s disposal to ‘defend and reflect’ the glory of God in imitation of Mary. In return, the Scapular wearer receives Mary's allegiance and protection.
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| | Mary is the Patroness of the Carmelite Order. |
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THE CARMELITE FAMILY
Today there are Carmelite monasteries, convents and priories throughout the world. Thousands of men and women serve as priests, brothers, nuns, religious sisters, and tertiaries. And the reason to be Carmelite is the same as it was when the Order was founded:
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” …to offer God a pure and holy heart, free from all stain of sin, and to taste somewhat in the heart and to experience in the mind the power of the divine presence and the sweetness of heavenly glory, not only after death but already in this mortal life.” (Ribot, c. 1385)
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To learn more about the Carmelite Order, visit the official website at www.ocarm.org.
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