Our Newest New Saint (To Be)

Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified - Mariam

Like the buses in Dublin, canonise a couple of Carmelites and another one comes around the corner. Yesterday we heard, with great joy, that our Palestinian sister, Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified - or Blessed Mariam as we call her, is to be declared a Saint. The Holy Father has signed a decree approving a miracle through her intercession yesterday, and so she will be enrolled among the Saints next year. 

If you do not know about Blessed Mariam then you are in for a treat, she is one of the most personable of the Beati, a woman whose life was extraordinary in terms of her virtues (humility being foremost among them) and extraordinary in the phenomenon that surrounded her. She was a Discalced Sister who brought the Carmelite nuns back to the Holy Land, founding two monasteries there, one in Bethlehem -, her native town, and one in Nazareth. She was a lay sister, a hard worker and a mystic, possessing many charisms including levitation, prophecy and the stigmata. She was also a poet. Much misunderstood, she was asked to leave the first congregation of sisters she joined - the community of the convent couldn't cope with mystics, and so she arrived at the door of the Carmelites who accepted her: they had no problem with mystics - the more the merrier. 

Her early life was just as extraordinary ; she had the experience of being a martyr in her youth. Now you may think my saying that is strange, to be a martyr you have to be killed. Yes that is true, and in the strict sense she wasn't. But I shall explain. Mariam had a difficult childhood, she was orphaned and put into the care of relatives where she befriended a Muslim man, a servant of her uncle. He was very kind and she would often confide her sadness to him. One day while she was visiting him he suddenly demanded that she convert to Islam. 

Taken aback Mariam declined. Seizing a large knife he threatened her: if she did not convert he would kill her: she refused whereupon he grabbed her and began to behead her. She seemed to die, and even though the job was unfinished, he took her body and threw out into the street. She was not dead, a few days later she awoke to find herself in a cave being cared for by an extraordinary beautiful and luminous lady. She spent some time healing and eventually was able to leave the cave and return to her life. For the rest of her life she concealed the wound. After her death, as her body was being prepared the wound was discovered and a close examination by a doctor revealed that the vertebrae in her neck were so such a state it would have been impossible for her to survive, yet she did and seemingly without pain. The attack has been considered her "martyrdom" her survival miraculous. 

There are some good booklets about her life, you can order them from the Carmelite Book Service in Oxford. She is worth getting to know and praying to. May she intercede for all of us.

Blessed Mariam's tomb in the Carmel of Bethlehem

Prayers Please

 

Could I ask your prayers, please?  On Saturday at our Community meeting in Belfast I was elected president of my Carmelite Community.  In the Secular Order the president is the equivalent of the Prior/Prioress.

 

I was not expecting it, nor to be honest was I keen to accept it - while I am all for Diocesan priests becoming members of the Secular Order, I was not so keen on a priest being the president since it is for the most part the lay branch of Discalced Carmel.  However I was put right by my brothers and sisters in the Community - to exclude a member of the Order from becoming president on the basis of being a priest would not be fair.  So I accepted. 

 

Since then I have had to endure certain members of the Community humming "Hail to the Chief" behind my back.  It will be a long three years!  Please pray for me so I will be able to fulfil my obligations of service to my brothers and sisters in the Community.

 

If you are interested in finding out more about the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order pop over here. For more information on our Community click here - we are always happy to welcome new members, so if you are a layperson or a Diocesan priest, you might consider becoming a Carmelite.

The Broken Healer

 

I have been doing a little research on some of our new Beati - the martyrs of the Spanish Civil War.  Some of us Discalced Seculars joined up with some Daughters of Charity for a  Mass of Thanksgiving on Monday evening, so I was swotting in preparation. 

 

As you know 522 people were raised to the altars on Sunday (not without the usual controversy from secular sources) and while we applaud the beatification of such a large number, we cannot forget that 522 individuals were glorified for their individual witness to Christ and the Gospel.  Lest we get distracted by such a great crowd of witnesses, it is good for us to learn about the individual stories, the individual heroism, the individual overcoming the fear of death and generously offering his or her life for love of Christ and his Church.

 

Today I would like to share with you the life story of one of our Discalced martyrs, Blessed Angel of St Joseph.  My American readers may be happy to hear that Angel lived in the US for a few years, in Tucson, Arizona.  His life is very interesting and offers inspiration not only to those who struggling for faith in an age of disbelief, but also for those who may be battling with personal problems, particularly personality problems.

 

Blessed Angel was born Juan Fort Ruis in Espulga de Francoli near Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain, on the 20th October 1896.  He was the only child of his parents, and shortly after his birth his father abandoned his wife and the new-born.   He had a difficult childhood and various personality problems emerged as he grew up.  He was restless, impulsive and inconsistent and these traits remained with him throughout his life making that life very difficult for him and for others.  That said he was not a bad child, he possessed a profound goodness and a tremendous generosity for others.  These virtues endeared him to others and allowed them to endure his personal difficulties.

 

Juan trained as a baker from an early age but following visits to the Carmelites in Tarragona he began to discern a religious vocation.  When he was twenty-two he entered the Discalced and began formation as a Brother taking the name Br Angel of St Joseph.  In 1916 he was sent to the United States to work in the parish of Santa Cruz in Tucson, Arizona.  While there he made his first profession in 1921 and his Solemn Profession in 1924. 

 

While in Santa Cruz he found he had a charism for working with young people, and so he made time to minister to them in midst of his other duties.  He formed a youth group under the patronage of St Joseph, built a hall for them use for their meetings and founded an annual magazine for them.  These years were very happy ones for Angel.  In 1934 he returned to Spain, assigned to serve as porter in the monastery in Tarragona.  He threw himself into his duties and was soon known throughout the city for his joy and enthusiasm.  Everyone knew Br Angel and he was held in high regard - a fame which would actually cost him his life. 

 

When the Spanish Civil War broke out in July 1936 the Prior of the community took the decision to abandon the monastery and hide the friars in various locations throughout the city.  Angel was safely hidden in a warehouse.  However, given his restless nature and his sense of duty to the community, Angel could not sit still, he had to be out doing something, helping someone.  Blessed Fr Vicente of the Cross, a priest of the community, had found refuge with a member of the Secular Order, and on the 25th July Angel made his way to the house with news that the militia were to carry out a house inspection.  Unfortunately, though in lay clothes, Angel was well known in the city, and so he came to the attention of a patrol and they were spying on him and following him every time he left the warehouse.  On that visit to Fr Vicente he was under surveillance, and as soon as he arrived at the house, the patrol apprehended both friars.  Angel and Fr Vicente were taken to the headquarters of the Workers Party of Marxist Unity.  It was decided that the friars should be transferred to a prison ship. On the day of the transfer, however, the 31st July, the hatred of their captors was too much to be contained and so as the two were being led to prison they were taken under a railway bridge and shot.  Their bodies lay for three days before being found and buried in a common grave.

 

Angel struggled with his personal demons but did so in the context of his faith and of his sense of duty to his brothers in the Order and the young people he served.   A true son of St Teresa he found the humble place, the place of simple service, and he found joy there.  His death was tragic and some may say that his restless nature, his impetuousness, led to his martyrdom.  However it was also his fame - he was well known as porter of the monastery, and well loved among the faithful.  Like Christ he could not hide from those who hated him and like the Lord he embraced the sacrifice that was awaiting him.   Among the many lessons we can learn from Blessed Angel one of them must be this: that we cannot run away from being known to be Christian, we cannot hide, nor seek to slip into the crowd and remain anonymous so we can be left alone to live our lives privately.  We cannot try to hide our faith by surrendering to the values of the world, we must stand apart, we must be the light of the world, the salt of the earth, and as Jesus said, a light cannot be hidden, it must be seen in order to dispel the darkness.

Reform Anniversary

Today is a special day for us in Carmel - today we celebrate the 450th anniversary of the reform of the Order by St Teresa of Avila. On this day, the 24th August 1562 the first Discalced Community was formed as the Monastery of St Joseph was opened in Avila.   At the time St Teresa was unable to join the sisters, she was still in the Monastery of the Incarnation and was trying to find a way to leave without breaking her vow of obedience.  In faith she left it all to the Lord and before long, Madre was walking through the doors of St Joseph's.  There is a lesson for us there.

The Holy Father sent a message to the Bishop of Avila to mark the anniversary, it is a beautiful meditation on our Holy Mother Teresa and the legacy she has left us.  Here is the Pope's message in full:

To my Venerable Brother
Bishop Jesús García Burillo of Avila

1. Resplendens stella: “a star shining in great splendour” (Libro de la Vida, [The Book of My Life] 32, 11). With these words the Lord encouraged St Teresa of Jesús to found the Monastery of San José in Avila. This was the beginning of the Reform of Carmel which will be celebrating its 450th anniversary next 24 August. On this happy occasion I would like to join in the rejoicing of the beloved Diocese of Avila, of the Order of Discalced Carmelites and of the People of God on pilgrimage in Spain, as well as of all those in the universal Church who have found in Teresian spirituality a sure light for men and women to attain a true renewal of their life through Christ. In love with the Lord, this illustrious woman did not want anything other than to please him in all things. Indeed, it is not those who do great things based on the excellence of their human qualities who are holy; on the contrary, holy people are those who humbly let Christ penetrate their soul and act through them, who truly allow him to play the lead in all their actions and aspirations, inspiring every project and sustaining every silence.

2. Only those who have an intense prayer life are able to let Christ lead them in this manner. The Saint of Avila says that a life of prayer consists in “being on terms of friendship with God, frequently conversing in secret with him who, we know, loves us” (Libro de la Vida 8, 5). The reform of Carmel whose anniversary fills us with inner joy was born from prayer and is inclined to prayer. By distancing herself from the Mitigated Rule in order to further a radical return to the primitive Rule, St Teresa de Jesús wished to encourage a form of life that would favour the personal encounter with the Lord, for which “we have only to find a place where we can be alone and look upon him present within us. Nor need we feel strange in the presence of so kind a Guest” (Camino de perfección [the Way of Perfection] 28, 2). The Monastery of San José came into being precisely in order that all its daughters might have the best possible conditions for speaking to God and establishing a profound and intimate relationship with him.

3. St Teresa proposed a new way of being a Carmelite in a world that was also new. The “times were dangerous” (Libro de la Vida 33, 5) and in these times, as this spiritual teacher said, “the friends of God should be strong, in order that they may support the weak” (ibid., 15, 5). And she eloquently insists: “the world is on fire. Men try to condemn Christ once again, as it were, for they bring a thousand false witnesses against him. They would raze his Church to the ground.... No, my sisters, this is no time to treat with God for things of little importance" (Camino de perfección, 1, 5). Does not this most luminous and challenging reflection made by the holy mystic more than four centuries ago seem familiar to us in the situation in which we are living?

The ultimate aim of the Teresian Reform and of the creation of new monasteries in the midst of a world devoid of spiritual values was to strengthen apostolic work with prayer; and to propose an evangelical lifestyle that might serve as a model to those in quest of a way of perfection, based on the conviction that every authentic personal and ecclesial reform passes through reproducing, ever more faithfully, the “form” of Christ (cf. Gal 4:19) within us. The Saint and her daughters strove to do exactly this and this was the exact commitment of her Carmelite sons who endeavoured solely to “advance in virtue” (Libro de la vida, 31, 18). In this regard Teresa writes: “He [Our Lord] prizes one soul which of his mercy we have gained for him by our prayer and labour more than all the service we may render him” (Libro de las Fundaciones [The Book of the Foundations] 1, 7). In the face of forgetfulness of God the Holy Doctor encourages prayerful communities that protect with their fervour those who proclaim Christ’s name everywhere, so that they may pray for the Church’s needs and bring the cry of all the peoples to the Saviour’s heart.

4. Today too, as in the 16th century and also among rapid changes, trusting prayer must be the soul of the apostolate so that the redemptive message of Jesus Christ rings out with deep clarity and vigorous dynamism. It is urgently necessary that the Word of life be harmoniously vibrant in souls, with resonant and attractive tones.

Teresa of Avila’s example is a great help to us in this exciting task. We can say that in her time the Saint evangelized without mincing her words, with unfailing ardour, with methods foreign to inertia and with expressions haloed with light. Her example keeps all its freshness at the crossroads of our time. It is here that we feel the urgent need for the baptized to renew their hearts through personal prayer which, in accordance with the dictates of the Mystic of Avila, is also centred on contemplation of the Most Holy Humanity of Christ as the only way on which to find God’s glory (cf. Libro de la Vida, 22, 1; Las Moradas [Interior Castle] 6, 7). Thus they will be able to form authentic families which discover in the Gospel the fire of their hearths; lively and united Christian communities, cemented on Christ as their corner-stone and which thirst after a life of generous and brotherly service. It should also be hoped that ceaseless prayer will foster priority attention to the vocations ministry, emphasizing in particular the beauty of the consecrated life which, as a treasure of the Church and an outpouring of graces, must be duly accompanied in both its active and contemplative dimensions.

The power of Christ will likewise lead to the multiplication of projects to enable the People of God to recover its strength in the only possible way: by making room within us for the sentiments of the Lord Jesus (cf. Phil 2:5), seeking in every circumstance a radical experience of his Gospel. This means, first of all, allowing the Holy Spirit to make us friends of the Teacher and to conform us to him. It also means accepting his mandates in all things and adopting such criteria as humility in behaviour, the renunciation of the superfluous and giving no offence to others or proceeding with simplicity and a docile heart. Those who surround us will thus perceive the joy that is born from our adherence to the Lord and see that we put nothing before his love, being ever ready to account for our hope (cf. 1 Pet 3:15) and, like Teresa of Jesus, living in filial obedience to our Holy Mother, the Church.

5. Today, this most illustrious daughter of the Diocese of Avila invites us to this radicalism and faithfulness. Accepting her beautiful legacy at this moment in history, the Pope asks all the members of this particular Church, and especially youth, to take seriously the common vocation to holiness. Following in the footsteps of Teresa of Jesus, allow me to say to all who have their future before them: may you too, aspire to belong totally to Jesus, only to Jesus and always to Jesus. Do not be afraid to say to Our Lord, as she did, “I am yours; I was born for you, what do you want to do with me?” (Poem 2). And I ask him to obtain that you may also be able to respond to his call, illuminated by divine grace with “determined resolve” in order to offer “that little” which is in you, trusting in the fact that God never abandons those who leave everything for his glory (cf. Camino di perfección 21, 2; 1, 2).

6. St Teresa knew how to honour with deep devotion the Most Holy Virgin, whom she invoked with the sweet name of Carmel. I place under her motherly protection the apostolic aspiration of the Church of Avila so that rejuvenated by the Holy Spirit she may find appropriate ways for proclaiming the Gospel with enthusiasm and courage. May Mary, Star of Evangelization, and her chaste spouse, St Joseph, intercede so that this “star” which the Lord set alight in the universe of the Church with the Teresian Reform, may continue to shine with the great splendour of the love and truth of Christ for all humankind. With this wish, Venerable Brother in the Episcopate, I send you this message. I ask you to make it known to the flock entrusted to your pastoral care and, especially, to the beloved Discalced Carmelites of the Convent of San José in Avila so that they may perpetuate in time the spirit of their Foundress. I am ever grateful to them for their fervent prayers for the Successor of Peter. To them, to you and to all the faithful of Avila I impart the Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of abundant heavenly favours.

From the Vatican, 16 July 2012

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

Our Father General has also issued a message which is very inspiring: you can read it here.  Fr Saverio has a deep love for Secular Carmelites and is trying to remind the Order that we are not only members of the Order, but an important part of it (he wrote a letter on the issue).  Following Vatican II, while there was great emphasis on the vocation of the laity, Third Orders were a problem - some even said that they were not part of their Orders, but associations of laity.  This is an issue that still needs to be addressed.  At the moment our Secular and Third Order fall under the Council for the Laity, but we are consecrated people - consecrated by profession of the evangelical counsels and we are members of Orders.  I personally believe Third and Secular Orders should come under the Congregation for Institues of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

That said, today is a great feast day!  As you probably know by now we Carmelites love our feast days!  So we'll raise a toast - we're 450 today!  I think some of us look good for our age.

All Carmelite Saints

Another feast day for us in Carmel!  We love our feast days, that's why we have so many! Our Holy Mother Teresa who reformed Carmel and brought us back to the Primitive Rule of St Albert made sure the Order was penitential at heart, but she also said that there was a time for partridge - well, we need lots of partridges in Carmel because we have a fair few opportunities to nibble on them!

Today is the Order's feast of All Saints - a feast we celebrate in union with our Carmelite brothers and sisters of the Ancient Observance (O. Carms), and as with the Church's official celebration on the 1st November, we remember all the men and women of the two Carmelite Orders, the many congregations affiliated with both Orders and those laity connected to us in various ways, who now share in the beatific vision and are interceding for us who are still on our pilgrim way. 

Most of these Saints are unknown to us, being ordinary men and women, priests, consecrated and lay who now populate the Carmelite corner of heaven.  But we also celebrate the famous ones: SS Berthold and Brocard, our first Priors, and the holy men they governed - those St Teresa calls our holy fathers in the Order.  The holy bishop who gave us our Rule of Life, St Albert of Jerusalem, an eternal honorary Carmelite by virtue of the Rule.  The first Saints of the Order - St Albert of Trapani and St Angelus of Sicily the martyr.  Then the great ones who made an impact - St Simon Stock, the Prior General who helped the transition from the eremetical life to that of contemplative mendicants; Blessed John Soreth who brought women and consecrated laity into the Order to form the Second and Third Orders.  Then the great reformers: St Teresa and St John of the Cross and their companions who worked and suffered to spread the reform around the world - Blessed Anne of St Bartholomew and Blessed Mary of Jesus.

Then there are our mystics!  St Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi, Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified, a whole host of them.  Our priests like St Raphael Kalinowski, Blessed Francis Palau and Blessed Angelo Paoli who lived the Rule with great fidelity and cared for souls.  Our heroic martyrs: St Edith Stein, Blessed Titus Brandsma, the Martyrs of the French Revoultion - our Blessed Sisters who were guillotined, our Blessed Priests who died on the prison ships.  The Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War from both Orders, among them one of my favourites, Blessed Hermilo of St Eliseo who was shot in Toledo.  The Martyrs under the Nazis, including Blessed Alphonsus Mazurek whom Blessed John Paul II knew and would later beatify.  The Scapular Martyr Blessed Isidore Bakanja, a young African who was beaten to death because he would not take off his Scapular. 

And then the holy sisters who lived prophetic lives - the biggie among them St Therese of the Child Jesus and Holy Face.  Coming up the rear is Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity who may well be canonised very soon - they seem to have a miracle for her (take careful note, Father, trip to Rome!).  Others: St Mary of the Angels, St Teresa of the Andes, Blessed Candida of the Eucharist and the millions of other nuns whose causes keep the Order poor!

Then the affiliates - founders and members of congregations formally affiliated and part of the Teresian family: Blessed Kuriakos Elias Chavara, founder of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate; St Henry de Osso  y Cervello founder of the Company of St Teresa, and one of his sisters, Blessed Maria Mercedes Prat, martyred during the Spanish Civil War. 

We must not forget the Saints of the Third Order - the consecrated laity who are as much part of the Order as the priests or nuns.  We have two Third Orders, the Discalced Secular Order (mine) and the Third Order of the Ancient Observance, both have produced Saints and Blesseds.  In our Secular Order we have Blessed Georg Hafner, a diocesan priest who was martyred in Dachau, Blessed Josefa Naval Girbes, a dedicated laywoman, and two famous Saints not widely known to have been Discalced Secular Order Carmelites: St Vincent Pallotti and Pope St Pius X.  It is also believed that Blessed Pope John Paul II was also a Secular Carmelite, though no concrete evidence can be found - he was certainly one in spirit.

The list goes on. If you are of another Order or congregation, forgive the trumpeting on but such reflections inspire us Carmelites to keep striving for holiness.   If you are not a member of an Order or congregation or Third Order, perhaps you might consider entering the ranks of the Carmelites?  If you are a lay person or a diocesan priest you might consider becoming a Secular Order Carmelite and become a son or daughter of St Teresa and St John, and a brother or sister of St Therese, living their way of life in the world.  A google search will tell you where the nearest Secular Order community is - failing that, drop me a line. 

Now, time for partridge, or in full St Therese mode - chocolate eclairs!  Therese loved her chocolate eclairs - there's sanctity for all!! Happy feast day!

At Last, A Blessed!

Today a new Blessed was enrolled in the Church's official list  - the Spanish bishop and defender of human rights, Juan de Palafox y Mendoza.   

Blessed Juan was born in Navarre, Spain, on the 26th June 1600, the illegitimate son of Jaime de Palafox.  His father was not too keen to accept the child as his own, so he was taken in and raised by a miller and his family who gave him the name, Juan.  When he was ten his father finally accepted him as his son, and took responsibility for his education sending first to Alcala, and then to the University of Salamanca.   He was a gifted young man, and so he became a deputy in the Cortes and later a prosecutor.

However, Juan's heart lay elsewhere, and so he decided to become a priest.  When ordained he was appointed chaplain to the sister of the King of Spain, and as such accompanied her on various journeys around Europe. 

Partially because of his ability, and perhaps mostly because of his connections, he was nominated as bishop of Puebla de los Angeles in the New World, now Mexico.  He was formally appointed by the pope and consecrated bishop on the 27th December 1639. He arrived at his See the following June, not only as Ordinary, but also as visitator which the brief to investigate the administration of two previous viceroys of what was a Spanish colony.  During his time in Mexico he also served as Archbishop of Mexico for a year while remaining bishop of Puebla, he also served as viceroy himself.

Once in the New World, Blessed Juan quickly saw how the native peoples were being treated, and he understood this as an offence to Christian teaching.  At every opportunity he sought to protect the natives, forbade forced conversion and publicly opposed those who mistreated them.   In other matters he was as diligent: he completed his diocese's cathedral and was a patron of the arts and education.

His strong defence of the natives and his ban on forced conversion led to issues which brought him into conflict with the Jesuits.  Relations got so bad he was forced to impose an interdict against them in 1647.  In retaliation the Jesuits excommunicated him twice, as if they had the power to do so, but also began to send formal complaints against him to Rome.  Their campaign against him was successful, and the Pope, believing their accusations to be true, refused to confirm the interdict, though he did command the Jesuits to respect Blessed Juan's jurisdiction.  The Jesuit final victory came in 1655 when, after Blessed Juan had signed an accord with them presuming this would lead to better relations with them, they used their influence to have him removed from his See and transferred back to Spain where he was appointed Bishop of Osma. 

Despite these difficulties, Blessed Juan sought to follow God's will and overcome the trails he was forced to endure.  He was a friend of a community of Discalced Carmelite sisters, and was highly influenced by St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross, so much so that his writings, of which there are many, are very much in the Carmelite tradition and the school of Spanish mysticism. 

Worn out from his labours, but with a reputation for holiness both through his life and writings, Blessed Juan died on the 1st October 1659.     The investigative process for his Cause was opened in his diocese, Osma, in 1666, and in Puebla de los Angeles in 1688.   In 1694 the Cause found support in King Charles II of Spain when he petitioned Rome for the bishop's canonisation.  The process was formally introduced in 1726, and, with the work completed, it seems he was proclaimed Venerable.  A miracle had been identified - the cure of a Spanish priest from TB which was incurable then.  The miracle was examined and approved, and so on the 28th February 1777 the way was cleared for this beatification.  However, a new generation of Jesuits were as determined as a previous one to defeat Palafox, and they persuaded Pope Pius VI to suspend the Cause.  Palafox, they thought, had finally been finished off for good.

However, they had not thought of a figure like Blessed John Paul II, who reopened the Cause in 2003, giving it to Palafox's spiritual family, the Discalced Carmelites, to process.  In 2009 Pope Benedict approved his writings and declared him Venerable.  The original miracle was reexamined, and approved (again), and today, at long last, 234 years after it should have happened, Juan de Palafox was beatified. 

Phew!  Revenge is a terrible thing, even the Saints fall prey to it.  Blessed Juan's holiness was born of his sufferings.  Like his spiritual parents, St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross, he recognised the purifying power of suffering, and its part in the journey which we know as the way of perfection. 

Congratulations to Fr Ildefonso, our postulator in Rome: he has done Trojan work on the Cause and has a fondness of Blessed Juan - I believe he keeps a picture of the bishop on his desk.  Here is RomeReports video on the announcement of the decree of the miracle:

Here are the sacred remains of the new Blessed:

Pray For Me

Today I make my final profession as a Secular Discalced Carmelite.  The ceremony takes place in the chapel of the Poor Clare nuns on the Cliftonville Road, Belfast, at 2.30pm.  Even though I am a diocesan priest, I am allowed under Canon Law to profess promises/vows in a Third Order, and so become a member of that Order.  Many diocesan priests are members of Third Orders and have benefited greatly from it, as I have myself.  Apparently we have some prestigious priestly members: St Vincent Pallotti and Pope St Pius X.  Ven. Pope John Paul II may have been a member, though no evidence has been found: he was one in spirit if not canonically.  I believe Cardinal Francis Arinze was professed a number of years ago; if so, I am in good company.

Today is the end of a long journey (and the beginning of a new one) and a joy for me: finally a son of St Teresa - forever!  Please pray for me that I will live up to her teaching, example and love. 

Changes and New Beginnings

Today I am travelling up to Belfast for the monthly meeting of my Carmelite Community.  As you know I am a Secular Discalced Carmelite.  Our community meets on the third Saturday of every month in the Poor Clare Convent on the Cliftonville Road.  It was providence which brought me to this community rather than one in Dublin.  Our community, dedicated to the Holy Cross, has struggled to survive for many years, and now we have the honour to be the oldest Secular Order community in Ireland.  There are no Discalced friars or sisters in Belfast, so the members have not had the joy of their presence in the city.  Each month a friar comes from Derry to join us for the meeting and that is a big commitment which we appreciate.   Our members faced many difficulties and dangers during the years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, thankfully none of them were killed in the fighting, but relations and friends were lost. 

Today's meeting will be eventful - it is election day.  We will elect a new President and Council who will govern our community for three years.  Also, today is my last day in formation.  Next month, on the 18th December, I will make my final profession, promising to live a life of poverty, chastity and obedience according to the Rule of St Albert and the Constitutions of Secular Discalced Carmel: I will become a member of the Discalced Carmelite Order for life.   So these last weeks will be a time of preparation.  

In case you are wondering, according to Canon Law as a diocesan priest I am allowed to join a Third Order, my promise of obedience is channelled through my bishop, but I am still a member of the Order - I can be buried in the habit!  Not that I want that to happen any time soon.  I have received many graces from my membership of the Order, and the other members have become my family.  Each month I "go home" to them and find great support and love from my Carmelite brothers and sisters.   To my brother diocesan priests I would highly recommend joining a spiritual family, be it a Third Order or any one of the many spiritual associations and secular institutes in the Church - they can be a great blessing for our priesthood and a refuge in times of difficulty.

So changes and new beginnings. 

The Saint with Heart

In Carmel, today we celebrate the feast of the Carmelite martyrs of the Spanish Civil War. They were beatified in October 2007 among a group of 498 martyrs, the largest number of people beatified in a single ceremony in the history of the Church.    Of those Carmelites, one stands out for me: Blessed Hermilo of St Elias.  He was twenty-three years old, and had just been a month solemnly professed when he was shot in July 1936.   

Here is a short biography in Spanish.  Hermilo was born Pedro Ramon Rodriguez Calle on the 14th April 1913 in Valladolid, Spain.  His father’s work took them to Laguna de Duero where Pedro grew up.  When he was nine his father died, leaving his mother in straitened circumstances.  She returned to Valladolid in the hope of making a living to support her children.  However, tragically, she was diagnosed with breast cancer less than a year after her husband’s death.  Anxious to find a place for her children, she brought them to a newly established institute for orphans.  Three of the children went into the orphanage run by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul; a sister, Petra went to live with her uncles. A few months later, their mother died.  

In 1925 the sisters sent Pedro to the Teresian College in Medina del Campo to continue his studies, and it was there that he discerned the call to the religious life, finding his spiritual home among the Discalced Carmelites who ran the college.   On the 22nd July 1928, he was accepted into formation in the Order, and on the 13th August he began his novitiate, receiving the habit and new name, Br Hermilo of Saint Elias, on the 16th.  He made his first profession on the 27th August 1929.  As he was destined for the priesthood, he was sent to a number of colleges to pursue the various courses.  He studied Philosophy in Avila, the hometown of his foundress, St Teresa of Avila, then in Toledo and in the University in Salamanca began his studies in theology.  In 1934 he returned to Toledo for his second year of theology.  While he was working hard in Toledo, he reached a crisis point spiritually.  The crisis was severe and Hermilo suffered much, but thanks to the wisdom and care of his student master, the future Blessed, Fr Eusebio of the Child Jesus, Hermilo found peace and was strengthened in his faith.  On the 29th June 1936 Hermilo reached his goal as a Carmelite when he made his Solemn Profession in Toledo.  Now, after all he had suffered, he was a member of St Teresa’s Order for life: his dear Fr Eusebio who had helped him through his crisis was now Prior of the community and joyfully approved Hermilo’s advancing towards Solemn Vows.  With this major milestone reached, he now began his preparation for major orders: he looked forward to being ordained deacon and then priest.  Events, however, would overtake him.

With the outbreak of hostilities against the Church on the 21st July 1936, Fr Eusebio thought it prudent for the members of the community to go into hiding.  Hermilo and two other brothers, Perfecto and Clement, took refuge in the home of Doña Cecilia Criado, whose son, Antonio, was a priest and Navy Chaplain, and was staying with her at this time.   Hermilo and the others spent the night of the 21st July in prayer and spiritual talks.  It was obvious to them that martyrdom lay ahead, and they encouraged each other.  Each of them also went to confession to Fr Antonio in preparation.  Given the dangers, the three Carmelites decided to go seek a safer refuge.  Creeping up onto a terrace, they were spotted by a sniper and recognised: with the first shot Br Clement was killed outright.   Despite their efforts to hide from a hail of bullets over a period of time, Hermilo and Perfecto were also shot dead.  The Republicans came onto the roof and took the bodies down into the street where they discovered the brothers’ scapulars.  For three years, despite all efforts to erase them, the brothers’ blood stains marked the roof.   Hermilo’s body was buried in a mass grave.  In all, sixteen members of the community were martyred, including the prior, Fr Eusebio. 

Hermilo is a most attractive figure.  He did not have things easy, he suffered as he grew up, and then, when discerning his vocation, he endured a dark night which, I think, prepared him for his martyrdom.  Some may say he never reached his goal - the priesthood - but he did offer a priestly sacrifice - a sacrifice in union with Jesus Christ our High Priest - he laid down his life for his Lord and for the faith.  I think he has much to say to us in these times, and I hope and pray he will become a popular saint, especially among the young.  If you are impressed with him, spread the word about him, and pray to him. I have found he has a tender heart and he looks out for those who invoke him: may you find a place in that heart too.

Prayer to Blessed Hermilo
 Blessed Hermilo,
Pray for us who seek to do the will of God. 
Give us the same courage you had
to lay down your life for Christ. 
Stay with us, and teach us how to love God and Mary. 
Bless us so we may imitate the humility of your life
and the joy of your sacrifice.

Dear brother in Christ, pray for me.

La Madre

First of all, thank you for your prayers.  The Mass went very well last night. There was a good crowd, all gathered to honour St Therese.  The ceremonies began with the Rosary, followed by Mass, then Adoration and then blessing with the relics of St Therese and her parents, Blesseds Louis and Zelie.  As I have said before, these devotions do so much for the faith - not only of the people, but of us priests too.

The Mass celebrated was that of the great St Teresa, whose feast it is today.  For us Carmelites, today is a Solemnity, having begun at dusk yesterday evening.  I say us Carmelites because, while I am a diocesan priest, I am also a Secular Discalced Carmelite (or Third Order as it used to be known).  This means that, in reality, I am a member of the Discalced Carmelite Order by my profession, but also a priest of the diocese of Meath.  Sounds confusing - not really: diocesan priests are permitted in canon law to join Third Orders.  One of the ways I like to clarify it is by thinking: in life I am priest in Meath; when I get to heaven (that should  be an "if", a big IF), I'll be in the Carmelite crowd, all going well.  I'm hoping to elbow my way in between St Therese and Blessed Hermilo of St Eliseus (Spanish Civil War martyr) - I'm trying to bribe them to get me into heaven somehow, but their price is very high - love.  I do my best, but most of time I know I don't meet the rent!  But I'm trying.  This year is important for me because I am preparing for my final profession on the 18th December, or Definitive Profession as it is called. 

So today is a big feast.  St Teresa is one of those saints you fall in love with immediately.  Her personality shines through her work as does her holiness and love of God.  If you have never read her, make a resolution to do so.  The best book to begin with is her autobiography.  If you find it difficult, keep going, it's worth it: she'll just jump out at you. 

Teresa was not always a saint. In her childhood she showed great signs of it, but then she blew it.  She entered the convent out of fear for her soul, but then proceeded to waste twenty years, dodging prayer, for the best of intentions, or so she thought.  It took two conversions and a serious illness to call her to her senses and bring her back on track.  So Teresa can identify with all the problems we face in the spiritual life, and can guide us along the path to union with God.   Her works detail this path, but with great simplicity and lots of digressions which actually reveal her personality and help endear her to you.  She writes very differently from St John of the Cross with whom she is most often compared: same theology, same spirituality, but different way of exploring and expressing it. 

One thing I love about her is her ingenious way of getting around people - a God-given gift which, it seems, most of the founders in the Church had: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta had it.  When she was setting up the first house of the reform of Carmel, San Jose in Avila, Teresa faced many difficulties, including a superior who was caught between her and those objecting to the reform.  Teresa was obedient in all she did, but recruited others to do the work for her, so when permission was given, she was ready to fly like a dove into the new house.  Later in life she was brought back to her original convent to reform that.  The nuns in the convent rebelled, and there was ructions in the house.  Teresa arrived at the door to find it locked and the nuns barricading themselves in.  Teresa just sat quietly outside until negotiations were over and the door, reluctantly opened.  With her charm and charity, Teresa proposed a solution: sitting on a stool, she had a statue of Our Lady placed in the Prioress' chair: until peace was restored and hearts won over, Our Lady would be prioress.  Teresa won hearts, she brought St John of the Cross as confessor, and that convent became one of her great supporters and one of the flagships of the reform.

Prayer: O Holy Mother St Teresa, in these difficult times in the Church, obtain from the Lord for us those graces he granted you: love, patience, charity, tact and a thick skin.  Like you, may we sing of his mercies for all generations to hear.

St Teresa, patroness of reform and spiritual renewal, pray for us.

Happy feast day!  We're having partridge tonight!