Carmel in the World Vol. LI (2012) N. 3 CONTENTS

Transcription

1 Carmel in the World Vol. LI (2012) N. 3 CONTENTS The Editor Patrick Thomas McMahon, O.Carm., Drawing From the Past As We Face the Future. The Second Vatican Council: Our Lady in the Constitution on the Church Eamonn Carroll, O.Carm Carmelites at The Second Vatican Council ( ) Part 1 Emanuele Boaga, O.Carm Hastening His Coming: The Eschatological Dimension of Carmel Sr. Veronica of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, O.Carm Love for Godin Carmelite Spirituality Joyce Wade, TOC The Enduring Legacy of the Reform of Touraine in the Carmel in France Today Terrence Cyr, O.Carm Carmel Around the World

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3 The Editor Patrick Thomas McMahon, O.Carm., One article that should not be missed in this final issue of Carmel in the World for 2012 is Father Eamonn Carroll s article The Second Vatican Council: Our Lady in the New Constitution on the Church. Father Eamonn ( ) was a Carmelite and a distinguished theologian whose specialized field was Mariology the theology of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Father Eamonn taught for many years at the Catholic University of America and in his later years at Loyola University, Chicago. He was the ghost writer of the 1973 Pastoral Letter of the American bishops, Behold your Mother. In this article Father Eamonn gives the historical background of how the Second Vatican Council chose to approach the subject of the Blessed Virgin Mary a very delicate topic balancing the traditional deep Catholic piety for the Blessed Mother with an ecumenical sensitivity that characterized the mission of the Council. The solution for a balanced approach turns out to be the rich scriptural and patristic foundation on which our Catholic cult of the Virgin Mary is constructed but read Father Eamonn s article and see for yourself what the Council calls forth from us in our devotion to Mary who is, as Saint Thérèse says: more Mother than Queen. And on the subject of the Second Vatican Council, whose Golden Jubilee we are celebrating in 2012, Father Emanuele Boaga has contributed a fascinating article laying out the role that various Carmelite participants the Prior General (then Father Kilian Healy), Archbishops, Bishops, and theologians played. In this first part, Fr. Boaga summarize the main achievement of the Council. There is much debate today on 163

4 how to interpret the Council and what the intention of the Council Fathers was in the various Documents. Father Emanuele s article helps clarify our understanding of several key points of Vatican II. We often do not think of the eschaton, the final things heaven, hell, and purgatory and more particularly the full realization of the Kingdom of God,but Sister Veronica, a Carmelite nun from the Wahpeton Carmel (South Dakota) has written a profound meditation on how we can look forward to that time in which all will be fulfilled in Christ. It is an important focus for us to keep in the midst of our busy every-day worlds where we can lose the big and True picture which is that fulfilment that God has in store for those who love him. And to compliment Sister s look to God s Future, Frère Terence Cyr, O.Carm.,of the French Delegation has a brief introduction to the Reform of Touraine the seventeenth century revitalization of Carmel s life and spirituality of which we are the often unconscious heirs today. I hope we can get more about the Reform of Touraine for future issues of Carmel in the World as there are great treasures of spiritual insight to be gained here. Finally, Lay Carmelite Joyce Wade has written an article calling us to keep in mind the call we have to love God and how that call interplays with the second great commandment that we should love our neighbour. Love is our vocation in Carmel to be, as Saint Thérèse said, love in the heart of the Church. So all in all I think we have another wonderful edition of Carmel in the World for your spiritual pleasure. 164

5 Drawing From the Past As We Face the Future The Second Vatican Council: Our Lady in the Constitution on the Church Eamonn Carroll, O.Carm. The question of Mary at the Second Vatican Council has received an extraordinary amount of attention from the world press. Religious journals of our separated brethren as well as Catholic publications have followed closely conciliar debates on the matter of Mary, and the great secular news media also capitalized on the news potential of the highly sensitive theme of Marian doctrine and Marian devotion. With the publication on November 21, 1964, of Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Vatican II promulgated also its position on the meaning of Mary for this age of renewal, in the significantly titled eighth and final chapter, The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church. The Marian chapter consists of 17 dense paragraphs, numbers 52 through 69, totalling approximately 3,500 words in the original Latin. The first advice the present article has to give is: read the chapter over and over in as good a translation as you can obtain, study it in intimate association with the entire document on the Church. There is no substitute for such first-hand investigation; this essay attempts only to offer some guide-lines towards a better reading of Chapter Eight. Our guide-lines are 165

6 166 La Bruna, Naples, Italy

7 two-fold: a) circumstances, namely the conciliar background to Chapter Eight; b) contents, division of material and samples from the chapter. Circumstances: The Conciliar Background Among the materials the conciliar Fathers received at the first session, in Fall of 1962, was a short schema, Mary, Mother of God and Mother of men. Some wished to vote on this separate Marian schema in time for the end of the session on December 8. The majority, however, preferred to postpone action, and many showed dissatisfaction both with the Marian document as it stood (much dependent on recent papal documents) and with the retention of a separate schema at all. In the interim between the first and second sessions the schema was not revised because it was realized that the bishops had many suggestions still to make. Only the title was changed, to Mary, Mother of the Church, a switch that proved far from popular when the second session convened September 29, At once, differences of opinion crystallized and as a way out of an apparent stalemate it was decided to have a special vote. Spokesmen were appointed to represent the two positions either retain the separate Marian schema, or incorporate it into the document on the Church. Cardinal Santos took the floor on behalf of those who wanted the separate treatment of Our Lady; Cardinal Koenig presented the viewpoint favouring integration into the schema on the Church. On October 29, 1963, the balloting was held, and by the narrowest of margins, 1140 to 1070, the Council chose to incorporate the Marian part into the Church-schema. Technically, the vote concerned procedure alone where was the better place to consider the meaning of Mary? In fact, the procedural question was symptomatic of great differences of approach within the Council, between 167

8 those favouring radical rethinking and re-statement, in terms of the Church, of every conciliar matter, Mary included, and those who preferred development about Our Lady along the more familiar lines traced out in recent pontificates. The extreme closeness of the vote, a mere difference of seventy votes, is due at least in part to the sensitivity of the topic. Some seem to have voted against integration out of fear that otherwise they would be held to be belittling Our Lady. Both sides indulged in the intense propagandizing to convince the uncommitted. Both members and experts of the Council gave press interviews stating their positions. Abbot Butler of England said in an interview at this time: Since Mary illustrates in her person the meaning of the Church as the supreme example of faithful discipleship, the Mariological draft logically should be part of the ecclesiological one. We feel strongly that we should go back to the biblical foundation and other sources we have in common with the separated brethren, especially the Eastern Church Fathers whence Catholic devotion to Our Lady originated. He continued... all Christians could mediate together on what the Bible tells us about the Mother of God, which would help the cause of unity. 168 Pope Paul VI ( )

9 The press spread reports under such sensational headlines as (I give actual examples from the Washington, D.C., papers of that time): Vatican Council Takes First Step Towards Reducing Mary s Role and Vatican Council Votes De-Emphasis of Mary. Through the month of November, 1963, in spite of efforts on the part of various committees, the Council made little progress towards a solution of the differences dramatized by the close vote. On December 4, the closing day, Pope Paul told the bishops that Our Lady was among the pressing items of unfinished business still before them. He hoped they would find a solution in keeping with the nature of the Council, for the unanimous and loving acknowledgement of the place, privileged above all, which the Mother of God occupies in the holy Church... (for) after Christ, her place in the Church is most exalted, and also the one closest to us, so that we can honour her with the title, Mother of the Church, to her glory and to our benefit. (I have put into italics the words which were later incorporated into No. 54 of Chapter Eight). The Church itself gave an advance sign of its outlook on our Lady at the end of the third session in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum concilium. The chapter on the Church year states that we not only recall saving history through the annual liturgical commemoration of the great events of Christ s life, but are made one with Christ here and now in these salvific mysteries. In this context we read: In celebrating the annual cycle of Christ s mysteries, holy Church honours with special love the Blessed Mary, Mother of God, who is joined by an inseparable bond to the saving work of her Son. In her the Church holds up and admires the most excellent fruit of redemption, and joyfully contemplates, as in a faultless image, that which she herself desires and hopes wholly to be (No. 103). 169

10 Between the second and third session, the part on Our Lady was rewritten as the eighth and final chapter of the Constitution on the Church. Five revisions were made and the last two of these were mailed out to all members of the Council during the summer of The title of the chapter shows the changed emphasis: The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church. The third session opened on September 14, 1964; debate on Chapter Eight began at once, with fourteen members speaking in two days, and still others submitting written opinions. Some thought the chapter did not sufficiently relate Our Lady to the Church. Cardinal Bea, among others, wanted the word mediatrix dropped altogether. Others felt too little was said about Mary. In the name of the Polish hierarchy, Cardinal Wyssynski asked that the Council call Mary, Mother of the Church (as both Cardinal Suenens and Cardinal Montini had asked even in the first session). Cardinal Suenens thought not enough was said about the spiritual motherhood of Mary and the modern Church. Finally, as it seemed that the debate was going to extend endlessly, Cardinal Frings, in the name of the seventy members, called for a halt, pointing out that Chapter Eight is a deliberate compromise between various views, and that all must be prepared to sacrifice personal preferences for the overall good. Moreover, he said the chapter is faithful to Catholic doctrine on Our Lady and does not offend ecumenism. Further suggestions were collected privately; the commission made changes, among them such important ones as inserting the reference to Mary as daughter of Sion, and adding the phrase pilgrimage of faith, to describe Mary s life on earth. In a vote on October 29, the chapter passed with 1559 in favour, 521 in favour but with modifications, and only 10 against. Due note was taken of the modifications and finally on 170

11 November 19, Chapter Eight was voted in by a landslide vote, 2096 to 23, and promulgated as part of the Constitution, Lumen Gentium,on November 21. Pope Paul in his address at the close of session three praised the chapter on Mary as the crown and completion of the document on the Church, just as Our Lady is the greatest part, the finest part, the principle part, the choicest part of the Church. Contents In the following pages, references to numbers are all to the numbered sections of Chapter Eight; comments in brackets are by the author. In setting forth the teaching on the Church (the context is the Dogmatic Constitution On the Church) in which the divine Redeemer brings about salvation, the Council diligently intends to clarify both the role of the blessed Virgin in the mystery of the Incarnate Word (Christological emphasis) and the mystery of the Mystical Body (ecclesial empha- 171

12 sis), and also the duties of redeemed human beings (the cult of Mary, devotion to Mary, as response to doctrine) towards the Mother of God, who is the Mother of Christ and the Mother of men, especially of the faithful (No. 54). There are five main sections: The Introduction, Numbers 52-54; Role of the Blessed Virgin in the Economy of Salvation, Numbers 55-59, Mary s association with Christ, especially in his earthly life, but extending also to the Risen Saviour; The Blessed Virgin and the Church, Numbers 60-65; The Cult of the Blessed Virgin in the Church, Numbers 66-67; Mary, the Sign of Sure Hope and Comfort for the Wayfaring People of God, Numbers 68-69, including the significance for the Church and Christian of the Assumption. While professing not to offer a complete doctrine on Mary, the Council offers a remarkably rich picture of Mariology. The great defined truths are all here divine motherhood, virginity, Immaculate Conception, Assumption. Many other truths about her that we regard as Catholic doctrine are also brought out her Queenship, freedom from personal sin, and, most of all, Mary s present place in the communion of the saints, that is, her role as spiritual Mother of the brothers and sisters of Christ here and now. Following the usual policy of ecumenical Councils, Vatican II refrains from entering into questions that are currently matters of free dispute among theologians e.g., the extent of Mary s knowledge of Christ s divinity at the Annunciation, the 172

13 more exact interpretation of biblical texts concerning her, such as John 19:26, and the manner of her heavenly intercession. In the opening paragraph (No. 52) the Church relates Mary to the divine mystery of salvation, inaugurated in Christ, continued in his Body, the Church, by citing the most ancient and strongest reference to Our Lady that is still used in the Western liturgy, from the first commemoration prayer (Communicantes) of the canon of the Mass adhering to Christ the head and being joined in fellowship with all his saints, the faithful must also venerate the memory first of all of the glorious and evervirgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ (No. 52). Mary s association in the mystery of Christ is developed first in her motherhood of the Word made flesh, then in the spiritual motherhood of the members of the Body of Christ which is his Church. Along with the Pauline image of the Church as Body of Christ, conveying the organic unity of Head and members, the Council emphasized strongly the image of the Church as the People of God. The Church is the family for God in which all people are called to be children of God, brothers and sisters of Christ, the first-born Son, children too of Mary, Mother of the Church. Section II, The Role of the Blessed Virgin in the Economy of Salvation, contains a beautiful section on the Bible and Mary. Even the Old Testament can be regarded as foreshadowing Mary s role in the economy of salvation, as the scriptures slowly prepared for the coming of Christ. The necessary conditions for thus understanding the Old Testament are that they be read in the Church and understood in the light of the further, full revelation of the New Testament (No. 55). The traditional criterion of being read in the Church describes also 173

14 the Church s appreciation of New Testament theology about Mary s role in the plan of salvation. So the Council appeals to the Church s own unfailing experience of the subordinate role that the Church commends to the faithful, so that they, supported by this maternal help, may adhere more closely to the Mediator and Saviour (No. 62). The unfailing experience is guaranteed by God, for taught by the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church shows filial devotion to her as a most loving Mother (No. 53). Mary is the new Eve according to ancient Christian authors St. Irenaeus is quoted, as are St. Epiphanius and St. Jerome. The union of Mary with her Son is traced from the conception of Christ to the Redeemer s death. Special stress is put on Our Lady s pilgrimage of faith the scriptural picture of Mary that Catholics have tended to overlook, but which Protestant biblical scholars rightly insist on. Faith in the biblical sense is not simply intellectual assent; it is total commitment to God s will. In Chapter Eight, faith is sometimes joined to obedience (No. 56, 61), sometimes to the other theological virtues of hope and charity (No. 61). The Virgin Mary received the Word of God into her heart and her body at the angel s announcement (No. 53). She wholeheartedly embraced God s salvific will, devoted herself completely as the Lord s handmaid to the person and work of her Son, and through the grace of almighty God, served the mystery of redemption under him and with him. Therefore the Fathers of the Church rightly regard Mary not merely as one passively used by God, but as one who freely co-operated in man s salvation by her faith and obedience (No. 56). Elizabeth praised Mary for her faith in the promise of salvation. When she did not understand, she still pondered in her heart in the simplicity of faith, as at Simeon s words (Luke 174

15 Stained-Glass Window in Terenure College, Dublin 2:34-35), as at the mystery of the finding of her 12-year old Son (Luke 2:41-51; No. 57). The liturgy has never shied away from the difficult sayings of the public life of Christ, but rather used them in Mary s praise. The Council does the same with the incidents of Mark 3:35 and Luke 11:27-28: In the course of his preaching, she made her own the words in which her Son raised the kingdom beyond the considerations and bonds of flesh and blood by proclaiming blessed those who heard the word of God and kept it, just as she herself was doing so faithfully (cf. Luke 2:19-51). In this way, the Blessed Virgin progressed on her pilgrimage of faith and faithfully maintained her union with her Son even to the cross (No. 58). The culmination for the Mother of the Saviour was the glory of her Assumption exalted by the Lord as Queen of the universe, 175

16 so that she might be more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of Lords and the victor over sin and death (No. 59). Section III, on the Blessed Virgin and the Church, introduces the question of Mary s relationship to Christ our mediator (1Tim. 2:4). With a fine ecumenical sense the Council shows how the correct understanding of Our Lady s role fosters our union with Christ. The Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix. But this is understood in such a way that it neither takes away from, nor adds to the dignity and efficacy of Christ, the one Mediator (No. 62). Chapter Eight, especially Numbers 60 and following, describes Mary s involvement in the work of man s salvation in terms of her spiritual motherhood, choosing this way of speaking in place of the language of mediation. Such terms and concepts as co-redemption and co-redemptrix, not uncommon in recent Marian theology, are passed over in silence, and even mediatrix appears once only in carefully controlled fashion. But the spiritual motherhood occurs in practically every paragraph of the chapter, so much so that as Abbot Butler commented after papal proclamation of Mother of the Church on November 21, 1964: the Pope simply put in explicit words what the Council just stopped short of saying. Mary s motherhood in the economy of grace goes on unceasingly, from the consent which she gave in faith at the Annunciation and unwaveringly maintained beneath the cross even to the eternal fulfilment of all the elect. When she was assumed to heaven, she did not lay aside this salvific role; rather, by her constant intercession she continues to obtain for us the gifts of eternal salvation. In her maternal love she looks after her Son s brethren who are still wayfarers (No. 62). Over and 176

17 over again, with marvellous variety, the paragraphs of Chapter Eight repeat the motif of Number 103 of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy: Mary is inseparably joined to the saving work of her Son. We must not separate the Redeemer s saving work on earth, culminating in His passion and death, from the heavenly intercession of the Risen Victor Christ. In similar, though subordinate, fashion, according to Catholic understanding of Mary s place in the communion of the saints, we honour the handmaid of the Lord who walked in faith and obedience on earth as our Blessed Mother in heaven, actively and lovingly involved in our being made ever more one with Christ. The role of Mary as model of the Church is outlined in Section III. Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, called our Lady the spotless image of the Church. Now we find this theme illustrated with many citations from the ancient Christian authors. The Church contemplating her hidden sanctity and imitating her charity, and faithfully fulfilling the Father s will itself becomes a mother through the faithful reception of God s word. Through preaching and by baptism it begets children to new and immortal life children conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of God. And the Church too is a Virgin who keeps faith pledged to her Spouse in all its purity and fullness. By the power of the Holy Spirit he imitates the mother of her Lord, and, like a virgin, maintains undiminished faith, steadfast hope and sincere charity (No. 64). In seeking the glory of Christ, the Church becomes ever more like Mary the Mother of the Lord, and constantly progresses in faith, hope and charity, seeking and doing the will of God in all things. The motherly love of the Virgin Mary inspires the 177

18 faithful to co-operate in the apostolic mission of the Church for the rebirth of men (No. 65). Mary s role in the apostolate was a last-minute addition to the chapter, at the urging of Cardinal Suenens: In its apostolic work too, the Church rightly looks to her who bore Christ conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin so that through the Church He may be born and may grow in the hearts of the faithful as well (No. 65). Section IV is on the cult of Mary in the Church. In two long paragraphs, Numbers 66-67, the Council explains Catholic devotion to Mary, showing its antiquity and legitimate variety, and urging a just balance between the excesses of exaggeration and niggardliness. Let the liturgical cult of the Blessed Virgin be especially fostered, but let the faithful be generous also using other practices of Marian piety approved by the Church. True devotion does not consist in sterile and superficial sentiment, nor in empty credulity on the contrary, it proceeds from true faith which leads us to recognize the excellence of God s Mother (No. 67). Under the Church s teaching authority, theologians and preachers are to be guided by the study of the Bible, the ancient Christian authors, the doctors of the Church, and the liturgies. In talking about the Blessed Virgin, let them show how her privileges and functions look always to Christ, the source of all truth and sanctity (No. 67). The last section, Section V, proposes the Assumption of Mary as a sure sign of hope and solace to the pilgrim people of God. Right now the Mother of Jesus, already glorified body and soul in heaven, is the image and the beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected in the world to come; and here on earth, until the day of the Lord arrives (cf. 2Peter, 3:10), she shines out as a sign of sure hope and comfort for the wayfaring people of God (No. 68). 178

19 Conclusion It was interesting to see the reaction to the Council s handling of the role of Mary when the first commentaries on Lumen Gentium by the separated brethren as well as by Catholic authors began to appear. Although heartened by the deliberate avoidance of co-redemptrix, and the relatively minor reference to mediatrix, non-catholic authors are in understandable disagreement with many facets of Chapter Eight. They approve the appeal to Scripture and the ancient Christian authors, but cannot agree with Roman insistence on unfailing experience as a criterion for interpreting the word of God. (See the essays by Oscar Cullmann and Warren A. Quanbeck in the book: Dialogue on the Way, edited by G. Lindbeck, Augsburg Publishing House, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1965). Even for Max Thurian (Mary, Mother of the Lord, Figure of the Church, Faith Press, London, 1964; the American printing is mistitled, Mary, Mother of ALL Christians, Herder and Herder, New York, 1964). Mary, model of the Church, is mother in the Church, but not mother of the Church, nor spiritual mother of men. Still a stone of stumbling to other Christians of the West, is our Catholic insistence on Mary s present role in the plan of salvation, so insistently stated in Chapter Eight that the Blessed Virgin is inseparably joined to the saving work of her Son, not simply once in Palestine. Characteristic of the ecumenical hopes of the entire Lumen Gentium (as its name shows, Christ is the Light of Nations) is the final thought of Chapter Eight, a sentence which returns again to the formulary of the principal act of Catholic worship, to the communicantes of the Mass: By her prayers the Virgin Mother of God contributed to the first successes of the Church, and now she is exalted over all the saints and angels in heaven. 179

20 So let all faithful Christians offer urgent prayers to the Mother of God and Mother of men in order that she may intercede with her Son in the communion of all the Saints, until the whole family of nations whether they bear the honoured name of Christian or still do not know their Saviour may be joyfully assembled into a single people of God, in peace and harmony, to the glory of the most holy and undivided Trinity (No. 69). 180

21 Carmelites at The Second Vatican Council ( ) - Part 1 Emanuele Boaga, O.Carm. The Second Vatican Council was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church. From the outset, it was conceived by its initiator, Pope John XXIII, not as a continuation of Vatican I, but rather as an entirely new Council. It lasted from October 11, 1962 (the date of the opening session), until December 8, 1965 (the date of the closing session). It took place under two pontiffs: Blessed John XXIII, who oversaw its preparation and first session in 1963 and, following his death on June 3, 1963, Paul VI, who, as a new Moses leading the Church in its journey towards a new age, guided the celebration to its completion, overseeing the enactment of all documents approved in the course of the Council. 1 Preparations for the Council The initial idea for the Council was unexpectedly announced by Pope John XXIII on January 25, 1959, in the course of a celebration in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Immediately after the announcement, preparations for the great event were set in motion, lasting three and a half years. The work can be divided into two stages. The first, pre-preparatory stage began on May 17, 1959, with the formation of a Commission charged with consulting the cardinals, archbishops and bishops, Roman congregations, superiors general of the major religious families, Catholic and ecclesiastical universities and other entities on potential issues to be addressed in the Council. 181

22 After collecting and cataloguing the responses, corresponding to 77% of the individuals and entities consulted, the Commission drafted propositions summarizing the proposals made. The pre-preparatory stage was declared complete on May 1, 1960, with the publication of the material collected and summarized by the Commission in 16 tomes and 4 volumes, comprising a total of 10,000 pages. 182

23 The preparatory phase began shortly afterwards, on June 5, 1960, with the formation of a Central Commission with four Sub-Commissions, ten Specialised Commissions and four Secretariats. On the basis of the material gathered by the prepreparatory Commission, the Specialised Commissions formulated 75 schemata (draft decrees), which were reduced to 22 by the Central Commission. With the preparatory work thus concluded, the great Council could finally begin. On February 2, 1962, John XXIII set the opening date with the Motu Proprio Concilium, and on August 6 of the same year he established the regulations which were to govern the Council s activities. These regulations provided for three kinds of assembly: the Commissions (comprising bishops and expert theologians) devoted to preparing and presenting texts to be examined in the General Congregations (or assemblies of bishops), in which all participants eligible to vote had the right to speak. The Public Congregations, presided over by the Pope, definitively approved the texts. Of the 2,800 fathers invited (bishops, certain abbots, and superiors-general of the religious orders of men), around 2,400 attended the Council, representing all continents and races. However, many bishops from communist countries were unable to take part. The Council Fathers availed themselves of the assistance of 200 theologians (periti). A striking innovation in regard to previous Councils was the invitation of observers from other Christian confessions: Orthodox, Anglican, Old Catholic, and Protestant. By the end of the Council, their number had increased from the initial 31 to 93. There were also 36 lay auditors, of which 7 were women. The main work was carried out in the individual Commissions, although countless proposals and requests were dis- 183

24 cussed in the 168 General Congregations. The Council was particularly severe with some schemata, rejecting them and demanding that they be rewritten, while others had to undergo extensive reformulation. As a result, two main strands emerged in the Council s activities: on the one hand, a concern with bringing the Church closer to the world, with ecumenical dialogue and a return to the biblical source; and on the other those who were more inclined towards the stability of the Church and safeguarding the Deposit of Faith. Throughout the entire Council, negotiation between these two camps was necessary, on some occasions undoubtedly resulting in improved formulation of the texts, but on others leading to a loss of vigour. What is unquestionable is that the Council expressed itself as an assembly of free men, and not as a chamber for endorsement of prefabricated texts. The celebration of the Council The Council was held in four periods. Below is a brief overview of these periods in order to enable the Carmelite involvement in their unfolding to be more easily situated. First period: October 11 December 8, 1962: General Congregations In his opening speech, John XXIII announced the main scope of the ecclesial assembly as a general modernisation, a comprehensive and timely renewal of the Church in doctrine and life, refraining from making condemnations. In the course of the Council s work, and contrary to what was prescribed by the plans of the Curia, the members of each Conciliar Commission were elected by the Council itself on the basis of lists put forward by individual groups of bishops. The Secretariat for promoting Christian Unity, appropriately reinforced, fulfilled duties analogous to those of the Conciliar Commissions. The assembly examined the schemata on reve- 184

25 lation, liturgy, media of social communication and ecumenism, and began examination of the schema on the Church. Following the death of John XXIII (June 3, 1963), his successor Paul VI announced the continuation of the Council. Second period: September 29 December 4, 1963: General Congregations At the reopening of the Council, Paul VI highlighted the pastoral nature of the assembly and the importance of discussion on the essence of the Church, in particular of episcopal ministry. The number of cardinals of the Presidential Council was increased, and for the first time 11 laypersons were admitted as auditors (auditores), followed later by a number of priests and women. Another innovation was the creation of a press office for the Council. The Conciliar Assembly concluded the examination of the schemata on liturgy and media of social communication, and began examination of the schema on the pastoral office of bishops. In the Closing Session of the second period, held on December 4, 1963 (the third Carmelite Representatives at the Vatican Council II 185

26 public session to be presided over by the Pope), the following Conciliar documents were voted and promulgated: Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy) and Inter Mirifica (Decree on the Media of Social Communication). Third period: September 14 November 21, 1964: General Congregations The Conciliar Assembly concluded the examination of the schemata on the Church (with lively debates on the Nota explicativa praevia included by decision of the Pope in the text of the Constitution), on the Eastern Catholic Churches and ecumenism, and examined the schemata on the pastoral office of bishops, religious freedom, non-christian religions, revelation, the apostates of the laity, priests, Christian education, matrimony, the Church and the modern world, the religious, and seminaries. Conflicting opinions were expressed in particular on topics such as religious freedom and the relationship between the Church and Judaism. In the Closing Session of the third period (November 21, 1964) the following documents were voted and promulgated: Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church),Orientalium Ecclesiarum (Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches), and Unitatis redintegratio (Decree on Ecumenism). In this session, Paul VI proclaimed Mary Mater Ecclesiae. Fourth period: September 14 December 8, 1965: General Congregations The Conciliar Assembly concluded the examination of the schemata on the pastoral office of bishops, ministry and priestly life, apostolate of the laity, Christian education, the missions, the religious, divine revelation, religious freedom, non- Christian religions, and the Church in the modern world. In the public session of October 28, 1965 (the seventh public session) the following Decrees were voted and promulgated: Christus Dominus (On the Pastoral Office of Bishops),Perfectae caritatis (On the Renewal of Religious Life),and Optatam totius (On Priestly Formation). 186

27 Also voted on the same day and approved were the Declarations on Christian Education (Gravissimum educationis) and on non-christian Religions (Nostra aetate). In the public session of November 19, 1965 (the eighth public session) the following documents were voted and promulgated: Dei Verbum, (the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation) and Apostolicam actuositatem (the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity). In the public session of December 7, 1965 (the ninth in the series), Dignitatis humanae (Declaration on Religious Freedom) was approved along with the Decrees on the Missionary Activity of the Church (Ad gentes divinitus) and on Priestly Life and Ministry (Presbyterorum ordinis). In this same session The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Contemporary World (Gaudium et spes) was voted and promulgated. Finally, the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council concluded with its tenth public session, on December 8, To mark the occasion, the Council Fathers issued messages addressing rulers, artists, men of thought and science, women, workers, the poor, the sick and the suffering, and youth. The modernisation and renewal desired by John XXIII and pursued by Paul VI during the Council were, without question, arduous and difficult tasks. The decisions reached by the Council encountered numerous difficulties, sparking theological discussions on the interpretation of certain Conciliar texts, while problems of an organizational nature, among others, also arose, as the post-council was quick to show. Emerging principles and open stance of the Council Despite its profoundly doctrinal nature, the Council intentionally refrained from issuing definitions or condemnations, as had happened in the past, but instead sought to speak to the men and women of our time from a deliberately pastoral perspective. 187

28 The main emerging principles in this ecclesial vision express the markedly open stance which informed the Conciliar debates. In particular, this stance can be described as follows. A Church which returns to its origins and reflects upon its own nature. This principle emerges in particular in the three Constitutions on Revelation (Dei Verbum), on the Church (Lumen Gentium) and on the Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium). The source of faith is the unity of Revelation, without artificial distinctions between Scripture and Oral Tradition. The Revelation is not fixed in a text, but preserved within believers, who constantly discover in it new riches. The return to the Word of God becomes a vivifying force throughout believers entire lifetime, and helps to restore value to traditional aspects within the Catholic Church which have been somewhat neglected as a result of anti-protestant or anti-orthodox polemic: the universal priesthood of the faithful, the Church as People of God rather than a juridical organisation, the episcopal collegial- 188

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30 ity, which expresses how the bishops, around the Bishop of Rome, bear collective responsibility for the Christian people. Wide-ranging prospects are thus opened up by reflection on the mystery of the Church, presenting it as the people of God, called to holiness, in which bishops, priests, lay people and religious all have their place. Mary is presented in her bond with the mystery of the Church. And the greatest understanding of the awareness which the faithful have of their inclusion in the Paschal mystery stems from their participation, not just in the mystery of the Eucharist but also in sacramental life and worship of the Mystical Body of Christ. A Church open to other Christians and other religions. This aspect is the subject of three Decrees and one Declaration. First and foremost, the Declaration on Religious Freedom (Dignitatis humanae) gives prominence to human beings and their inalienable rights, including the right of free access to the truth acknowledged by their conscience. Without question, truth as a universal value cannot be claimed only by Catholics when they are a persecuted minority, but is equally valid for non- Catholic minorities in contexts plagued by such a lack of freedom. On the other hand, the Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio) calls for the recognition, by Catholics and the other Christian confessions, of their own failings and historical responsibility in the schisms which took place, and to seek out above all what unites them: Christ and the Gospel. The Declaration on the Eastern Catholic Churches highlights the legitimate diversity of local Churches in the unity of the Universal Church, and proclaims the right and the duty of the Eastern Churches to preserve and actively develop their own ecclesial and spiritual heritage. Relations between Eastern Catholics and Orthodox must be characterised by mutual comprehension, aiming towards reception of the sacraments by the Orthodox in 190

31 Catholic churches and vice versa. Finally, in one of the Council s latter texts, the Declaration on non-christian Religions (Nostra Aetate) strives to find that part of the awareness of God which is present in all religions, from the primitive to the predecessors of monotheism, Judaism and Islam. The document decries hate, persecutions and any other manifestation of anti- Semitism directed towards Jews of any time, by anyone. A Church in dialogue with the contemporary world. In the longest text of Vatican II, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et spes), the Church commits to an open and profound dialogue with the modern world, in transition to a new era. Undoubtedly, the Church must take into account the changes suffered by the world, often at the root of many of the conflicts and errors of the past, and in particular atheism must be examined with objectivity and awareness of its causes. Specific considerations address the current problems of matrimony and family, relations between cultures, world economic systems, the organisation of civil society and the establishment of justice and peace. It is in this context, of relations between the Church and the world, that the Decree on the Media of Social Communication and the Declaration on Religious Education are situated. A Church able to renew itself in light of the signs of the times. Developing doctrinal aspects and providing guidance for the practical application, a series of Decrees (Christus Dominus, Presbyterorum ordinis, Optatam totius, Perfectae caritatis, Apostolicam actuositatem) addresses bishops, priests, religious and lay people, helping them to responsibly pursue their specific functions in the renewal and edification of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, and fully experience baptismal consecration to the last consequence. High- 191

32 lighting the essentially missionary nature of the Church and every Christian, the Decree Ad gentes outlines the reorganisation of the various ecclesial presences and activities and the cooperation of all local Churches in the evangelisation of the world. It can be unequivocally stated that the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council was one of the most significant achievements of the Church in modern times. It is an event with wide-ranging consequences, some of them less fortunate due to the misunderstanding of the texts and thinking of the Council Fathers, and to manipulations and ideological positions which characterised above all the years from 1968 to the end of the 80s. (To be continued) 1 There is a vast bibliography on the subject of Vatican II. Below are shown only the sources and studies used in the text. SOURCES: Acta et documenta Concilio Oecumenico Vaticano II, Typis Poliglottis Vaticanis, Series I (Antepraeparatoria), 4 volumes in 16 tomes, ; Series II (Praeparatoria), 3 volumes in 7 tomes, ; Schemata Constitutionum et Decretorum, Series I-IV, ; Acta Synodalia Sacrosancti Concilii Oecumenici Vaticani II, Vatican City, 27 volumes, ; I Padri presenti al Concilio Ecumenico Vaticano II, edited by the Secretariat General of the Council, Vatican City, ACCOUNTS OF THE COUNCIL: Il Concilio Vaticano II: Cronache del Concilio Vaticano II edite da La Civiltà Cattolica, edited by G. Caprile SJ, Rome , 5 volumes (Volume I divided into 2 tomes); H. Fresquet, Diario del Concilio. Tutto il Concilio giorno per giorno, edited by G. Masina, Milan STUDIES: G. Palazzini, Vatican II, in Dicionario dei Concili Ecumenici, coordinated by P. Palazzini, Volume VI, Rome 1967, ; H. Jedin, Breve storia dei Concili, VI ed. revised, Brescia 1983, ; A. Wenger, Historia del Concilio Vaticano II, Barcelona 1967; Storia del Concilio Vaticano II, edited by G. Alberigo, 4 volumes, Bologna ; J. Ratzinger, Problemi e risultati del Concilio Vaticano II, Brescia 1969; R. Laurentin, Bilancio del Concilio, Milan 1968; Vaticano II: Bilancio e prospettive venticinque anni dopo ( ), Assisi

33 Hastening His Coming: The Eschatological Dimension of Carmel Sr. Veronica of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, O.Carm. One evening recently, I came across a photograph of a statue of Our Lady of Knock. As soon as my eyes fell upon her, the interior peace that had seemed so elusive over the past weeks began to reawaken in my soul. The statue was pure white and very simple, adorned only with the golden crown that rested upon Our Lady s head. I remarked with surprise that the Virgin Mary was not gazing down upon her subjects as one would expect of a Queen. Rather, her eyes were raised toward Heaven. It was as if she had come down to Earth to make herself one with the poor and afflicted Irish people, to teach them by her silent example how to look to the Lord for salvation. She was inviting me likewise to lift up my eyes to await the coming of the glorious and compassionate King, Jesus Christ. The Parousia will be the ultimate consummation of the Paschal Mystery. That is why it must be the focal point of all our hope. We must seek first the Kingdom of God. Only then will everything else fall into place. For us as Carmelites, this eschatological orientation is all the more necessary since God, in granting us a double portion of Elijah s spirit, has sent us into the world to prepare it for the Day of the Lord (cf. Malachi 3:23-24). It seems to me that an ardent hope for Christ s Second Coming is the solution to the dilemma that all the saints in history 193

34 194 The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel in Rome by Michelangelo

35 have faced; an inner conflict between the desire for heaven and the desire to work and suffer for the Church on earth. Even St. Paul admitted, I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two (Philippians 1:22b- 23a). I too have frequently found myself in a tension of desires. I long to enter eternity so that my intercessory power will increase immeasurably, but I am equally enchanted at the thought of remaining in my mortal flesh to prolong the incarnate presence of Christ in history. It is in the Parousia that my two desires will converge and be fulfilled. At that moment, both the invisible spiritual creation and the visible material creation will be transformed in Christ Jesus into a new heavens and a new earth. Only then will the human person, the sole creature composed of both matter and spirit, attain perfect wholeness. The glorified soul of each member of the Church will be perfectly united to his or her resurrected body. The troubling dichotomy between heaven and earth will vanish in blissful harmony. In hope, we begin already to possess our eternal destiny. Therefore, even now, we need not agonize over the choice between heaven and earth. In hope, we confidently choose both! What is more, our hope not only puts us in precocious contact with the future coming of Our Lord; it actually enables us to cooperate in the realization of the Parousia! Far from rendering us static or lessening the value of our earthly lives, hope fixed upon the Last Day will intensify and magnify the salvific power of each moment of our humble existence. Our earnest expectation of the One we love will urge us to ever greater generosity. Our Lord, at his second coming, will reward anyone who does more than he is obliged to do (Rule, Chapter 24). And St. Peter exhorts us, Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, wait- 195

36 ing for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2Peter 3:11-13). Every age of history draws us nearer to the instant when all time will be gathered up into eternity. What a privilege and challenge it is for us to be chosen to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ amid the dramatic events of the second millennium. By our acts of loving service and our words of truth and integrity we participate in the development of Christian civilization. Above all, by our ceaseless contemplation we hasten the coming of Christ. For it is contemplative union with God that is the driving force behind the unfolding of salvation history. When we accept Our Lady s invitation to raise our eyes and keep watch for Christ s coming, we will not be losing sight of creation. On the contrary, it is only in the light of the Last Day that our vision of created realities becomes lucid. We begin to recognize them as a splendid reflection of the beauty of the Trinity, and we love them in God. We also begin to see ourselves as the Father sees us, through the eyes of predilection. In other words, we understand that it was not our being that caused God to love us, but it was His loving us that caused us to be. Even our weaknesses and imperfections no longer discourage us, for our very woundedness becomes an open door to welcome Jesus, who is coming to save us. St. Albert counsels us, On your head set the helmet of salvation, and so be sure of deliverance by our only Saviour, who sets his own free from their sins (Rule, Chapter 19). When we begin to contemplate each other in the light of the Parousia, life suddenly becomes very exciting. Unimaginable depths open up in our human relationships. There is no longer 196

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38 such a thing as a casual encounter. Every meeting, from a mundane exchange of information with a stranger to an intimate conversation with a loved one, is translucent to the radiance of the Trinitarian Life. Having looked attentively at a human face that once seemed plain or unattractive, we realize that it is nothing else but an exquisite icon of Christ. Only when we see each other this way does it become possible to fulfil Our Lord s new commandment: As I have loved you, so you also should love one another (John 13:34b). Sometimes, we are blessed to find people who seem so transformed that we already glimpse in them something of the final resurrection. In this way, our hope is strengthened. Other times, we find people who are so broken or hardened that they let not a glimmer of divine Light shine through them. Then it is our love which must be the merciful ray illumining their features and allowing us to see their potential for glorification. We love them in the light of what God intends them to become. Friendship is a very special kind of charity. In fact, it is a foretaste of eternal beatitude. In the Institution of the First Monks we learn that we are called to purity of heart, and to taste already on earth the delights of heaven. This two-fold aim of Carmelite spirituality can be aptly applied to the mystery of true spiritual friendship. As we cannot produce contemplation but only make every effort to dispose ourselves to receive it as a gift by striving after purity of heart; just so, we cannot make friendship happen. What we can and must do is to extend the kindness and fidelity proper to friendship to all those whom the Lord gives us to love. It is our life of prayer that will be the source of this generous, disinterested, non-possessive affection toward all our brothers and sisters in Christ. As St. Peter says so beautifully, Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another 198

39 intensely from a pure heart (1Peter 1:22). According to God s mysterious and merciful designs, from time to time, just when we least expect it, this intense Christian charity between two persons seeking God alone blossoms into something heavenly: a true friendship. Then one experiences what one has known all along by faith, that there is no conflict between love of God and fraternal charity. In the words of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, Love of God and love of neighbour go on kissing together, and sometimes they dance a beautiful dance together before the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity (Vol. V, p. 229). The friendships that begin during our lives on earth are an anticipation of the magnificent, all-embracing Friendship that will be revealed at the end of time. All creation will be invited into the Friendship between the three Persons of the Trinity. No one will be excluded or marginalized. Special friendships between individuals, far from being absorbed into a crowd, will shine forth all the more brilliantly in the context of this great Communion. On that day, the Holy Spirit will lead us in a dance. Yes, friendship can be described as a dance. Here I must explain myself, for I feel that in our modern western culture we have lost sight of the full significance of dancing. We are accustomed to see individuals dancing on stage to showcase their talent, or to watch an isolated couple swaying rather half-heartedly on the dance floor. The mystical dance of which I am speaking is something different. It is the kind of dance that draws many persons into a marvellous interconnected and interdependent momentum. There is at once total freedom and total unity. Now I clasp the hand of one as we swing together, now I join hands with many to form a great circle. I find myself alone for an instant as I pass under the arched arms of others only to meet 199

40 a new partner on the other side! And every movement is choreographed according to the perfect wisdom of God and for the glory of His Name. Our Lady teaches us how to accelerate the coming of the King, whose Kingdom will have no end. Through our Marian consecration as Carmelites, we enjoy a special intimacy with the Holy Spirit that is similar to Mary s spousal union with Him. We gently consent to His movement in us and through us for the salvation of the world. Like the prophet Ezekiel, we have the power to prophesy to the Spirit and pray for the resurrection of all the members of the human race. By the recreative action of the Paraclete, our souls become images of the Bride, the Church. And it is the Spirit and the Bride, speaking in sweet unison, who call to the Bridegroom and invite Him to come again. All of the silence that our Holy Rule exhorts us to practice is a preparation to speak a single word: Come! Let us never cease crying out from the depths of our being, Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus! 200

41 Love for God in Carmelite Spirituality Joyce Wade, TOC Hear, O Israel!The Lord is our God, the Lord alone!therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength. Take to heart these words which I command you today. Keep repeating them to yourchildren. Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them on your arm as a sign and let them be a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 J esus tells us that this is the greatest commandment. Certainly the words describing how we are to repeat the words to ourselves over and over again all day, and that we are to drill this commandment into our children, and we are to write these words down and wear them on our arms and foreheads, and on our doorposts and gates impresses on us the greatness of this commandment. But the above words do not tell us how we are to accomplish loving God. A look at the prayers of the Church reveals a lack of prayers of love. In the Gloria, we praise God, bless him, glorify him and give thanks, but we do not tell God we love him. In the Evening Prayer for Wednesday,Week III, we ask God to make us secure in his love, but we do not tell God we love him. Like 201

42 202 Mosaic of St. Teresa of Avila

43 in the Psalms, we often tell God that we love his law, but not that we love him. Is it so hard to love God?Certainly in the Old Testament, the Jews are advised to fear God. No one can see God, for to do so is to cause immediate death. When King David went to Abinadab s house to return the Ark of the Lord, a man named Uzzah touched the Ark to steady the Ark, for the oxen were tipping it, and was killed immediately for touching the Ark. In Psalm 99 we find: The Lord is king, the peoples tremble. He is enthroned on the cherubim, the earth quakes. Great is the Lord in Zion, exalted above all the peoples. It all sounds kind of scary;it is hard to love God under these conditions. But God has no difficulty in telling Israel how he loves them. His love was the reason for the Exodus. Giving Israel the law was the establishment of a Covenant with Israel. Acovenant between God and a people!the enormity of this relationship between Almighty God and mortal, limited man is staggering. Despite the fact that the history of the Covenant between God and Israel is one of constant infidelity on the part of Israel, God s love does not waver. In the book of the prophet Hosea, we find the relationship between God and Israel described as a marriage, with God as the bridegroom and Israel as the bride. God orders Hosea to marry a prostitute and take as his own the children of prostitution. Difficult as this is, Hosea marries Gomer, a prostitute. She lives with Hosea for a while, and bears him a son and a daughter. Then Gomer returns to her life as a prostitute. For she said, I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink (Hosea 203

44 2:7b). Hosea, of course, wants nothing more to do with her. God, however, has other ideas. Hosea is to take her back. Here we see God remaining faithful to Israel, despite her infidelity. Hosea is to preach to Israel yet another covenant: 204 I will betroth you to me forever: I will betroth you to me with justice and judgment, With loyalty and compassion; I will betroth you to me with fidelity, And you shall know the Lord. On that day I will respond oracle of the Lord I will respond to the heavens, And they will respond to the earth; The earth will respond to the grain, and wine and oil, And these will respond to Jezreel. I will sow her for myself in the land, And I will have pity on Not-Pitied. I will say to Not-My-People, You are my people, And he will say, My God! Hosea 2: We, too, can love God as our spouse. In fact, this is how St. John of the Cross describes union with God. His purpose in writing is to help others to achieve the union he has achieved with God. This union is described by him as a marriage between the bride, the human seeker, and the beloved, God. The metaphor of marriage as spiritual union with God is clearly stated in The Spiritual Canticle. As Christians, we have an advantage over other faiths in our effort to achieve union with God: the humanity of Jesus Christ our Lord. St. Teresa of Avila advised her readers to devote meditation time to what she called the Sacred Humanity. As a fellow human being, it is easy to form a loving relationship

45 with Jesus. It is how we introduce our children to Jesus. I was born into a Baptist family, and at the church our family went to, Sunday School (what we call Religious Education) started at age two. Despite my age, I remember Sunday School very well. My teacher had a felt board on which she put cut-outs of Jesus and other characters as she told the Bible stories. I easily fell in love with Jesus. He was so loving and kind and good. He healed everyone who came to him for help. I particularly remember the story of Zaccheus, the wee little man, and can still sing the song today. Jesus particularly loved little children, which also endeared him to me. Though long an adult now, my love for Jesus has only grown, especially now as I understand about the cross. Is this enough to love God? No, this kind of love is more of an infatuation and a marriage needs much more to sustain it. We have already discussed the issue of fidelity. This is, of course, essential to our union with God. Also needed is a relationship of the spouses with each other. The union grows as the lover and the beloved spend more time together, each enjoying the other s presence. The Song of Songs tells us that the Beloved seeks us, but it is all important that the bride first seek the Beloved. God does not force himself on us, but freely offers himself to those who seek him. How are we to seek the Beloved, the Bridegroom? Once again we should look to St. Teresa. In her first book,the Vida, or, as we call it in English,The Book of Her Life, the saint tells us her method of prayer is to imagine Jesus present within her. This prayer is spending time with the Beloved. We do this imagination not only at meditation time, but we should try to do it all the time. Admittedly this takes a lot of practice. The more we try, however, the better we get at it and the peace and joy we feel tells us we are doing it the right way. Brother Law- 205

46 rence had the same idea. He called it practicing the presence of God. Imagining Jesus present to me is as easy to do when I m preparing a meal for my family, as it was for Brother Lawrence to make an omelette. St. Teresa spoke of finding God among the pots and pans. Other activities requiring attention to detail are harder to do. Practicing the presence of God is hard to do, for example, when balancing a series of accounts in a bankruptcy case, or preparing the counts in a lawsuit. A prayer before beginning the task and more prayer when taking a break will help and gradually one can feel herself in the presence of God more and more often. Other times, I don t know if this is a prayer or a meditation, I find myself lying down quietly and saying over and over, I love you, I love you, I love you Perhaps at such times I am so overwhelmed by God s love for me that this is the only response I can make. Another element demanded in a spiritualmarriage is the total surrender of the bride to the Bridegroom. Many people find this difficult, but it is essential. Jesus has already completed his surrender by his death on the cross for the sins of mankind and his resurrection on the third day to make eternal life available to all believers. Now it is our turn. It is not difficult to do when we persist in prayer. Nothing can be held back, we give all to Jesus, the good and the bad. The result of the bride doing this is freeing to the soul, gives her the feeling that her soul is lighter because it is no longer harbouring resentments and other sins which we just hang onto for some reason. The bride feels the love of the Bridegroom in a way she never thought possible. The bride has achieved loving God with all her heart, her whole being, and with her whole strength. She has achieved total union with God. 206

47 Painting of St. John of the Cross by Teresa Satola

48 Although union with God has been achieved, one cannot remain in this state of grace unless she adopts certain exercises to maintain the union. Continuing the practice of imagining Jesus within us, or practicing the presence of God, is essential. Also essential is a daily examination of conscience where we seek forgiveness for what we have done, especially those things we have done that result in our taking back things which we had surrendered to Jesus. Taking advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation often is advisable. We are to meditate frequently on our Bridegroom, either as bridegroom, the sacred humanity, or the resurrected Christ. Of course, we continue ourprayers in the Liturgy of the Hours. The more we do in the presence of God, the more we are maintaining the union of God. Like practicing the presence of God, surrender is something we must do on a daily basis. It is human nature to take back what we have given. We surrender our ego, find it liberating, only to find a few days later we are guilty of the sin of pride. So we start over. Instead of praying for healing, we turn our pain over to God, trusting in him, then take it back a while later because we are not satisfied with the progress. Although it seems ridiculous that humans would trust in their own selves for healing, it happens all the time. Another sin I remember from the Anglican liturgy is trusting in our own righteousness. The number of people guilty of this sin is enormous; in fact, it may affect the entire population of the world at one time or another. This, too, we must surrender. It may be helpful if at the daily examination of conscience, we jot down thosethings which we promise toamend. Then, 208

49 in the morning, we can remind ourselves of what we are to do that day. We are discouraged at least I have been when the examination of conscience reveals the same sin every day. Daily prayer for amendment of life, and our persistence in determination to overthrow this sin, eventually results in the amendment of life we seek. There is something else that happens in a marriage, and that is that the spouses do things for each other out of love. What God has done for us is apparent and the scriptures tell us what our Beloved wants us to do:he wants us to love our neighbours as ourselves. We are to help the unfortunate: the hungry, the poor, the naked, the sick, the homeless, and we are to visit the prisoner. We must work at achieving humility, even though achieving it may not be possible in this life. We are to be holy. Most important we are to be witnesses to God s love in this world. Our Beloved also speaks to us in prayer when we take the time to listen. Often he tells us to do something that seems very difficult. If this happens, one is probably getting the right message, according to St. John of the Cross. Achieving the type of loving relationship I have described above is not easy, nor is it ever achieved quickly. Yet there is joy in the journey, and if we never get to full union, we will feel no regrets. Our relationship with God is constantly evolving. At times we may find ourselves feeling as if the method we are using to seek union is not working. If this happens, pray about it until you find a method that does work for you. For example, St. John of the Cross had no difficulty in identifying as the bride, but many men might. There is nothing sacred about the method I have outlined above. If it does not work for you, then seek another. Never abandon your search for union with God. The joy of the search, and the eventual union, are beyond anything that exists on earth. 209

50 The Enduring Legacy of the Reform of Touraine in the Carmel in France Today Terrence Cyr, O. Carm. Ecclesia semper reformanda est. Loosely translated, this oft-quoted aphorism means that the Church is always in need of reformation. The Second Vatican Council, whose FiftiethAnniversary of its opening the Church is commemorating in 2012, continues to be a prime example in our time of the Church s attentive listening to the voice of the Spirit which invites the Church (as institution) as well as its individual members to conversion of mind and heart. This conversion, ultimately, manifests itself in changed behaviours and attitudes so as to become more and more visibly conformed to the person of Jesus Christ in all of our thoughts, words, and actions. Among the many challenges issued by Vatican II was the invitation to the various religious orders and congregations to undertake a study of their charism (and perhaps a restoration) with a view towards renewal, restoration and transformation. In issuing this challenge, the Council expressed the hope and desire that contemporary religious life lived in the midst of and for the benefit of God s holy people would achieve its full potential of what it is meant to be, that is, to be a radiant sign of the Kingdom of heaven (Vatican II, Perfectae Caritatis, 1). Carmel, of course, heard and responded to the challenge issued by the Council. Over the course of many, many years, 210

51 the Order, both at its highest levels of governance as well as in its smallest units of individual communities, hasworked hard at studying the foundational documents of the Order (our Order, of course, had a unique problem: not having a historical founder like all other religious Orders, we could only rely on certain foundational documents, the historical acumen of which was not always patently evident). The Constitutions of the Order were revised not once but twice (1971 and again in 1995) in order to imbue them with the theological and spiritual (as well as canonical) insights which the Council had envisioned as part of its overall plan for the renewal of the Church. Countless meetings and innumerable official documents later, I think that it is safe to say that the Carmelite Order, in all of its diverse manifestations, is well on the road to renewal of its corporate life. The on-going challenge, of course, lies in two fundamental ideas: (1) that renewal, conversion and transformation is never, ever an over and done with affair (see the opening comment of this article) and (2) that the renewal of the structures of the Order and updating of its guiding principles mean nothing unless and until its individual members subscribe to these principles and attempt to implement in a serious and constructive way the daily living out of the Carmelite charism. In a certain sense, Carmelites are old hands at the business of renewal, conversion, and transformation. The foundational principle of all Carmelite spirituality as articulated in Chapter One of the Rule of St. Albert which invites Carmelites to live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ implies that Carmelites are to be always alert to the need for personal and corporate conversion and renewal. To live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ, by definition, implies as well as requires a continual death to the old, death-inducing ways of thinking and acting and to everything else that would stand in the way of a profound and 211

52 lasting conversion. By striving to live out the particularity of our way of life which Keith Egan describes as living in creative tension between solitude and community Carmelites have embarked on numerous occasions in the course of their long history upon many projects of renewal in response to the signs of the times. 1 When thinking about renewal and reform as it relates to the history and spirituality of Carmel, one spontaneously thinks about the great reform brought about by Teresa of Jesus (Avila) and John of the Cross in the second half of the sixteenth century, a reform which eventually culminated in two canonically distinct and independent branches stemming from the one tree trunk called Carmel. However, this reform was neither the first nor the last attempt to effect reforms in the Order. Carmel, like the Church itself, is a perfect example of a religious entity of which it is said that it is always in need of and in the process 212 The Carmelite Community in Angers, France

53 of renewal, conversion and reformation. Semper reformanda est, indeed! Among the many attempts at reforming the Order of Carmel was the one that is known to history as the Reform of Touraine. 2 The so-called Reform of Touraine did not result in a new and distinct branch within the Order of Carmel, however. Precisely because it did not result in a dramatic split of the tree-trunk of Carmel, it is much less well-known and spoken about than the far-better known Teresian reform. In a recent off-the-cuff conversation with a local Discalced Carmelite nun, it was clear that she had never heard of the Reform of Touraine, as though the only reform of any consequence in the long history of Carmel was the one inaugurated by Teresa of Jesus and John of the Cross!As a reform movement within the older branch of the Order it continues to bear fruit, though in very unobtrusive ways. With its clear emphasis on prayer and on communal life and regular observance, the spirit of the Reform of Touraine has permeated all of the constitutions and official documents of the Order well into the present. An interesting sidebar in this discussion of the on-going influence of the Reform of Touraine consists of the decidedly inconsequential but nonetheless noteworthy fact that the brown colour of the Carmelite habit is due to the decision of the friars of the Touraine Reform to discard the then black habit in favour of a brown one which they considered to be more in keeping with a spirit of humility. 3 The word Touraine refers to the region surrounding the city of Tours in France. The reform was given this name because it originated among friars who belonged to the once thriving Province of Touraine. At the time of the reform, the Province of Touraine consisted of monasteries in the following cities in France: La Rochelle, Angers, Tours, Ploermel, Nantes, Orleans, Loudon, St. Pol-de-Leon, Poitiers, Pont-l Abbé, Hennebont, 213

54 Vivonne, Dol, Le Boudon, Rennes, and Aulnay. All of these monasteries disappeared, along with the rest of the some 150 Carmelite priories in the six provinces of the Order in France at that time, in the intense upheaval of the French Revolution. Of particular interest to the readers of this article, however, is the fact that since 1991 the Carmelites have returned to Nantes and since 2006 to Angers (though not in the original monasteries because these had long since disappeared). We will return to these latter two monasteries in a moment. The reform itself, however, had its origin in the Carmelite monastery of Rennes where there lived a remarkable laybrother by the name of Jean de Saint-Samson ( ) whose interior life was so marked by various mystical graces that he was asked to become a spiritual director and guide for young Carmelites in formation. Kilian Healy, former Prior General, refers to him as the soul of the reform of Touraine. 4 From this very sensitive position of influence, he was able to 214 Reform of Touraine emphasized on prayer and communal life

55 instil in the minds and hearts of his protégés a burning desire to recapture the spirit of the original band of hermits of Mount Carmel who had banded together and had asked St. Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem, to write for them a formula of life or perhaps, more accurately, a formula for living. This formula of life which eventually became what is now known as the Rule of St. Albert was the foundational document around which they would organize their daily lives and which, at the same time, would give them some kind of canonical structure within the local church. All attempts to reform Carmel, including the Teresian reform, have been attempts, with greater and lesser degrees of lasting success, at restoring what is considered the foundational impetus for the Carmelite way of life. In one way or another, all attempts at reformation within the Order of Carmel have been ways of driving home the importance of what the Rule imposes as our primary obligation, namely, to meditate day and night on the Law of the Lord. When Jean de Saint-Sampson entered the Carmelites in Rennes, the reform was already underway, however. While Jean de Saint-Sampson might be called the soul of the Reform of Touraine, the so-called Father of this reform movement was the Carmelite friar, Philippe Thibault ( ). It was he, along with a few other friars, who conceived and implemented the reform in various monasteries of the province of Touraine, though not without considerable opposition. It was no wonder that Jean de Saint-Sampson s evident mastery of the principles of prayer and the spiritual life, as evidenced by the heroic degree of his personal holiness of life, strongly influenced and encouraged Thibault and his confrères to pursue their hopes and dreams for a renewal of the Order. 215

56 Editorial constraints of space do not permit us, however, to trace even a modest outline of the history (and it is a very human history of glorious characters and some somewhat shady ones and of plots and counter-plots etc. ). All of the whys and the wherefores behind the story of this particular reform can be studied in the previously cited book by Kilian Healy and in numerous other studies. Suffice it to point out that the Reform officially began on April 21, 1608, when a number of friars in the monastery of Rennes renewed their profession and submitted themselves to the new regulations of the reform. 5 The second Carmelite priory (Rennes being the first) to accept the Reform of Touraine was the priory of Angers which, at that particular moment in its already long history, was sorely in need of reform. The Carmelite priory in Angers had fallen on hard times, both spiritually and materially (oftentimes, both go hand-in-hand), and this despite the fact that not many years before the Reform of Touraine, Blessed John Soreth, the great reforming Prior General of the fifteenth century, had lived and ministered for many years in this monastery. In fact, he died in Angers. His body, which had been held in veneration by the local population because of his reputation for holiness of life, was thrown in the river by the revolutionaries during the turmoil at the end of the eighteenth century known as the French Revolution. Members of the entire Carmelite family might find it interesting to know that there are now two active Carmelite priories located in two of the important cities in the history of the Reform of Touraine: Angers and Nantes. The writer of this article is a member of the Carmelite priory located in Angers. A Carmelite monastery had existed in this ancient city for approximately five hundred years prior to its dissolution at the French Revolution. Though in a very inchoate manner, 216

57 and certainly never explicitly expressed as such in any of the official documents and decisions of the Order, the return of the Carmelites of the Ancient Observance to France in 1989 after a two-hundred year absence is a testimony to the enduring legacy of the Reform of Touraine. When the Carmelite Order accepted the invitation of the Archbishop of Bourges and, not too long after, that of the Bishop of Nantes, and finally, that of the Bishop of Angers, to re-establish the Carmelite presence in their dioceses, it was with the mutual understanding that the main thrust and purpose of this re-implantation of the ancient Carmel on French soil was to tend to the spiritual needs (here understood primarily of guiding people through the ups and downs of their prayer life). Because the memory of the presence of the ancient Carmel on French soil had never faded away from the collective consciousness of French Catholicism (how could it, with the presence of so many visible reminders in countless French towns and villages in the form of street signs, ruins of former Carmelite priories, still existing churches and other public buildings that used to be Carmelite priories and parishes), the bishops were very conscious of the long and rich tradition which Carmel brings to the table in matters of the spiritual life. Carmelites of the Ancient Observance might have long gone, but the memory of what long-ago generations of Carmelites had left in terms of spiritual teaching and practice had never died out in the popular imagination. Today the Carmelites living and working in the two dioceses of Angers and Nantes are actively involved in preserving and, indirectly at least, promoting the heritage of the Reform of Touraine. One of the major thrusts of the Centre d Études d Histoire et de Spiritualité (a research library which is part of the priory complex at Nantes) is the study of the rich Carmelite heritage of pre-revolutionary France. We promote and pub- 217

58 218 Chapel of the Carmelite Community in Angers, France

59 lish articles and critical works both in original languages and in translation into French which introduce to a contemporary audience such figures as Jean de Saint-Sampson, Blessed Françoise d Amboise, Blessed John Soreth, Michael of Saint Augustine, Philippe Thibault, and a host of other Carmelite authors who, at the time of their writing, would have been very well known throughout France. On a personal note, one of the things of which this author was unaware until he became a member of the French delegation was the extent to which Jean of Saint Samson, the heart and soul of the Reform of Touraine, anticipated many of the themes articulated by St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus in what has become known as the spirituality of the Little Way. In addition to this literary endeavour, the Carmelites in France today are actively involved in spiritual direction and in the preaching of retreats, both of which are privileged means of passing on the Carmelite tradition. Through our preaching and through the many conferences that we give and through our writing and, most of all, through our face-to-face contact with people in spiritual direction, we are constantly calling upon the heritage of the Reform of Touraine. While in many people s eyes including perhaps in the mind of many Carmelites the Reform of Touraine was primarily a movement to regularize (in the sense of restoring discipline and the common life) how the Carmelite ideal of contemplation and action was to be lived out in the concrete circumstances of the various Carmelite priories, the Reform of Touraine was first and foremost a return to the sources. It was a much-needed reform movement that reminded Carmelites then, as indeed it continues to do even now, that anything that we attempt to do in terms of ministry, no matter how much it may be gilded by the desire to give glory only to God, unless it is grounded in an active and inten- 219

60 sive life of prayer, our efforts, ultimately, will bear no lasting fruit. The wisdom of the Fathers of the Reform of Touraine was to make sure that specific hours of prayer and meditation were built into the daily community schedule, not only with regard to the praying of the Liturgy of the Hours and Mass, but also with regard to what is commonly called meditation time. While such a cookie-cutter approach to daily conventual life would not necessarily work in many of our feverishly busy Carmelite communities around the world, the Carmelites of the French Delegation attempt to structure the rhythm of our daily lives in much the same way, though with a greater flexibility, as our seventeenth-century Carmelite brothers lived theirs. We strive to give primacy to a life of prayer, both personal and public, in everything that we do. We leave it to time and to God s mercy to determine whether we are producing any fruit. (Endnotes) 1 Cf. Keith J. Egan, The Solitude of Carmelite Prayer in Carmelite Prayer: A Tradition for the 21 st Century. New York: Mahwah. 2003, p For a quick overview of the historical setting of the Reform of Touraine, see Kilian Healy, O. Carm. The Reform of Touraine. Rome: Edizioni Carmelitane. 1995, pp See also Joachim Smet, O. Carm., The Mirror of Carmel: A brief History of the Carmelite Order. Darien (IL). 2011, pp Yves Durand, Un Couvent dans la Ville: Les Grands Carmes de Nantes. Rome : Edizioni Carmelitane. 1997, p Healy, op. cit., p Ibid., p

61 Carmel Around the World Rome Activities of the Prior General The Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., together with the Vice-Prior General and Prior of the Curia, Fr. Christian Körner, O.Carm., along with other members of the Curia, welcomed the Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See, Don Eduardo Gutiérrez Sainz de Buruaga, to the Curia house. The ambassador showed a great interest in the things of the Carmelite Order and in its activities in the various parts of the world. On September 30, 2012, the Prior General presided at the Eucharist in Aylesford in honour of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, as part of the annual pilgrimage of the Society of the Little Flower of Britain and Ireland, which this year celebrates 221

62 its tenth anniversary. The pilgrimage included the blessing of roses and a talk on the spirituality of the Carmelite saint. During the Ninth Theology Day at the Pontifical Comillas University in Madrid, on October 17, Fr. Fernando gave an address on the sacramentality of marriage. On October 20, the Prior General was in Paranavaí in Paraná (Brazil) to preside at the Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving at which the decree of the erection of the new General Commissariat of Paraná, up to now a Provincial Commissariat of the Upper German Province (Citoc-online 92/2012), was read. From October he was in São Paolo (Brazil) to take part in the ThirdAssembly of ALACAR (Association of Latin American Carmelites) at which he gave an address on The Carmelite Community and Reconciliation. Taking advantage of this visit to Brazil, he visited the interprovincial novitiate in Belo Horizonte. Finally, on November 2, he closed the International Congress on Fr. Lorenzo van den Eerenbeemt, O.Carm., held in Sassone, Italy from October 29 to November 3, Father Lorenzo was the founder, along with Blessed Maria Crocifissa Curcio, of the congregation of Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. More is written below on this Congress. In the course of the last few months, taking advantage of his travels to various provinces for provincial chapters, the Prior General visited the Carmelite nuns in the monasteries of Palangka Raya in Borneo, Indonesia; Jaboticabal and Paranavaí in Brazil, Florence in Italy and Fontiveros in Spain. Fifth International Congress for Lay Carmelites 2012 The Fifth International Congress for Carmelite Laity organized by the General Commission and the Permanent Secretar- 222

63 iat for the Carmelite Laity took place from September at the Carmelite Spiritual Centre in Sassone, just outside Rome. Some 200 people attended, from all parts of the world, with a huge majority of lay people and a sprinkling of friars. The theme of the Congress was The Formation of Lay Carmelites for the Apostolate. The participants were helped in their reflections by a number of friars and lay people who are involved in the formation of the laity. In addition to the formal talks, the participants also heard a number of accounts of personal experiences of apostolic work by Carmelite Laity in the different countries, and in their group work they had an opportunity to reflect upon and to discuss the various themes they had heard. 223

64 The intention of the Congress was to offer a missionary thrust, to raise awareness of formation for the apostolate and to instil in the hearts of the participants a new enthusiasm, in the hope that the individual, provincial, regional and local communities might act upon the recommendations that the Congress was able to propose. Lay Carmelites can have a very effective role in the work of new evangelisation and be not only a quantitative force in the Order, but also a qualitative one, in helping other members to grow through the charism, wherever God has chosen for them to be. Before the Congress, from September14-15,there was a meeting of the Provincial Delegates and Lay Provincial Moderators. The theme of this meeting was, Roles and Responsibilities in guiding and motivating lay Carmelites. The meeting, organised by the General Delegate for Lay Carmelites, Fr. Josef Jančář, O.Carm., was seen to be a continuation of the meeting that took place in More than fifty Carmelites took part, with friars and lay people from all around the world. Its purpose was to clarify and interpret the respective roles and responsibilities of religious and lay people in accompanying and directing the lay Carmelite movement. From the theological and ecclesiological points of view, Prof. Cettina Militello assisted the reflection by her talk on the autonomy and co-responsibility of lay people. Fr. Sergio La Pegna, D.C., spoke on the theme of the relationship between lay people and consecrated people,particularly from the point of view of common law and the Magisterium after the Second Vatican Council. Fr. Giovanni Grosso, O.Carm., dealt with the theme from a practical point of view and with reference to the new Rule of the Third Order. 224

65 In addition, the participants enjoyed the opportunity to share their own experiences in group work. The meeting was marked by a fraternal and open atmosphere of dialogue. International Congress on Fr. Lorenzo van den Eerenbeemt, O.Carm. From October 29 to November 3, 2012, an International Congress was held at Sassone (Italy), on the theme, Fr. Lorenzo van den Eerenbeemt, O.Carm., AGift of the Spirit for Carmel and for the Church. The congress was organised by the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Fr. Lorenzo with Mohter Curcio 225

66 A sizeable number of friars, sisters and lay people from a number of different countries (Brazil, Canada, Philippines, Tanzania, Malta, Rumania and Italy) took part, with great interest and attention. Cardinal João Bras de Aviz, the Prefect of the Congregation for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life opened the Congress. Other speakers included, Don Giorgio Rossi, Carmelite friars Emanuele Boaga, Giovanni Grosso, and Cosimo Pagliara as well ascarmelite sisters, Sr. Marianerina de Simone and Sr. M. Cecilia Tada. Each one illustrated different aspects of this very captivating figure. Two round-tables, with Sr. Alice Rodrigues Costa, Mons. Amleto Alfoni, Father Nazareno Mauri, O.Carm., and Luciano Pranzetti on the panel, added further to the picture. The aim of the congress was to get to know the person, the work and the spirituality of Fr. Lorenzo who, along with Blessed Maria Crocifissa Curcio founded the Congregation of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. The congress was closed by the Prior General who, in his address highlighted, the values of Carmeliteness, ecclesiology, mission and formation in Fr. Lorenzo. A Meeting of the O.Carm and OCD General Councils On December 17, 2012, at the General Curia of the Discalced Carmelites in Rome, the semi-annual meeting of the General Councils of the Order of Carmelites and Discalced Carmelites took place. The meeting dealt with a number of questions of common interest and the participants shared their experiences on a number of fronts. The main topic was the possible restoration of the ruins of the first Carmelite foundation on Mount Carmel (Wadi ain es-siah), in view of which, an international commission had been established some time ago 226

67 and has been working on the project. Fr. Fausto Spinelli, OCD, recently appointed as the bursar of the Delegation of Israel, and Fr. Raúl Maraví, O.Carm., both members of the commission, gave a report on the projects, difficulties, contacts with the local authorities and the prospects for financing, etc. In addition to the possibility of restoring the ruins of the Order s first foundation, the meeting of the two General Councils evaluated the last meeting of The Association of Latin American Carmelites which took place in Sao Paolo, Brazil, in October of this year, examined some of the problems concerning the translations of Carmelite liturgical texts, and exchanged views around the forthcoming World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro. After an exchange of recent publications, the meeting ended with a meal, in a wonderful pre-christmas atmosphere. Web page for the preparation for the General Chapter 227

68 Responding to the signs of the times, and attempting to communicate using twenty-first century methods, the Preparatory Commission, together with the webmaster of the Order, set up a web page for the 2013 General Chapter. The address is:www. ocarm.org/capitulumgenerale2013/. In this page, available to all friars as well as to other members of the Carmelite Family, the commission has posted the special prayer for the Chapter, along with the Instrumentum Laboris, which, it is hoped, will help the communities and members of the Order prepare for the Chapter by praying and reflecting on the theme of the General Chapter. Through this interactive web page we hope to receive input from individual friars and communities, as well as from the wider Carmelite Family, for our coming Chapter, so that it may really be a time of grace for the whole Order. A Meeting of the General Commission for Evangelisation The General Commission for Evangelisation, led by the Councillor General, Fr. Desiré Unen Alimange, O.Carm., held a meeting from November 12-16, Four members of the Commission attended. The work that has been done on Evange- 228

69 lisation and Carmelite saints was introduced. This information, in time, will be shared with the Carmelite Family worldwide through printed material and in digital form. Fr. Joseph Hung Tran, O.Carm., the Order s webmaster, has put together a first draft for the internet. The next topic to be dealt with was that of evangelisation in the world of suffering and in hospitals. Mgr. Jean Marie Mupendawatu, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Health Workers (Hospital Ministry), spoke on the topic of suffering and hospitals as places for evangelisation, in which ministry in both the human and the spiritual dimensions are of the utmost importance and relevance. A visit to Sandro Pertini Hospital gave the members of the Commission an experience of this kind of work. Towards the end of the meeting there was an evaluation of the work of these past six years and the formulation of some proposals for the 2013 General Chapter. Spain The Beatification of two groups of Carmelite Martyrs of the Twentieth Century in Spain The November 2012 plenary assembly of the Conference of Spanish Bishops set the date and the venue for the beatification of the next group of twentieth century Spanish martyrs. It will take place at the end of the Year of Faith, on October 27, 2013, in Tarragona, in Spain. Among the group is Fr. Carmel Maria Moyano, O.Carm., and nine of his companions from the Betica Province, along with Fr. Alberto Marco Alemán, O.Carm., and eight companions from the Province of Castile. The statement from the Spanish Bishop s Conference says that the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints will be in contact with the various officials who are responsible for pre- 229

70 senting thecauses of the various candidates for sainthood. The statement also invites everyone to engage in a spiritual preparation in each province, order or diocese, through a catechesis that may be offered to the youth as well as to other segments of the Church, so that the witness and intercession of all these martyrs may contribute to the growth and to the joy and faith of the entire people of God Ireland Carmel in the World notes the passing of Father Seán Coughlan, O.Carm., of the Irish Province who served the Order as General Councillor and treasurer of the Order from May he rest in peace. 230

71 India Regional meeting of formators from Asia-Australia-Oceania From October 26 to November 4, 2012, seventeen formators from the Asia-Australia-Oceania region gathered at the Provincial House of the Saint Thomas Province in Thrissur, India. They listened, discussed, and studied three important topics presented by three excellent facilitators: Fr. Stanislaus Swammikannu, S.D.B. (formation for formators), Fr. John Keating, O.Carm. (Carmelite formation based on the RIVC), and Fr. Leopold Glueckert, O.Carm. (Carmelite history). This gathering of regional formators also formed a New Regional Formation Committee whose main task is to organize regional collaboration in the area of formation such as organizing the next regional formators gathering and the next regional Carmelite student friars meeting. They also proposed that the regional superiors consider a common preparation for Solemn Profession for Carmelites at regional level. The group enjoyed the fraternal hospitality and were very grateful to the Carmelites from the Saint Thomas Province. They also visited Carmelaram, the community of the General Delegation of Latin Rite Carmelites in India and some communities of the Saint Thomas Province at Carmel Nivas (Minor Seminary), Carmel Book Stall, and Carmel Bhavan Retreat House (Karukutty). Brazil ALACAR Congress 2012 The third congress of ALACAR (Latin American Association of Carmelites) was held in São Paulo, Brazil from Octo- 231

72 ber The theme of the meeting was Community Life in Carmel: Gift and Sign of Joy and Hope. More than 120 participants attended, including friars, nuns, sisters and lay Carmelites from both branches of the Order (O.Carm. and OCD). The main speakers were the Prior General, and former Superior General, Fr. Felipe Baranda, O.C.D. Other presentations were given by Sister Marian Ambrosio, President of the Conference of Religious of Brazil, and FathersEdênio Vale, SVD, Rafael Santamaría, OCD, Marío Naranjo, OCD, and Antônio da Silvio Costa Jr., O.Carm. The speakers addressed the theme starting from different perspectives, personal experiences, and communities. The participants, meanwhile, worked in groups, deepening the topics covered in the talks 232

73 and suggesting practical ways for strengthening the fraternal life in their communities. During the meeting the participants made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, where Archbishop Antônio Muniz, Carmelite Archbishop of Maceió in the northeast of Brazil, presided at the Eucharistic celebration. This was followed by a guided tour of this beautiful Brazilian shrine. The next ALACAR congress will be held in 2015 and will be organized by the executive members of the association Fr. Raúl Maraví, O.Carm., and Fr. Marcos Juchem, O.C.D, and their collaborators. This meeting is an important initiative in the development and interaction among all members of the great Carmelite Family in Latin America. Carmelite Youth Programmes continue to grow Preparations are already well under way for a Carmelite youth gathering in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July 2013 during the World Youth Day (W.Y.D.). Fr. Raul Maraví, O.Carm., Councillor General for the Americas has been working with a committee of the Rio Province and they will soon publish details of the Carmelite event. The icon of Our Lady of Hope, which was in Madrid during the Carmelite Day in 2011, is now travelling from community to community in Brazil and will finally arrive in Rio for W.Y.D. itself. In North America a committee has been working towards a Pilgrimage of Hope for the Carmelite youth in Canada and the United States. The Carmelite Youth Committee of Europe, established by the General Council and led by Fr. John Keating, O.Carm., Councillor General for Europe, continues its meetings towards a pan European Carmelite Youth Programme on this continent. 233

74 A plan, approved by the General Council this year, has been sent to all the Provincials, Commissaries and Delegates General in Europe. From September 27 tooctober 1, 2012, this committee met in Taizé, France, to work on the final details of the plan, which is being offered to Carmelite youth leaders and young participants. During their time in Taizé, the committee was helped by Brother Emile, who was former assistant to the founder of Taizé, the late Brother Roger Schutz. The Canonical Erection of the General Commissariat of Paraná, Brazil From October 1, 2012, the feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, the decision, taken by the Prior General with the consent of his Council, to canonically erect the General Commissariat of Paraná, heretofore a Provincial Commissariat of the Upper German Province, came into effect. The following were appointed to the different offices until the next Chapter of elections which will be held in January 2014: Commissary General: Fr. Francisco M. de Oliveira, O.Carm. First Councillor: Fr. Cleidimar Roquim, O.Carm. Second Councillor: Fr. João Bernardes Alves, O.Carm. Third Councillor: Fr. Vilson Rech, O.Carm. Fourth Councillor: Fr. Edmilson Borges de Carvalho, O.Carm. The erection of the new General Commissariat was celebrated onoctober 20, 2012, in Paranavaí. The Prior General and the Prior Provincial of the Upper German Province, Fr. Dieter Lankes, O.Carm.,attended. We offer our congratulations and prayers to the members of the Commissariat in this new development of their life in Carmel. 234

75 Holy Land On-going Formation Programme in the Holy Land The International Formation Commission of the Order organized an on-going formation programme entitled Back to the Sources in the Holy Land from August 29 toseptember 12, There were 38 participants coming from most of the provinces around the world from North and South America, Asia, Africa and Europe; a truly international group. The Prior General joined them for the first week and gave a talk entitled Titus Brandsma: in the Spirit of Elijah. The first week was based at the OCD Centre, Stella Maris, on Mount Carmel, where the group experienced great hospitality on the part of the Carmelite Sisters who run the centre, and the fraternity of the local Discalced community. From there they were able to visit the Carmelite sites at the Wadi ain es-siah (site of the original foundation) and Muhraqa (site of the encounter of the Prophet Elijah with the prophets of Baal). They also visited the area of Galilee, including many of the places associated with 235