Proper Calendar
Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Ad Experimentum English Translation
We present an ad experimentum English translation of the revised liturgical calendar for the Discalced Carmelite Order that was published online by the General Curia 16 October 2019 pursuant to the Decree of the Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments (Prot. N. 345/18) dated 16 July 2019, its effective date. This translation was submitted to the General Secretary for Information of the Discalced Carmelite Order; a commentary on the calendar and translation follows below.
January
4 St. Kuriakos Elias of the Holy Family Chavara,
Priest — Optional Memorial 1
In provinces in India: Memorial
8 St. Peter Thomas,
Bishop — Optional Memorial
9 St. Andrew Corsini,
Bishop — Optional Memorial
In provinces in Italy: Memorial
27 St. Henry de Ossó y Cervelló,
Priest — Optional Memorial
February
4 Bl. Marie Eugene of the Child Jesus Grialou,
Priest — Optional Memorial
24 Bl. Josepha Naval Girbés,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
April
17 Bl. Baptist Spagnoli,
Priest — Optional Memorial
18 Bl. Mary of the Incarnation Barbe Acarie,
Religious — Optional Memorial
In provinces of France: Memorial
23 Bl. Teresa Maria of the Cross Manetti,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
May
4 Bl. Angel Maria Prat Hostench, Lucas of St. Joseph Tristany Pujol, Priests, and Companions,
Martyrs — Optional Memorial
In Spain: Memorial
16 St. Simon Stock,
Priest — Optional Memorial
In the Anglo-Irish province: Memorial
22 St. Joachina de Vedruna,
Religious — Optional Memorial
24 St. Bede the Venerable,
Priest and Doctor of the Church — Optional Memorial
St. Gregory VII,
Pope — Optional Memorial
25 St. Mary Magdalene of the Incarnate Word de’ Pazzi,
Virgin — Memorial
June
7 Bl. Anne of St. Bartholomew,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
In the Spanish province: Memorial
12 Bl. Alphonsus Mary of the Holy Spirit Mazurek,
Priest, and Companions, Martyrs — Optional Memorial
In the Polish provinces: Memorial
July
10 St. Henry,
Optional Memorial
12 Sts. Louis Martin and Marie Azélie Guérin,
Spouses — Optional Memorial
13 St. Teresa of Jesus Fernández Solar,
Virgin — Memorial
In the province of Chile: Feast
16 BLESSED VIRGIN MARY OF MOUNT CARMEL, PATRONESS AND HEAD OF OUR ORDER — Solemnity
17 Bl. Teresa of St. Augustine Lidoine and Companions,
Virgins and Martyrs — Optional Memorial
In the provinces of France: Memorial
18 St. Apollinaris,
Bishop and Martyr — Optional Memorial
19 St. Bridget,
Religious — Optional Memorial
20 OUR FATHER SAINT ELIJAH,
PROPHET — Feast
23 Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of Divine Grace — Memorial
24 Bl. Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia Martínez García, Bl. Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Moragas Cantarero and Companions,
Virgins and Martyrs — Optional Memorial
27 Bl. Titus Brandsma,
Priest and Martyr — Optional Memorial
28 Bl. John Soreth,
Priest — Optional Memorial
In the provinces of France: Memorial
August
3 St. Sixtus II, Pope, and Companions,
Martyrs — Optional Memorial
St. Cajetan, Priest — Optional Memorial
7 St. Albert of Trapani,
Priest — Memorial
9 St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross,
Virgin and Martyr — Memorial
In provinces of Europe: Patroness of Europe, Feast
18 Bls. Leonard Duverneuil, Michael Aloysius Brulard, and Hubert of St. Claude, Priests, and Companions,
Martyrs — Optional Memorial
25 St. Mary of Jesus Crucified Baouardy,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
26 Transverberation of the Heart of St. Teresa of Jesus Our Mother,
Optional Memorial
September
1 St. Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Virgin — Memorial
In the provinces of Italy: Feast
11 Bl. Mary of Jesus López Rivas,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
In the Spanish province: Memorial
17 St. Albert of Jerusalem,
Bishop and Lawgiver of our Order — Feast
18 St. Robert Bellarmine,
Bishop and Doctor of the Church — Optional Memorial
October
1 SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS,
VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH — Feast
15 SAINT TERESA OF JESUS OUR MOTHER,
VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH — Solemnity
30 Bl. Maria Teresa of St. Joseph Tauscher,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
November
6 St. Nuno of St. Mary,
Religious — Optional Memorial
In the province of Portugal: Memorial
7 Bl. Francis of Jesus Mary Joseph Palau y Quer,
Priest — Optional Memorial
8 St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Catez,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
14 ALL SAINTS OF OUR ORDER,
Feast
15 Commemoration of all the Departed of Our Order, Optional Memorial
19 St. Raphael of St. Joseph Kalinowski,
Priest — Memorial
29 Bls. Denis of the Nativity, Priest, and Redemptus of the Cross, Religious,
Martyrs — Optional Memorial
In provinces of India: Memorial
December
11 St. Maria Maravillas of Jesus Pidal y Chico de Guzmán,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
14 SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS OUR FATHER,
PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH — Solemnity
APPENDIX
April
In the provinces of Latin America:
28 Bl. Maria Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament Guggeri Echeverría,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
May
In the provinces of Italy:
29 Bl. Elia of St. Clement,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
June
In the provinces of France:
14 St. Elisha, Prophet
— Optional Memorial
In the provinces of Italy:
14 Bl. Maria Candida of the Eucharist Barba,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
26 Bl. Maria Giuseppina of Jesus Crucified Catanea,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
July
In the provinces of Europe:
7 Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Divine Grace
— Memorial
In the province of Spain:
24 Bl. Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia Martínez García, Teresa of the Child Jesus García García, and Maria Angeles of St. Joseph Voltierra Tordesillas,
Virgins and Martyrs — Optional Memorial
August
In the province of the Netherlands:
2 St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr, Patroness of Europe
— Feast
In the province of Spain:
16 Bl. Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Moragas Cantarero,
Virgin and Martyr — Optional Memorial
In the provinces of France:
30 St. Mary of Jesus Crucified Baouardy,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
October
In the province of Nigeria:
1 SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS,
VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH — Feast
November
In the provinces of France:
5 Bl. Françoise d’Amboise, Religious
In the province of Austria:
16 Commemoration of all the Departed of Our Order,
Optional Memorial
In the provinces of Austria and Germany:
23 St. Raphael of St. Joseph Kalinowski,
Priest — Memorial
December
In the provinces of Italy:
16 Bl. Mary of the Angels Fontanella,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
Nota Bene: In its Appendix, the Decree provides for several celebrations to be assigned to specific jurisdictions. For example, Latin American provinces may observe the optional memorial of Blessed Chiquitunga on 28 April; the Italian provinces may observe the optional memorial of Blessed Elia of St. Clement on 29 May. In other jurisdictions, dates of Carmelite feasts have been changed to accommodate local calendars where a conflict exists. These changes primarily affect the Spanish, French, German, and Italian-speaking provinces.
In that which concerns English-speaking Discalced Carmelites, perhaps the most significant of these particular date changes concerns the provinces of Europe, where the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Divine Grace now will be celebrated on 7 July.
The Discalced Carmelite Procurator General, Father Jean Joseph Bergara, explained that the calendar became valid immediately upon the signature of the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Robert Sarah. He stated that it was “effective from the date of the signing of the decree, 16 July 2019, but especially from the date of reception of the decree, 24 September 2019. From that date forward, it is the only valid calendar in all communities.”
You may view the Latin text of the Decree, the original Latin text of the revised calendar and its appendix, and the introduction from Father Bergara here.
1 Pastoral note: In the United States, the Optional Memorial of Saint Kuriakos Elias of the Holy Family Chavara gives way to the Obligatory Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious.
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