What are the obligations of a Secular Carmelite?
The Secular Carmelite assumes these main obligations.
What are the requirements for admission to the Secular Order?
The Rule states that “any member of the Church, who is called to the Lord, is free from impediments, and conscientiously accepts his/her own vocation and the Rule of Life offered by the Secular Order, can apply to a fraternity.” Local Statutes also impose minor requirements.
On Mount Carmel…
Mount Carmel, a promontory in north Palestine overlooking the Mediterranean, is mentioned in the Bible as a holy place. There, the prophet Elijah defended the purity of faith against the prophets of Baal.
Why is the Order called ‘Discalced’?
‘Discalced’ literally means ‘without shoes’. The term was commonly used in religious parlance at the time if St Teresa of Jesus to indicate an order which had reformed itself and adopted a more dedicated and austere form of life. Members of these orders went barefooted or wore some form of open sandals.