Dear Brothers and Sisters in Carmel,
As we farewelled our dear Sister Elizabeth of the Trinity that first week of August, our hearts are filled with such mixed emotions. Sadness at losing her, yet joy for her that she has been called home to God, the love of her life. We have such gratitude for her invaluable help and guidance in the establishment of our Community. May her beautiful soul rest in peace.
The worldwide OCDS Meeting in Avila has concluded. While we wait for the documents etc from it from our General Delegate, Fr Ramiro Casale, I thought I would share a little “taste” of it that appeared on Facebook:
“The Secular Carmelite vocation today calls us to a ‘creative fidelity’ that preserves the Teresian charism while embodying it in the real challenges of our time. Our identity is rooted in prayer – not as an item or schedule, but as the foundation that transforms our entire existence. ‘The whole of their life is a prayer, a search for union with God.’ To be OCDS means breaking the false divide between sacred and ordinary life, becoming contemplative in the midst of family, work and society. Our mission is not activism but witness: carrying the presence of the Living God into places where monasteries cannot go. The world suffers from spiritual amnesia and urgently needs ‘witnesses to God's presence’. The Secular Carmelite becomes a ‘sidewalk contemplative’, radiating peace, depth, interiority and love in the most ordinary and wounded spaces of human life. Within the Order we show that the Carmelite charism is not fragile but fully liveable amid noise, responsibility and modern pressures. With the Church, we place the spiritual riches of Carmel – prayer, contemplation, friendship with Christ – at the service of evangelization. In the world, we reveal through our lives that God is real, that holiness is possible, and that prayer transforms. Rooted in Contemplation and sent into the world, we are called to carry the fire of Carmel wherever we live.”
REMEMBER: OUR MEETINGS FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WILL BE AT THE NAZARETH RESIDENTS’ COMMUNITY CENTRE, LOCATED AT THE FAR END OF THE VILLAGE. SAME TIME SCHEDULE. SEE YOU THERE ON 6TH SEPTEMBER!
Christchurch's Peace of Christ Community President