General Information on Secular Carmelites

The Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (Sometimes referred to as the Third Order) is open to all Catholics, married or single, in good-standing with the Catholic Church.

Secular Carmelites are called to witness in the world the charism of contemplative prayer.

The Obligations of a Secular Carmelite:

*1/2 Hour of mental prayer in an atmosphere of solitude and silence

*Pray morning & evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours

*Attend mass daily if possible

*Observe daily devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary

*Have a great esteem for the Sacrament of Reconciliation

*Attend a monthly formation meeting with the community

A typical monthly meeting format:

*Morning or Evening Prayer in common-depending on the time the community meets.

*Short information meeting

*Whole community formation of the Carmelite saints, Rule, etc.

*Small group formation-Preparation for promises

*Break-Sharing with the community

Our community meets on the first Sunday of each month. Our meetings are from 1-4pm.

We also keep in touch with each other in between meetings through an online private Yahoo group.

Carmelite Saints (not a complete list):

St. Elijah

St. John of the Cross

St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi

St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila)

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

St. Teresa of Jesus (Andes)

St. Teresa Margaret Redi

St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Raphael Kalinowski

Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity

Official website for the Discalced Secular Carmelites Washington Province

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

__________________

Sunday in the Year for Priests

Triduum Mass for the feast of the Assumption

St. Joseph Church-Randolph, Ohio

Fr. Edward Wieczorek, pastor of St. Joseph Church welcomes the pilgrims to Our Lady's Shrine.

Fr.Sean Donnelly, from the Diocese of Cleveland, tells the story of the Apparitions at Lourdes, France.

Thank you to Fr. Wieczorek and Fr. Donnelly for a beautiful Mass in honor of Our Lady.

Visit the official webiste of Lourdes, France. Live tv coverage 24 hours a day of the Grotto. Click here.

Prayers for Priests
You came from among us to be, for us, one who serves.We thank you for ministering Christ to us and helping us minister Christ to each other.

We are grateful for the many gifts you bring to our community:for drawing us together in worship,for visiting us in our homes,for comforting us in sickness,

for showing us compassion,for blessing our marriage,for baptising our children,for confirming us in our calling,for supporting us in bereavement, for helping us to grow in faith,for encouraging us to take the initiative,for helping the whole community realise God's presence among us.

For our part, we pray that we may always be attentive to your needs and never take you for granted.You, like us, need friendship and love,welcome and a sense of belonging,kind words and acts of thoughtfulness.

We pray, also, for the priests who have wounded priesthood. May we be willing to forgive and may they be open to healing. Let us support one another during times of crisis.

God our Father, we ask you to bless our priests and confirm them in their calling.Give them the gifts they needto respond with generosity and a joyful heart.
We offer this prayer for our priest, Who is our brother and friend,
Amen.

(From World Day of Prayer for Priests)

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

____________________

Saturday of Our Lady

Feast of the Assumption

of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Prayer to Our Lady before a Pilgrimage Mass

Dear Blessed Mother, please pray with me as I begin the most important part of my pilgrimage, Holy Mass.

Guide me through your loving prayers, dear Mother, to an inner peace and calm. Help me to set aside all my anxious care and concern that I may participate fully in this wonderful act of worship. Let me see in this Mass the unending sacrifice of Jesus, a sacrifice of love for me and for all humanity.

Kind and compassionate Mother, help me to a greater clarity of mind and thought that I might see and hear more fully the message of this Eucharist. give me openness of heart that I may willingly accept into my life, the quiet direction of my loving Father through Sacred Scripture and the wonderful words of the Gospel of Jesus I will hear today.

May this Eucharist be a turning point in my life, Mary, a new beginning in this, my earthly pilgrimage toward my true home, which is in Heaven.

During this Mass I offer to our loving Lord all of my petitions, hopes, desires and problems, all of the intentions of my pilgrimage. I offer them with the priest through our crucified Saviour to the Father. I am confident He will hear me and answer my prayers, just as I am confident of His never-ending love for me.

Dearest Mary, pray for me during this Eucharist. Pray for all of us here in this church. Pray for us as we join in offering to the Father that most perfect act of your beloved Son, Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Adapted from a pilgrimage prayer to Our Lady of Consolation)

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

_____________________

Carmelite Quote

People must not think that our "little way" is a restful one, full of sweetness and consolation. It's quite the opposite. To offer oneself as a victim to love is to offer oneself to suffering, because love lives only on sacrifice; if one is completely dedicated to loving, one must expect to be sacrificed unreservedly.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus

Our Secular Carmelite vocation is a call to not only accept the cross but to approach it and embrace it with love-our vehicle to heaven. St. Therese tells us that we must expect to be sacrificed without reservation. Let us prepare ourselves each day with prayer to accept whatever the Lord wishes to send for our purification and sanctification. We know that without the cross their will be no resurrection. Let us expect and look with anticipation to the cross in our life. We can have confidence that our holy Mother, Mary, will remain with us every step of the way.

Let us pray for each other.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

______________________

Tabernacle of the Week

St. Augustine Health Center

Richfield, Ohio

Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine

Prayer of St. Alphonsus Liguori
for a visit to the Blessed Sacrament

Photo: R. Massaro-St. Augustine

Lord Jesus Christ, who, through the love which you bear all men, remains with them day and night in this sacrament, full of mercy and of love, expecting, inviting, and receiving all who come to visit You, I believe that You are truly present in the Sacrament of the Altar. I adore you and thank you for all the favors which you have bestowed upon me, especially for having given me Yourself in this sacrament, for having given me for an advocate Your most holy Mother, Mary, and for having called me to visit You in this church.





Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
____________________

Spiritual Life Dictionary

Today's Term:

Supernatural Words

Supernatural words are manifestations of God's thought which are heard either by the exterior senses or by the interior senses or directly by the intellect.

1. Exterior words-An auricular supernatural word is a vibration formed in the air by the ministry of angels. For example, St. Luke tells us that Zachary heard the angel Gabriel speak to him. The same angel Gabriel said to Mary: "Hail, full of grace." Like corporeal visions, these locutions are subject to illusion.

2. Imaginary supernatural words are heard by the imagination, when the person is awake or asleep. They sometimes seem to come from heaven; at other times from the depths of one's heart. They are perfectly distinct, although not heard with bodily ears. They are not easily forgotten. When the devil produces these words the soul is disturbed, troubled, and frightened.

3. Intellectual words are heard directly by the intellect without the intermediary of the senses or the imagination, in the way the angels communicate their thoughts to one another. It is mystical speech, which is the tongue of the fatherland.

Christian Perfection and Contemplation by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.

It is the same with another way in which God teaches the soul, and addresses it without using words, as I have said. This is so celestial a tongue that it is difficult to explain it to mortals, however much we may desire to do so, unless the Lord teaches it to us by experience...I think this is the state in which the devil has the least power of interference.

This kind of vision and this kind of speech are such spiritual things that I believe no turmoil is caused by them in the faculties, or in the senses.

The Life of St. Teresa, Chap. 27

We can make a short examen and ask ourselves:

*Do I say only the good things people need to hear, the things that will build them up spiritually, (St. Paul) or do I speak negatively and critically about people and situations?

*Do I follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit and "pray from the heart" and learn to listen instead of always "speaking" in prayer?

*Am I a good listener, or am I always thinking of what I am going to say next in a conversation?

*Am I respectful of the Word of God? Do I pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten me during the scripture readings at Mass?

As Secular Carmelites the Lord may give us the gift of perfect contemplation, as St. Teresa describes it. If the Lord desires to speak to our hearts in a true locution or spiritual vision as described above, let us remember that these gifts are not for ourselves alone, but for the upbuilding of the whole Church. We must also be careful not to boast about the gifts the Lord has given us. May the Lord give us wisdom and discernment of spirits.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie

_______________________

Sunday in the Year for Priests

The bishop receives the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, which integrates him into the episcopal college and makes him the visible head of the particular Church entrusted to him. As successors of the apostles and members of the college, the bishops share in the apostolic responsibility and mission of the whole Church under the authority of the Pope, successor of St. Peter.

Catechism #1594

(photo copyright-Spirit Singing)

Almighty God, look upon the face of Him who is the eternal High Priest, and have compassion on Your priests in today's world. Remember that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation. Keep them close to You lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.

Official website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
http://www.usccb.org/

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie

_____________________