Carmelite wisdom to encourage & inspire
On 16 November 1937 St. Edith Stein writes, “My sister Rosa is living wholly on faith […] interiorly she is completely alone.” Learn about Rosa’s difficult path from baptism to the Carmel of Echt and the pitfalls she faced along the way.
Continue reading →
In Germany, the Discalced Carmelite family observes the memorial of Blessed Georg Häfner, priest of the Würzburg diocese who was martyred at Dachau on this date in 1942. His most famous quote, "We do not want to curse anyone..." comes from a letter to his parents three days before his transfer from Nazi detention in Würzburg to the concentration camp at Dachau. We have a translation of that tender letter in our quote of the day.
From the time he was an altar boy, Georg Häfner was very close to the Carmelite nuns in Würzburg, where he joined the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS), taking the name of Aloysius of the Most Blessed Sacrament. He sang his first Mass on 21st April 1924, having been ordained on 13th April of the same year. After having carried out pastoral work in various parishes, on 12th November 1934 he was appointed Pastor of the Oberschwarzach parish; during this period Hitler was coming to power. Häfner soon came into conflict with Hitler’s agents, since he would never use the typical Hitler salute, and always defended the doctrine and rights of the Church. He was arrested on 31st October 1941 and taken to the Dachau concentration camp on 12th December the same year. His letters from Dachau show his deep faith and his capacity to pardon his executioners. Finally, exhausted by illness and, above all, by hunger, he died on 20th August 1942.
St. Edith Stein writes an old friend in Switzerland to ask if she could assist to obtain entry permits and visas for herself and her older sister Rosa, who has been an extern sister and outside sacristan at the Carmel of Echt since 1 July 1939.
On Easter Sunday, 17 April 2022, Father General Miguel Márquez Calle sent video greetings to the entire Order from Bucha, Ukraine. From the burial ground where the friars had just prayed for the dead, he wished to extend resurrection greetings: "to all the Order we wish you a Happy Easter where death does not have the last word." Watch his video with our English subtitles.
We have translated an excerpt from St. John Paul II's homily at the beatification of Josefa Naval Girbés in 1988, where he praises her heroic virtues and her status as a lay woman in the local church.
Blessed Josefa Naval Girbés opened a school where she taught needlework, prayer, and the evangelical virtues in her own home and formed many young girls and women, sharing with them her wisdom and understanding. She was a member of the Discalced Carmelite Third Order Secular.
If we obey the pope, we obey the Lord Jesus, according to his own words addressed to Peter and the other apostles
In her own home, she opened a school where she taught needlework, prayer, and the evangelical virtues
We simply need to pray diligently for each other
I sacrifice my days of suffering for my parish... with God's help I hope to persevere
For Secular Carmelites, Mary is a model of total commitment to God’s Kingdom
If we obey the pope, we obey the Lord Jesus, according to his own words addressed to Peter and the other apostles
Karol Józef Wojtyła was never a tertiary, canonically speaking
The spiritual tradition of Carmel comes to our rescue
She watched over her followers and prepared them for life
This Lent we will be guided by the writings of St. John of the Cross
He was captivated by St. Therese and St John of the Cross
He was captivated by St. Therese and St John of the Cross
He gave the Church a wonderful example of love
The Real News
Everyday Life
The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.
web de espiritualidad carmelitana
Antonio Mas Arrondo
Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices. ~ St. Teresa of Avila
Monasterio de las Batuecas Carmelitas Descalzos
Carmelite Quotes 
Recent comments