Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo | |
 Coat of arms of the order | |
| Abbreviation | OCD |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1562; 464 years ago (1562) |
| Founder | Teresa of Ávila John of the Cross |
| Type | Mendicant Order of Pontifical Right (for Men) |
| Legal status | Institute of Consecrated Life |
| Headquarters | Casa Generalizia dei Carmelitani Scalzi, Corso d’Italia 38, 00198 Rome, Italy |
| Membership | 3,978 members (includes 2,897 priests)[1] (2022) |
Superior General | Miguel Márquez |
| Affiliations | Catholic Church |
| Website | carmelitaniscalzi |
TheDiscalced Carmelites, formally theOrder of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (Latin:Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or theOrder of Discalced Carmelites (Latin:Ordo Carmelitarum Discalceatorum;abbrev.:OCD; sometimes called in earlier timesLatin:Ordo Carmelitarum Excalceatorum), is amendicant order in theRoman Catholic Church with roots in theeremitic tradition of theDesert Fathers. The order was established in the 16th century, pursuant to the reform of theCarmelites of the Ancient Observance, by twoSpanishsaints,Teresa of Ávila andJohn of the Cross.Discalced is derived from Latin, meaning "without shoes".
Thethird order, which is affiliated to the Discalced Carmelites, is theSecular Order of Discalced Carmelites.
The Discalced Carmelites arefriars andnuns who dedicate themselves to a life of prayer. The Carmelite nuns live incloistered (enclosed) monasteries and follow a completely contemplative life. The Carmelite friars, while following a contemplative life, also engage in the promotion of spirituality through their retreat centres, parishes, and churches. Lay people, known as the Secular Order, follow their contemplative call in their everyday activities. Devotion to the Virgin Mary is a characteristic of Carmelites[which?] and is symbolised by wearing the brownscapular.[2]
The Carmelite Order, from which the Discalced Carmelites branched off, is also referred to as the Carmelites of the Ancient Observance to distinguish them from their discalced offshoot. It was established in the 13th century in theHoly Land during theCrusades.
All Carmelites, including the Discalced, trace their roots and their name toMount Carmel in the Holy Land. There, in the 13th century, a band of European men gathered together to live a simple life of prayer. Their first chapel was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and they called themselves the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.[3]
The Muhraka monastery on the summit of Mount Carmel nearHaifa inIsrael is a historic Carmelite monastery. The monastery was erected on the place whereSt. Elijah the Prophet is said to have lived and vanquished the prophets of Baal.[4]
The first Carmelites were pilgrims to Mount Carmel who settled there in solitude. These early hermits were mostly laity who lived a life of poverty, penance, and prayer. Between 1206 and 1214,St. Albert Avogadro, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, brought the hermits on Mount Carmel together into community. At their request he wrote them arule that expressed their intention and reflected the spirit of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and of the early community of Jerusalem. They were also inspired by St. Elijah. The words of Elijah, "with zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts" (1 Kings, 19:10) form the motto on the Carmelite coat of arms, which also depicts his arm bearing a flaming sword in reference to his defeat of the false prophets of Baal. Around 1238, within 50 years of receiving their rule, theSaracens forced the Carmelite hermits to leave Mount Carmel, and they migrated to Europe.[5]
A combination of political and social conditions that prevailed in Europe in the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries, including theHundred Years' War,Black Plague,Protestant Reformation, andHumanist Revival, adversely affected the Order. Many Carmelites, including whole communities, succumbed to contemporary attitudes and conditions that were diametrically opposed to their original vocation. To accommodate this situation their rule of life was "mitigated" several times. Consequently, the Carmelites less and less resembled the first hermits ofMount Carmel.[6]
St. Teresa of Jesus (of Avila) considered contemplative prayer to be the surest means to restore the authentic mission of the Carmelite Order. She wrote that God communicated to her the command to establish a new reformed monastery.[7] A group of nuns assembled in her cell one September evening in 1560, taking their inspiration from the primitive tradition of Carmel and the discalced reform ofSt. Peter of Alcantara, a controversial movement within Spanish Franciscanism, proposed to found a monastery of aneremitical kind.[citation needed]
With few resources and often bitter opposition, Teresa succeeded in 1562 in establishing a small monastery with the austerity of desert solitude within the heart of the city ofÁvila,Spain, combining eremitical and community life. On 24 August 1562, the newConvent of St. Joseph was founded. Teresa's rule, which retained a distinctively Marian character, contained exacting prescriptions for a life of continual prayer, safeguarded by strict enclosure and sustained by the asceticism of solitude, manual labor, perpetual abstinence, fasting, and fraternal charity. In addition to this, Teresa envisioned an order fully dedicated to poverty.[6]
Working in close collaboration with Teresa wasJohn of the Cross, who with Anthony of Jesus founded the first convent of Discalced Carmelite friars inDuruelo,Spain on 28 November 1568.[8]
The Discalced Carmelites were established as a separate province of the Carmelite Order by the decreePia consideratione[9] ofPope Gregory XIII on 22 June 1580. By this decree the Discalced Carmelites were still subject to the Prior General of the Carmelite Order in Rome, but were otherwise distinct from the Carmelites in that they could elect their own superiors and author their own constitutions for their common life. The following Discalced Carmelite Chapter atAlcala de Henares,Spain in March 1581 established the constitutions of the Discalced Carmelites and elected the first provincial of the Discalced Carmelites,Jerome Gratian. This office was later translated into that of Superior General of the Discalced Carmelites.[10]
The heart of the Carmelitecharism is prayer and contemplation. The quality of prayer determines the quality of the community life and the quality of the service which is offered to others. Prayer and contemplation for the Carmelite are not private matters between the individual and God but are to be shared with others since the charism is given for the whole world. Therefore, there is an emphasis in the order on the ministry of teaching prayer and giving spiritual direction.[11]
For a Carmelite, prayer is guided by the teachings and experience of Teresa of Jesus (of Ávila) and John of the Cross, as well as the saints who have followed in their steps, such asThérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face,Elizabeth of the Trinity,Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, and martyrs such asTeresa Benedicta of the Cross, and the sixteenMartyrs of Compiegne. Other lights includeBr. Lawrence of the Resurrection andPère Jacques de Jesus. Fraternity, service, and contemplation are essential Carmelite principles.[citation needed]
When the Carmelites were forced to leave Mount Carmel, they changed their practice from being hermits to friars. The major difference is that friars are called to serve the People of God in some active apostolate. Some congregations were founded for a specific work, but the Carmelite Order tries to respond to what it sees as the needs of the Church and the world – which differ according to time and place. Many friars work in such institutions as parishes, schools, universities, retreat centres, prisons, and hospitals. Each individual friar will serve in roles depending on the perceived spiritual needs of the people with whom he lives and his particular talents.[11]
Each day is marked by silent, mental prayer. In addition to the daily celebration of the fullLiturgy of the Hours, two hours (one in the morning and one in the evening) are dedicated to mental prayer. Communities ordinarily have a maximum of 21 members. The friars practice a broad-based discipline of study.
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 Current bishops | Former and actualepiscopal see or assignment | Current residency | Date of birth (current age) | Appointed to episcopacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anders Arborelius |  Bishop ofStockholm(1998–Incumbent)
| Stockholm,Sweden | (1949-09-24)24 September 1949 (age 76) | 17 November 1998 PopeJohn Paul II |
| Cástor Oswaldo Azuaje Pérez |  Bishop ofTrujillo(2012–Incumbent)
| Trujillo,Venezuela | (1951-10-19)19 October 1951 (age 74) | 30 June 2007 PopeBenedict XVI |
| Silvio José Báez Ortega |  Auxiliary Bishop ofManagua(2009–Incumbent) | Managua,Nicaragua | (1958-04-28)28 April 1958 (age 67) | 9 April 2009 PopeBenedict XVI |
| Philip Boyce |  Bishop ofRaphoe(1995–2017) | Letterkenny,Ireland | (1940-01-25)25 January 1940 (age 86) | 29 June 1995 Pope John Paul II |
| Peter Chung Soon-taick |   Metropolitan Archbishop ofSeoul(2021–Incumbent) | Seoul,South Korea | (1961-08-02)2 August 1961 (age 64) | 30 December 2013 Pope Francis |
| Paul Dahdah |  Archbishop-Vicar Apostolic ofBeirut(1999–Incumbent)
| Beirut,Lebanon | (1941-06-08)8 June 1941 (age 84) | 30 May 1983 Pope John Paul II |
| Brig. Gen.Gonzalo de Jesús María del Castillo Crespo |  MilitaryBishop Emeritus ofBolivia(2012–Incumbent)
| La Paz,Bolivia | (1936-09-20)20 September 1936 (age 89) | 3 November 1983 Pope John Paul II |
| Amancio Escapa Aparicio |  Auxiliary Bishop ofSanto Domingo(1996–2016) | Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic | (1938-03-30)30 March 1938 (age 87) | 31 May 1996 Pope John Paul II |
| Guy Étienne Germain Gaucher |  Auxiliary BishopEmeritus ofBayeux-Lisieux(2005–Incumbent)
| Venasque,France | (1930-03-05)5 March 1930 (age 95) | 27 August 1986 Pope John Paul II |
| Gustavo Girón Higuita |  Bishop ofTumaco(1999–Incumbent)
| Tumaco,Colombia | (1940-05-20)20 May 1940 (age 85) | 8 February 1990 Pope John Paul II |
| Greg Homeming |  Bishop ofLismore(2017-Incumbent) | Australia | (1958-05-30)30 May 1958 (age 67) | 22 February 2017 Pope Francis |
| Zdenko Križić |  Bishop ofRoman Catholic Diocese of Gospić-Senj(2016-Incumbent) | Croatia | (1953-02-02)2 February 1953 (age 73) | 25 May 2016 Pope Francis |
| Gonzalo López Marañon |  Vicar ApostolicEmeritus ofSan Miguel de Sucumbíos(2010–Incumbent)
| Nueva Loja,Ecuador | (1933-10-03)3 October 1933 (age 92) | 2 July 1984 Pope John Paul II |
| Luis Alberto Luna Tobar | ArchbishopEmeritus ofCuenca (2000–Incumbent)
| Cuenca, Ecuador | (1923-12-15)15 December 1923 (age 102) | 17 August 1977 Pope Paul VI |
| Aníbal Nieto Guerra | Bishop ofSan Jacinto de Yaguachi (2009–Incumbent)
| Yaguachi,Ecuador | (1949-02-23)23 February 1949 (age 76) | 10 June 2006 Pope Benedict XVI |
| Marie Fabien Raharilamboniaina |  Bishop ofMorondava(2010–Incumbent) | Morondava,Madagascar | (1968-01-20)20 January 1968 (age 58) | 26 February 2010 Pope Benedict XVI |
| Braulio Sáez Garcia | Auxiliary Bishop ofSanta Cruz de la Sierra (2003–Incumbent)
| Santa Cruz de la Sierra,Bolivia | (1942-03-23)23 March 1942 (age 83) | 18 February 1987 Pope John Paul II |
| Rubens Sevilha |  Auxiliary Bishop ofVitória(2011–Incumbent) | Vitória,Brazil | (1959-09-29)29 September 1959 (age 66) | 21 December 1987 Pope Benedict XVI |
| Jean Benjamin Sleiman |  Archbishop ofBaghdad(2001–Incumbent) | Baghdad,Iraq | (1946-06-30)30 June 1946 (age 79) | 29 November 2000 Pope John Paul II |
| Jusztin Nándor Takács |  BishopEmeritus ofSzékesfehérvár(2003–Incumbent)
| Székesfehérvár,Hungary | (1927-01-15)15 January 1927 (age 99) | 23 December 1988 Pope John Paul II |
| Rolando Joven Tria Tirona |  MetropolitanArchbishop ofCaceres(2012–Incumbent)
| Naga,Philippines | (1946-07-22)22 July 1946 (age 79) | 15 November 1994 Pope John Paul II |
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