Communicationes No.22
15-04-2004
CONTENTS
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Laying the foundation stone for the new Centre of Spirituality (Avila)
Russia: Novogorod: Discalced Carmelites
St Theresa of the Infant Jesus, new Patroness
Associations: New Assistants, etc.
URGENT NOTICE
The Holy See has asked us to send urgently the civil and religious names of all the
Prioresses of our Carmelite Monasteries together with the name of the Monastery itself.
We request, therefore, all the Prioresses to send these data to the General House either by
fax (+39 06 85350206) or by e-mail to ocdinfo@pcn.net
Those who don’t have the e-mail facility may avail themselves of the service of the
Federation or Fr Provincial.
THANK YOU.
LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE FOR THE NEW COLLEGE ( CITeS)
The weather was cold and the sky dark on Sunday 28 th March, the 489th anniversary of Saint
Teresas birth, when the first stone was laid for the construction of the new International Centre
for Teresian and Johannnine Studies, in Avila. Fr Javier Sancho, the Director of the Centre,
spoke first welcoming everyone, and then of his pleasure that this day had come and finally
explaining the ceremony. After him came Fr General, who illustrated the goals of this initiative for
the Order, the Church and for humanity. The Bishop of Avila, spoke next, underlining the
ecclesial aspects of this initiative in Avila, to promote spirituality for todays world. Finally, the
Representative from the Town Council wanted to express his gratitude to the Carmelite family for
the person of St Teresa, to whom the secular community owes a great deal, and only in part
compensated by the gift of land on which the new college is to be built.
With a simple, but at the same time meaningful gesture, the Bishop blessed the land and
placed in an urn a book of the Gospels, the corner stone of life and of every work. Fr General
placed in the Urn a history of the Project; Fr Ulrich, who represented the previous Definitory
General, a development of the Project through the various newspapers; Fr Thomas Alvarez, a
CD with the works of Teresa and John of the Cross; the Representative of Mayor, a copy of the
document which gave the land; Fr Javier Sancho, the course study programme; a student: a
photo album with pictures of ex students; the Architect, a CD in which he explains the Project; a
Representative of the Town Planning Dept, an elborated description of the development of the
work; a Representative of the construction Company, S. Jose, a copy of the plan of works; the
Editor of the local Avila newspaper, a copy of that days Paper; Fr Atillio Ghisleri, a collection of
present day coins; a friend of Wurzburg Carmel, a stone from the German Monastery; and,
finally, Sonnia Ribas, a CD Coloquio de amor produced by CITES Foundation.
Sonnias voice and the beautiful words Vivo sin vivir en mi concluded this important
act, which took place in the presence of the Provincials of Burgos and Castille, also Fr Camilo
Maccise, then the President of the Department of Commerce, and other Religious of the Order,
as well as Religious from our Carmelite Family and by many friends and supporters.
There followed a splendid meal at the Friars Priory (La Santa) at which about seventy
invited people shared in a spirit of joy and hope.
NO PERMISSION FOR A CARMELITE PRIORY IN THE RUSSIAN CITY OF
NOVGOROD
The local Orthodox Bishop also opposed the presence of Nuns.
The Mayor of the Russian city of Novgorod, (north of Moscow), Vadim Bulavinov, refused Fr
Mario Beverati, Parish Priest of the Catholic Church of the Assumption, permission to construct a
small convent next to the Parish, in which some Carmelite Nuns would have lived.
The plan was to build the convent in the towns suburbs, officially a residential zone.
However, in the opinion of the Mayor a convent is not a normal house and for this cannot be built
in the area.
The Orthodox Bishop of Novgorod, Arzamas Georgij Danilov, made it clear that he was
also against the construction.
In a declaration,which was printed in the Italian Newspaper Avvenire, it was stated that
the Orthodox Bishop collected letters from Writers, Artists and ordinary layfolk who were
indignant, as the building of the Catholic convent would be a deliberate challenge to the
Orthodox.
After affirming that the region lacked a Catholic tradition, Bishop Danilov upheld that the
new convent would be a deliberate attempt to convert the Orthodox faithful to the Catholic
faith.
For his part, after a meeting with the Orthodox Bishop, Fr Beverati declared that If the
Orthodox diocese is not in favour, then the Carmelite Nuns will not come to Novgorod.
A local writer, Oleg Rodin, stated at a press-conference that before the 1917 communist
revolution there was a Catholic Parish in Novgorod with five thousand members, two churches
and some chapels in the centre of the city. There is no evidence, declared Rodin, of
intolerance, hostility or conflict between the Catholics and Orthodox in the one hundred years
that they were together in Nizhnij Novgorod.
He added that the two Churches suffered in equal measure after the revolution: shrines
were destroyed, both Catholic and Orthodox, there were persecutions and the killing of priests
and hundreds of the faithful from both confessions. Only in Nizhnij Novgorod, he
emphasized, two hundred Catholics were killed. The accusation of proselytism is one of
the present difficulties in the relationship between the Orthodox and Catholics. The Orthodox
define as proselytism any actions which Catholics carry out to convert the Orthodox, an
accusation that for their part the Catholics deny.
The Patriarch of Moscow reacted negatively to the elevation to the level of Diocese the
four Catholic Apostolic Administrations in Russia, a decision which was adopted by John Paul II
two years ago. In the following months Russian authorities expelled or denied entry visas to six
Priests and Catholic Bishops.
St. Teresa of the Child Jesus
Proclaimed Co- Patron
of the Apostolate of Prayer
The Congregation for Divine Worship and Sacramental Discipline, with the decree of 6th
March 2004 (Prot. 2147/02/L) approved the election of St Teresa of the Child Jesus, Virgin and
Doctor of the Church, to Co-Patron of the Apostolate of Prayer.
The Superior General of the Jesuits, Director General of the Apostolate of Prayer, wrote in
a letter to our General Procurator : This proclamation will be ofgreat benefit to the people at the
Apostolate of Prayer who will receive abundant blessings from the Lord to follow, like St Therese
of Lisieux, a life dedicated to prayer, love, humility and evangelical simplicity, offering themselves
every day in the heart of the Church for the life of the world. St Therese who wanted to be a
daughter of the Church and to pray according to the intentions of the Holy Father, knowing that
his intentions embraced the world now, as a heavenly Patron, will intercede so that this
communion of prayer will effectively contribute to the building of the Church and to the coming of
the Kingdom of God.
In the name of the Apostolate of Prayer and in my own name I thank you again for the
friendly collaboration offered by the Order of Discalced Carmelites...
ASSOCIATIONS
New Religious Assistants:
France: Lisieux: With the recript No. 5609/2004 of the Congregation for the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life of 23rd March 2004 was nominated Fr.
Didier Golay, Religious Assistant of the Federation of Monasteries of the Discalced Carmelite
Nuns of Lisieux, for three years.
India: South-West: With the recript n 5030/2004 of the Congregation for the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life of 20th March 2004 was nominated Fr.
Dominic Vas, Religious Assistant of the Association of Our Lady of Mount Carmel of the
monasteries of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of India (south-west), for three years.
New Councillors
At the General Assembly of the Association Santa Teresa of the Andes, Brazil,
celebrated 5th - 9th February 2004 the following elections were made:
Sister Maria Cecília do Coraçao Eucarístico: Coordinator
Sister Maria da Paz dos Anjos: 1st Councillor
Sister Celina Maria da Santa Face: 2nd Councillor
Sister Rosângela Maria de Jesus: 3rd Councillor
Sister Maria Bernadete da Santa Mâe de Deus: 4th Councillor
Monasteries: Suppressions
France: Cholet: With the recript n 81370/89 of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated
Life and Societies of Apostolic Life of the 1st April 2004 the monastery of the Carmelites, Cholet
in France was canonically suppressed.