Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo | |
 Coat of arms of the order | |
| Abbreviation | OCD |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1562; 463 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, known officially as 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 times,Latin:Ordo Carmelitarum Excalceatorum), is aCatholicmendicant order with roots in theeremitic tradition of theDesert Fathers. The order was established in the 16th century, pursuant to the reform of theCarmelite Order by twoSpanishsaints,Teresa of Ávila (foundress) andJohn of the Cross (co-founder).Discalced is derived from Latin, meaning "without shoes".
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. Thethird order 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 and is symbolised by wearing the brownscapular.[2]
Carmelites 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 top of Mount Carmel near Haifa in Israel is a historic Carmelite monastery. The monastery stands on the place where the prophetElijah is said to have lived and fought 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,Albert Avogadro, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, brought the hermits on Mount Carmel together into community. At their request he wrote them arule, which expressed their own intention and reflected the spirit of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and of the early community of Jerusalem. They were also inspired by the prophet Elijah, who had been associated with Mount Carmel. The words of Elijah, "With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts" (IKg 19:10) appear on the Carmelite crest. Around 1238, within fifty years of receiving their rule, the Carmelite hermits were forced by theSaracens to leave Mount Carmel and to settle in Europe.[5]
A combination of political and social conditions that prevailed in Europe in the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries – theHundred Years' War,Black Plague, theReformation and theHumanist revival – adversely affected the Order. Many Carmelites and even whole communities succumbed to contemporary attitudes and conditions diametrically opposed to their original vocation. To meet this situation the rule was "mitigated" several times. Consequently, the Carmelites bore less and less resemblance to the first hermits ofMount Carmel.[6]
Teresa of Avila considered the surest way to prayer to be a return to Carmel's authentic vocation. 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 ofPeter 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.[7]
The Discalced Carmelites were established as a separate province of the Carmelite Order by the decreePia consideratione[8] 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.[9]
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.[10]
For a Carmelite, prayer is guided by the teachings and experience of Teresa 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 Los Andes, and martyrs such asTeresa Benedicta of the Cross,Père Jacques and the sixteenMartyrs of Compiegne. Fraternity, service, and contemplation are essential values for all Carmelites.[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 needs of the people with whom he lives and his own particular talents.[10]
Each day is marked by silence for prayer. In addition to the daily celebration of the fullLiturgy of the Hours, two hours (one in the morning, one in the evening) are set aside for silent prayer. Communities should not have more than 21 members. The friars practice a broadly-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 75) | 17 November 1998 PopeJohn Paul II |
| Cástor Oswaldo Azuaje Pérez |  Bishop ofTrujillo(2012–Incumbent)
| Trujillo,Venezuela | (1951-10-19)19 October 1951 (age 73) | 30 June 2007 PopeBenedict XVI |
| Silvio José Báez Ortega |  Auxiliary Bishop ofManagua(2009–Incumbent) | Managua,Nicaragua | (1958-04-28)28 April 1958 (age 66) | 9 April 2009 PopeBenedict XVI |
| Philip Boyce |  Bishop ofRaphoe(1995–2017) | Letterkenny,Ireland | (1940-01-25)25 January 1940 (age 85) | 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 63) | 30 December 2013 Pope Francis |
| Paul Dahdah |  Archbishop-Vicar Apostolic ofBeirut(1999–Incumbent)
| Beirut,Lebanon | (1941-06-08)8 June 1941 (age 83) | 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 88) | 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 84) | 8 February 1990 Pope John Paul II |
| Greg Homeming |  Bishop ofLismore(2017-Incumbent) | Australia | (1958-05-30)30 May 1958 (age 66) | 22 February 2017 Pope Francis |
| Zdenko Križić |  Bishop ofRoman Catholic Diocese of Gospić-Senj(2016-Incumbent) | Croatia | (1953-02-02)2 February 1953 (age 72) | 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 91) | 2 July 1984 Pope John Paul II |
| Luis Alberto Luna Tobar | ArchbishopEmeritus ofCuenca (2000–Incumbent)
| Cuenca, Ecuador | (1923-12-15)15 December 1923 (age 101) | 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 57) | 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 65) | 21 December 1987 Pope Benedict XVI |
| Jean Benjamin Sleiman |  Archbishop ofBaghdad(2001–Incumbent) | Baghdad,Iraq | (1946-06-30)30 June 1946 (age 78) | 29 November 2000 Pope John Paul II |
| Jusztin Nándor Takács |  BishopEmeritus ofSzékesfehérvár(2003–Incumbent)
| Székesfehérvár,Hungary | (1927-01-15)15 January 1927 (age 98) | 23 December 1988 Pope John Paul II |
| Rolando Joven Tria Tirona |  MetropolitanArchbishop ofCaceres(2012–Incumbent)
| Naga,Philippines | (1946-07-22)22 July 1946 (age 78) | 15 November 1994 Pope John Paul II |
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