Carmelite Spirituality
Under the patronage of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and in the spirit of Elijah, we seek the face of the living God, immersing ourselves in the Word of God each day. We follow Christ more closely with the guidance of St Joseph and the Saints of Carmel, offering our hidden apostolate of prayer and sacrifice at the heart of the Church.
Understanding Carmel
“Each one of you is to stay in his own cell or nearby, pondering the Lord’s law day and night and keeping watch at his prayers.”
Sharing the Word—The Carmelite Way
Pondering the Scriptures is at the heart of Carmelite Life. The Carmelite Saints speak to us of the importance of Scripture in our lives:
“It is especially the Gospels which sustain me during my hours of prayer, for in them I find what is necessary for my poor little soul. I am constantly discovering in them new lights, hidden and mysterious meanings.”
—St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
“I have always been fond of the words of the Gospels and found more recollection in them than in cleverly written books.”
—St Teresa of Jesus
“In the beginning the Word
was; he lived in God
and possessed in him
his infinite happiness.
That same Word was God,
who is the Beginning;
he was in the beginning
and had no beginning.”—St John of the Cross
The Word of God takes flesh in the lives of the Saints. As we honour them in the liturgy in Carmel, we are invited to ponder anew Christ’s Word given to us each day.
If you would like some reflections on the coming readings for Sunday’s Mass join Fr. John Riccardo for his podcasts:
“O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life in listening to You, to become wholly teachable that I may learn all from You.”
Queen and Beauty of Carmel, pray for us.