The Carmelite order is such an order that believes so much in trusting the Lord and surrendering all to Him rather than giving themselves away to the thing of the world. They are strictly concerned with serving the Lord. We will then be sharing all you need to know about Carmelite Monastery in this content.
Carmelite is one of the four great mendicant orders (those orders whose corporate as well as personal poverty made it necessary for them to beg for alms) of the Roman Catholic Church, dating to the Middle Ages. Their rule was written between 1206 and 1214 by St. Albert, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and approved in 1226 by Pope Honorius III. The monks hoped to continue on Mount Carmel the way of life of the prophet Elijah, whom early Christian writers depicted as the founder of monasticism.
All You Need to Know About Carmelite Monastery
According to the Latin Charism and Motto of the Carmelites from the founding period which says Zelo zelatus sum pro Domino Deo exercituum meaning With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of Host, the Carmelite history is completely about working and dedicating all to God and for God. In this article, you will be having words on all you need to know about Carmelite monastery.
Brief History about the Carmelites
The origin of the order can be traced to Mount Carmel in northwestern Israel, where a number of devout men, apparently former pilgrims and Crusaders, established themselves near the traditional fountain of Elijah about 1155.
In the 9th century BC there arose a famous story about a prophet named Elijah, who challenged the followers of Baal to a type of contest to determine whose God was more powerful. The challenge occurred on Mount Carmel outside of Jerusalem and the prophet defeated the priests of Baal with great ease (see 1 Kings 18).
It was also on this mountain where Elijah saw a small cloud that ended a drought in Israel and would later be seen as a prophetic sign of the mother of the Messiah. The mountain where these events occurred became associated with the holy prophet, God’s triumph over evil and, in a particular way, the Blessed Mother.
There is a tradition that hermits lived on this mountain for many centuries after Eljiah, but were not a formal religious order until the 13th century, when they asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to create a rule of life for them. Ever since then the Order of Carmel has been the home to numerous saints and its spirituality has been a pathway to God for countless people, both religious and lay alike.
Subsequently, the early Carmelites were hermits: they lived in separate cells or huts and observed vows of silence, seclusion, abstinence, and austerity. Soon, however, the losses of the Crusading armies in Palestine made Mount Carmel unsafe for the Western hermits, and around 1240 they set out for Cyprus, Sicily, France, and England. The first general chapter (legislative meeting) of the Carmelites was held in England in 1247 under St. Simon Stock, and the order was adapted to the conditions of the Western lands to which it had been transplanted: the order transformed itself from one of hermits into one of mendicant friars. In this form the Carmelites established themselves throughout western Europe, becoming popular as an order closely analogous to the Dominicans and Franciscans. The first institution of Carmelite nuns was founded in 1452.
Of all the movements in the Carmelite order, by far the most important and far-reaching in its results was the reform initiated by St. Teresa of Ávila. After nearly 30 years in a Carmelite convent, she founded in 1562 a small convent in Ávila wherein a stricter way of life was to be observed. Teresa’s order became the order of Discalced Carmelite Nuns (O.D.C.). In spite of opposition and difficulties of many kinds, St. Teresa succeeded in establishing not only convents but also, with the cooperation of Juan de Yepes (later St. John of the Cross), a number of friaries that followed this stricter observance. The aim of the reform was to restore and emphasize the austerity and contemplative character of primitive Carmelite life. Because Reformed Carmelites wore sandals in place of shoes and stockings, they came to be called the Discalced, or barefooted, Carmelites, to distinguish them from the older branch of the order. In 1580 the reformed monasteries were made a separate province under the prior general of the order, and in 1593 this province became by papal act an independent order.
All You Need to Know About Carmelite Monastery
List of the Popular Carmelites in the World Over
- St. Simon Stock
- Prophet Elijah (Founder)
- St. Teresa of Avila (Founder)
- St. John of the Cross (Founder)
- St. Albert of Jerusalem (Founder)
- St. Therese of Lisieux
- St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
- St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
- St. John Paul II (Third Order Carmelite)
Examples of Famous Carmelite Monasteries
- Stella Maris Monastery
- Carmelite Hermitage of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Monks of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
- Holy Name Carmel
- Holy Hill
- Carmel de Lisieux.
All You Need to Know About Carmelite Monastery
The Time The Carmelite History Began
It all began at exactly c. 864 BC (Elijah), and then continued and picked up in 1214 AD (Rule of St. Albert) through the time of St. Teresa of Avila of the Discalced Order in 1562 AD.
