The Carmelites of Our Lady
Mother of Divine Grace
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Not only a Catholic Religious Institute
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Brief History of Carmelites
History and origins
The Carmelites of Our Lady Mother of Divine Grace are Catholic religious Institute rooted in the Carmelite order founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. The first Carmelites were originally hermits who sought to imitate the prophet Elijah and were later organized into a mendicant order that includes brothers, priests, sisters, and laypeople who dedicate themselves to a life of intense prayer, community living, and pastoral service.
Remarkably, the origin of the Carmelite Order was very simple. Near the middle of the twelfth century, after the victory of the Crusaders in Palestine and the recapture of the Holy Places, a group of pious pilgrims settled on Mount Carmel to lead an eremitical life in imitation of the Prophet Elijah who, with his followers, had inhabited the rock formations of the mountain centuries before Christ. Zeal, ardor and renunciation of the honours and goods of the world characterized this great man who intensely experienced God's living Presence and fearlessly proclaimed His truth. The Prophet Elijah rises like fire: “Living is the Lord before whom I stand”. “I am filled with zeal for God, the Lord” 1 Kings 17-21.
The main elements of Elijah's life, totally dedicated to God -solitude, penance, prayer and contemplation- became the way of life for the first Carmelites. His provoking challenge to the vacillating people of Israel, "how long will you straddle the issue? If the Lord is God, follow Him...," continues to sound down the years and inspire his contemporary sons and daughters to a like absoluteness in their unequivocal commitment to renounce the world and "seek the things that are above." In the land of Israel, withdrawn in prayer, rises Elijah the prophet. Carmel, had drawn its inspiration from him throughout time, in his search for the face of God, his fervent prophetic zeal, witness of the living God. Later on, many people who prayed in memory of Elijah made the deserts of Palestine bloom
Hermits on Mount Carmel:
The Carmelite order began with those crusaders who reclaimed the holy Mountain and later formed hermits who settled on Mount Carmel around 1155, inspired by the Prophet Elijah’s lifestyle. On the slopes of Mount Carmel...There, the Order of Carmel had taken roots. In Hebrew Carmel means garden and expresses not only the richness of the natural verdure which covers the mountain like a multi-coloured tapestry, but also the grace and excellence of the many saints who flourished and flowered on its mystical summit.
Rule:
St. Albert of
Jerusalem: The first rule of life for the hermits was written by St. Albert,
the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, between 1206 and 1214.
Official recognition:
Due to increasing tensions in the Holy Land, the hermits moved to Europe and were formally recognized as a religious order by the Church after a General Chapter meeting in 1247.
Way of life:
Prayer and service: The Carmelite charism is a balance of prayer, community life, and service to humanity.
Dual focus:
The order includes those who focus on contemplative monastic life and those who are more active in preaching and teaching in parishes and missions.
Community:
The community is diverse, with both introverted and extroverted members who
support each other.
Imitating
Elijah:
They continue to be inspired by the
prophet Elijah, seeking God's presence and justice.
Today…
In the spirit instilled by the Madre,
Carmel continues its mission: a life of friendship with the Lord, fraternal
life or in solitude, missionary life under many aspects, prayer, hidden work,
silence… These are the essential realities.
Carmelite Congregations:
The Order has various Carmelite Congregations expanding the Carmelite
spirituality such as Carmelite sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Carmelites
of our Lady Mother of Divine Grace, Carmelite Missionaries which has two
branches, Carmelite Sisters and so on.
Associates and Laypeople:
There are also associates and lay volunteer members who live according to the Carmelite spirituality and support their mission. These associate and lay members are trained to participate in spiritual richness of the Carmelites and provide them with the needed supernatural motives to attend to their spiritual and moral needs.
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Key Aspect of the Carmelites Order
Spirituality
and Charism:
Carmelites
trace their spiritual lineage to the Prophet Elijah's life of contemplation and
prophetic action ("With zeal I have been zealous for the Lord, the God of
hosts") and to the Virgin Mary's "yes" to God's will. Their core
"life-project" is to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ, seeking the
face of the living God through contemplative prayer, community life, and
service to humanity.
The Carmelite family and ministries
includes:
Friars (Brothers and Priests): Engaged in
various ministries such as parish work, education, retreat ministry, hospital
chaplaincy, and missionary work.
Cloistered Nuns: Live a strictly
contemplative life within enclosed monasteries, dedicating themselves entirely
to prayer and sacrifice for the Church and the world.
Congregations:
Carmelites sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (CSSHJ)
Carmelite Missionaries (CM)
Carmelites of our Lady Mother of Divine Grace (COMLDG)
And many other congregations
Secular (Lay) Order:
Lay people and diocesan priests who live the Carmelite spirituality in their everyday lives while remaining in the world.
Associate
and lay members:
There are associate and lay members of
Carmelites who share in the spirituality and support the Carmelite mission.
The Carmelite
tradition has produced many well-known saints, including St. Thérèse of Lisieux
(the "Little Flower" and a Doctor of the Church), St. Edith Stein
(Teresa Benedicta of the Cross), and St. Titus Brandsma.
OUR LADY
MOTHER OF DIVINE GRACE
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you" is the opening line of the traditional Catholic prayer, the Hail Mary. The first part of the prayer is based on the biblical account of the Annunciation, where the Angel Gabriel greets Mary. It is a significant prayer in the Catholic tradition, often used for personal reflection or as part of other devotions, such as the Rosary.
Biblical origin: The greeting comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verses 26-28.
Structure: The full prayer continues with, "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen".
Purpose: It is a central prayer to Mary, often referred to as the Mother of God, asking for her intercession in our lives.
Additionally, in our Carmelite tradition, we have Marian devotion to honour Blessed Virgin Mary as the biological mother of Christ and our mother by order of grace. The Blessed Virgin Mary was eternally predestined in the context of the incarnation of the divine word, to be the Mother of God. As Mother of the divine Redeemer, his associate, uniquely generous and the Lord's humble servant. She conceived, bore the author of grace and nourished Christ, presented him to the Father in the Temple, and was united with him in his suffering as he died on the cross. In a completely unparalleled way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity, with our Saviour's work of restoring supernatural life (grace) to souls. For this reason she is Mother to us all in the order of grace (cf. Lumen Gentium, 61, see also Carmelite supplement to the Divine Office pg. 136 on our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace).Who We Are
1. WHO WE ARE
We are descended from the lineage of those original hermits of Mount Carmel in holy land. Carmelites of Our Lady mother of divine Grace (COLMDG) are religious men and women who have chosen to live a life of radical witnessing to Christ by imitating him as closely as possible in his holiness (chastity), responsible Obedience, Poverty of Spirit (renunciation of worldly spirituality), humility and simplicity. Carmelites of Our Lady Mother of Divine Grace, are a religious Institute consisting of priests, religious and lay people. An active-contemplative religious Institute with an active apostolate in the light of a New Evangelisation (“New wine, new wine skin” – Mk. 2:9). We strongly believe that in order to respond to the needs of our time our apostolate springs from a deep life of transformative prayer and intimacy with Jesus Christ. We with radical life-witnessing and commitment collaborate with other pastoral agents such as priests, religious and lay people of God in our apostolate.
This is because “The Son of God, who is the way, the truth and the life, (Jn. 14:6) which leads to the Father calls all those whom the Father has given to him to make the following of himself the whole purpose of their lives. But some of those called to the Consecrated life, he asks a total commitment, one which involves leaving everything behind in order to live at his side and to follow him wherever he goes” (Vita Consecrata #16).
2. CHARISM
Our Charism (vocation) as Carmelites of our Lady Mother of Divine Grace, is practice of divine presence and grace, transformative prayer, evangelical life-witnessing, re-education for a better world, integral wholeness (integral human development) including care of creation/culture of life (restoring all things to Christ to the glory of God the Father (Eph. 1:10), for when I am lifted up on the cross/ ascension, I shall draw all…to myself (Jn. 12:32), teaching catechesis, formation of lay people in Christian education towards lived-faith, and new evangelisation. It is grace-filled transformative prayer (active-contemplation), and new evangelisation, modeled on the transforming prayer lifestyle and evangelical actions of Christ (Mk. 1:14-15, Lk. 15:11-24; Jn. 2 and 11). Totally pledged to radically living the Gospel values in solitude, simplicity of life, detachment from worldly spirituality, humility, hardworking and strict poverty (renunciation).
It entails a call to a genuine discernment of divine presence, utilization of divine graces in communion and evangelical collaboration which impels us to life-witnessing, cooperating with God as co-workers in his vineyard in which active-contemplative life and zeal for manifold evangelical services
3. APOSTOLATE
Our charism is also expressed in manifold ways such as
· Ongoing-Catechesis:
Adequately catechizing the faithful at various stages leading to lived-faith and helping the lapsed Christians including the youths to return to sacraments.
· School / Teaching/Re-Education:
Transmitting Catholic faith and values in contemporary educational settings (schools, universities, parish programs, online platforms), focusing on forming the whole person and critiquing culture through a faith lens.
· Transformative Retreat Ministry:
We conduct retreat in a way that it brings a desired and authentic conversion
· Hospital:
Health is wealth, thereby helping the people to attain quality health/healing in mind and body
· Pastoral Administration/Leadership:
Applying organizational and leadership skills to Church structures and organizations, ensuring good works are carried out effectively and transparently and training quality leaders for quality Church ministry and society
· Integral human development/ Social Justice (social gospel)/charity:
Engaging in creative work for social and economic justice against all forms of injustice, advocating for systemic positive change, non-violence for a better world and the dignity of all people especially, the oppressed, the poor / needy, orphans, among many others
4. SPIRITUALITY OF COLMDG (in Brief)
1.
Practice
of Divine presence: God reigns
2.
Grace
and truth came through Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:17-18)
3.
Hail
Mary full of grace the Lord is with you...(Lk. 1:27-28)
4.
My
grace is enough for you (2Cor. 12:9)
5.
You
have all received grace, put it into good use (1Pet. 4:10-11) for integral
human development
6. By His grace we
live" is a Christian phrase rooted in the belief that God's unmerited
favor allows humanity to have life, forgiveness, and salvation. It signifies
that life and the ability to live in a way that pleases God are not earned
through human effort but are gifts from God through Jesus Christ. This grace is
seen as both the means of salvation and the power for living a righteous
life.
HOLY Services
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OTHER Services
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HOLY Mass
Feast day is July 23, our principal feast.
Some Other important Feasts:
1. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - 16 July
2. St. Elijah - 20 July
3. St. Teresa of Avila - 15 October
4. St. John of the Cross - 14th December
5. St. Joseph - 19th March
6. St. Andrew the Apostle (patron) - 30 November
Weddings
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Children
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Nursery school:
from 8 am until 13 am
Homework Assistance:
from 16 pm until 19 pm
From Monday to Friday
ISTITUTE Choir
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Join the Choir
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Contact us for:
Þ Application to join
Þ Prayer Requests
Þ Book Masses
Þ Transformative Retreat
Ministry
Þ Re-education
Þ Integral human
development
Þ Joining Carmelite
Associate as a lay member
Þ Inquiries about project
support / donations towards the permanent site development:
COLMDG
Facilitators:
Email
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