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Communications nº 80
01-05-2007
Index
Southeast Asia
An opportune allusion by Benedict XVI to Saint Teresa of Jesus.
A Missionary Encounter for Asia and the Far East
Carmel in Lebanon
About our Monasteries.
Southeast Asia
Between March and April, Father General visited the Carmelite Communities in some of the
Southeast Asian countries. In order not to tarry long, we can summarize this visit around one
question, What is the Carmelite reality in these countries?
Southeast Asia covers a lot of territory.. However, this time we speak of Vietnam,
Cambodia, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. They have received and undergone a different
history of colonization, liberation, wars and violent revolutions. Therefore, there are great
differences of economic and social development among them. However, in all these they have
noticed an extraordinary dynamism. In differing degrees, globalization and an opening to the
outside world has reached all. At the same time, at different levels, they have to develop their
religious, cultural and linguistic plurality.
In Vietnam, there are four communities of Discalced Carmelite Nuns full of vocations as in
no other part. They await the permission of the government for others other foundations.
Although we have no foundation of Friars, four temporary professed Brothers are completing
their formation in the Philippines, and another four will enter this year in the same country to
begin the novitiate. In Cambodia, there are five Korean Friars in the process of making a
foundation. They have bought land where they hope to soon begin the construction of the
monastery. The old convent near the capital of Phnom Penh is at present an orphanage.
In Taiwan, there are two monasteries of Sisters and two of Friars (a small house of
formation and also a small parish). In Singapore, there is a house of Sisters, and two of friars
(house of formation and a parish.) In Malaysia, four communities of Sisters (one on the
peninsula of Malacca, near the capital of Kuala Lumpur, and three in the Malaya parte of the
island of Borneo). There are lively communities of the Carmelite Secular Order, above all in
Singapore and Malaysia. There is a Christianity of profound fidelity and of co-responsibility in
Vietnam and Malaysia. Just to point out a simple fact: starting at five-thirty in the morning the
chapels of the Carmelite Nuns are filled even to the point of having to put chairs outside,
including workdays. The lay faithful begin the day by participating in prayer and the Eucharist
with the nuns.
In the case of the formation program in Singapore, over and above the vocations proper to the
Delegation of Taiwan-Singapore, they have vocations from Malaysia, Thailand and Burma
(Myanmar). Because of the suffering of the past, it appears to us that the people are culturally
persevering
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and generous in Christian faith and life. The vocations from Taiwan - Singapore- Malaysia
are of Chinese origin for the most part. They represent a future open door to that great
country.
All the Carmelites are destined to collaboration throughout that extended region.
The Vietnamese are pursuing the whole process of formation in the Philippines. Those of the
Taiwan–Singapore Delegation (including to the other mentioned countries) will have from this
year the novitiate in the Philippines. These students will later be the founders of Carmelite
communities in their respective countries. For this collaboration, at least in formation, it is
necessary to use English. These promising fields, need the support of the Order in this moment
especially in the beginning, in order that the spiritual, theological and pastoral formation, can
strengthen them in their vocation. Given the different national languages of the region, we
invite the Brothers as well as the Sisters to familiarize themselves to some of the common
languages, that permit a fluid communication and the capacity to translate in their own
languages, in order that they and their people, the writers for the Carmelite and other
traditions.
An opportune allusion by Benedict XVI to Saint Teresa of Jesus.
On the 22nd of February, Pope Benedict XVI signed the post synodal apostolic exhortation
Sacramentum caritatis. In it, he taught about “the Eucharist, the source and summit of the
life and of the mission of the Church.” In the second part, where he spoke about the
“Eucharist, mystery that needs to be celebrated° he goes on to record the principles and
criteria, giving concrete orientations upon a Eucharistic celebration, more lively and
participatory. Reaching number 55, the Pope stops to indicate a condition recommended by the
master saints of the spiritual life. In making this reference, he alludes to Saint Thomas Aquinas
and Saint Teresa in a note. The Teresian text of note is the teaching contained in Chapter 35 of
the Way of Perfection, a doctrine of giving thanks that in its time was confirmed by the Council
of Trent, session XIII, c. VIII. In the conclusion of this document, recalling the saints that
have formed the Eucharistic Life, Benedict XVI evokes Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.. Sanctity has
always held – it is the consideration of the pope – its center in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
A Missionary Encounter for Asia and the Far East
From the 24th to the 27th of September a Missionary Congress for the circumscriptions of
Asia and the Far East will take place in our “Institute of Indian Christian Spirituality° of
Mangalore, India. The representative of the five Indian Provinces plus the Commissariats of
New Deli and Andhra Pradesh, the Regional Vicariates of Indonesia, of Australia, the
Commissariats of Korea and the Philippines, the Delegation General of Japan, of Taiwan–
Singapore, Missions of Kuwait and Tanzania, confided to the Province of Karnataka–Goa were
invited. It will seek to activate the missionary conscience of Carmel in the name of our
vocation or of our Teresian charism.
After the introductory conference of Father General of the Order, there will follow other
enlightened interventions of the missionary vocation of Carmel: 1) Some characteristics of our
new missionary activity in the past (P. Domingo Fz..de Mendiola, 2) “Memory of the
unforgettable Carmelite missionaries on Asiatic soil” (P. Paul D + Souza), 3) “Inculturation,
Ecumenism and Inter-religious Dialogue” (P. Amaladoss, SJ), 4. °The Church in Asia and its
Challenges” (P. Felix Wilfred, SJ).
An ample space is foreseen for information about our missionary presence today in Asia and
in the Far East. At the end of the encounter there will be a visit to the ruins of the ancient
convent of Goa, where the Blessed Dionysus and Redemptus lived, an archeological zone which
the Order seeks to recover.
Carmel in Lebanon
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The renaming of the foundational Carmelite mission of Alepo (Syria) arrived at the
awareness of the Maronite patriarch Girgis ‘Amara, who petitioned the coming of the
Carmelites to his country “of the cedars.” The first three religious arrived on the 18 th of March
of 1643 to the Valle Santo. During their stay of 50 years in the monastery “Mar Lishaa” of
Qadisha (=San Elias) they helped the renovation of the monastic life in the zone. By the
invitation of the patriarch Stephan Eldouehi, they left the valley of Qadisha in 1701 they
climbed up to Becharre (1701–1908), where they inaugurated a pharmacy and a primary
school. However during the 207 years of its history the principal apostolates were confessions
and preaching in the towns. In 1909 they transferred to a new convent, where they remained
still. In 1645 they founded the convent of “Tal el zehrieh” in Tripoli (Tarboulos) in order to
assist the pilgrims to the Holy Land. In 1807 they constructed a large school. With the
cooperation of the Carmelites of Saint Teresa (Florence) they were able to also found another
college for young women. The two colleges have helped to educate a prestigious elite in the
north of Lebanon. The war from 1975 to 1983 caused serious damages to these scholastic
institutions, which have continued to function uninterruptedly.
Another foundation in the north of the country is Kobayath (1836), the area of weakest
presence of Maronite Christians There the Semi-Province has the postulancy and external
college. In 1852 the convent and the church were constructed. Currently it is the novitiate of
the Lebanese semi-province. In 1968 a convent was built in the capital, Bayreuth–Hazmieh,
which actually is the provincial residential house of formation, spirituality center, and the
house of Carmelite education in Arabic. The convent of Al Carmaleyya–Mejdlayya (1969) has
had a troubled existence because of where it is situated. For this reason the convent and
school of a thousand young people was occupied, sacked and in part destroyed twice, in 1976
and in 1983. However, the builings were able to be reconstructed in 1984. The last foundation
is the Al Maaysra-Foutouh Kesrouan (1995) in the region of Nahr Ibrahim. It is an center of
spirituality.
The first Lebanese foundations owed themselves to the Roman Province. Since 1970,
Lebanon is a semi–province. Among the 37 religious, there are three bishops: Paul Basin,
bishop emeritus, Paul Dahdah, apostolic vicar of the Latin Rite, and Monsignor Jean Benjamin
Sleiman, the Latin archbishop of Baghdad in Iraq. The Lebanese are in service also in Egypt
and in Israel.
The picture is completed with the monastery of the Carmelite Nuns of Harissa, of the
byzantine Rite and with the prestigious school of icons joined to the namesake national shrine
of the Virgin of Christian Unity, founded in 1962 with the Spanish origin, which in 2005
founded another Carmelite monastery near the historical city of Biblos.
About our Monasteries
With regard to the rescript no. FM 52- 2/95 of the Congregation for the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life of the 2 nd of March 2007 the mandate of P.
Jesus Maria Arroyo Castellanos as Religious Assistant of the Association “Saint Joseph of the
monasteries of the Discalced Carmelites in Ecuador has been renewed for another triennium.
With regard to the rescript no. FM 57,h- 1/95 of the Congregation for the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life of the 21 st of March 2007 Fr. Gregory
D’Souza, OCD as Religious Assistant of the Association “Our Lady of Mount Carmel” of the
monasteries of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns in India (South-West India) has been named for a
triennium.
With regard to the rescript no. 12620/2007 of the Congregation for the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life of the 10 th March 2007 has been permitted
to the monastery of Trivandrum, of the same diocese, of being able to form part of the
Association “Our Lady of Mount Carmel” of the monasteries of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns in
India (South-West India).
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With regard to the rescript no. 12736/2007 of the Congregation for the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life of the 3rd of April 2007 has been coincided
to the monastery of Vienna/Austria of passing of the jurisdiction of the Arch bishop of Vienna
to that of the of the Head General of our Order.
With regard to the rescript no.12698/2007 of the Congregation for the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life of the 30 th of March 2007 has been
permitted to the monastery of Merida, of the same diocese of being able to form part of the
Association “Saint Joseph of Guadalupe” of the monasteries of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns in
Mexico.
With regard to the rescript no. 10367/2007 of the Congregation for the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life of the 31 st of March 2007 has been
coincided the permission in order to initiate the foundation of a monastery in the city of Maceio
in the name-sake archdiocese in Brazil, with the nuns from the monastery of Camaragibe,
Brazil.
With regard to the rescript no. FM 56- 2/2007 of the Congregation for the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life of the 29 th of March 2007 the Association of
the Discalced Carmelite Nuns in Portugal has been set up, with the following monasteries
Aveiro, Braga, Crato, Estoril, Faro, Fatima. Fr. Manuel Fernandes Dos Reyes has been named
Religious Assistant.
With regard to the rescript no. FM 52,e- 2/95 of the Congregation for the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life of the 20 th of April 2007 Fr. Felix
Malaxecheverría, OCD has been named as Religious Assistant of the Federation of the
monasteries of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of “San Joaquin” (Province of Navarra, Spain) for
a triennium.
In the General Assembly of the Northeast Association of Brazil, celebrated from the 1st of
March of 2007, the following sisters were elected:
Coordinator:
1st Counselor:
2nd Counselor:
3rd Counselor:
4th Counselor:
Substitute:
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Maria da Paz dos Anjos, Fortaleza
Maria Bernadette da Santa Mãe de Deus,
Maria Cecilia do Coração Eucarístico, Cariacica
Maria Teresa da Eucaristia, Senhor do Bonfim
Maria do Carmo da Eucaristia, São Luis
Celina Maria da Santa Face, Camaragiibe
In the General Assembly of the Northeast Association of India, the following sisters were
elected:
Coordinator: Sr. Salome, Soso
1st Counselor:
Sr. Alda, Sitagarha
2nd Counselor:
Sr. Carmel Ann, Raipur
3rd Counselor:
Sr. Dora, New Delhi
Substitute:
Sr. Isabel, Chatrapur
In the General Assembly of the Northeast Association of Peru, celebrated from the 19 th of
April of 2007, the following sisters were elected:
President:
Sr. M. Soledad de Nuestra Señora, Lima-Nazarenas, reelegida
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1st Counselor:
2nd Counselor:
3rd Counselor:
4th Counselor:
Substitute
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
M. Ana del Niño Jesús, Lima-Carmen Alto
M. Edith de Jesús, Lima-Carmen Alto
M. Rosa del Pilar, Lima-Nazarenas
Paula de Santa María, Lima-Nazarenas
M. Mariana de Jesús, Moquegua