CITOCmagazine ENGLISH CENTRUM INFORMATIONIS TOTIUS ORDINIS CARMELITARUM II-No. 1-2012 EDITORIAL CITOCmagazine CENTRUM INFORMATIONIS TOTIUS ORDINIS CARMELITARUM The Citoc Magazine is published twice a year by the Order of Car- The General Congrega- melites. Submitted news, informa- tion, reflecting on the tion, feature, articles, letters, pho- theme: “Qualiter res- tos, and other materials become the pondendum quaerenti- property of the Citoc Magazine. bus sit?” - “What do you respond to those who ask?” was held from 5th Publisher: to 15th September 2011 at the Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre Most Rev. Fernando Millán Romeral, in Niagara Falls, Canada. For the participants it was a very O.Carm. enriching meeting that offered a space for reflection on the Editor: identity and mission of Carmel in the Church today. The final Very Rev. Christian Körner, O.Carm. message conveys profound considerations useful for further Consulting Editor: reflection in the Order. So we decided that the focus of this edition of CITOC would be a reminder of this important as- Very Rev. Raúl Maraví Cabrera, sembly. O.Carm. Copy Editor: The other submissions also offer a wealth of information on Rev. Joseph Hung Tran, O.Carm. the present life of the Order. I would like to highlight a few. First of all, there are people who are expressing our charism, Correspondents: therefore it is a pleasure to share the news that Brazil has Europe: been able to celebrate the 100th birthday of Fr. Celestino Lui, Very Rev. John Keating, O.Carm. O. Carm. In addition are other anniversaries, such as the 50th Africa: anniversary of the letter of the deceased Bishop Donal La- Very Rev. Désiré Unen Alimange, mont, O. Carm. against apartheid, remember the prophetic O.Carm. commitment of Carmelites. The Order, however, also mourns America: the death of some dear brothers. Thus we report the obitua- Very Rev. Raúl Maraví Cabrera, ries of P. Joachim Smet, O. Carm., the great historian of the Order, and P. Robert MacCabe, O. Carm., who have worked O.Carm. for many years as a doctor among the nomads in the desert Asia Australia and Oceania of Kenya. Very Rev. Albertus Herwanta, O.Carm. A constant theme at the General Congregation was that of hope. And surely it is the youth who are the hope of the Send submission to the editor at: Church and of the Order. Among the many participants of Curia Generalizia dei Carmelitani World Youth Day in Madrid there were more than 500 young Via Giovanni Lanza 138 people from Carmelite communities around the world. With 00184 Rome, Italy the presence of a dozen nations, Carmelite Day on 17th Au- Tel+39-064620181 gust was a really wonderful event. Email: [email protected] www.ocarm.org We hope you enjoy reading this issue of CITOC. Fr. Christian Körner, O. Carm. CITOC | PAGE 2 4 CONTENT GENERAL CON G RE G ATION 2011 “Carmel’s Mission 2 Editorial in the Church” 11 General Delegation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and Saint Albert of Jerusalem in India 15 The Centennial of Celestino Lui, O.Carm. 19 Carmelitae Sancti Eliae (CSE) 24 The Need for Missions 12 28 Kenyans mourn Irish Carmelite Schools Go doctor and priest Green who served poor with courage and devotion 30 Bishop Donal Lamont, O. Carm. 16 31 News Carmelite World Youth Day 7 Final message of the General 22 Congregation to the Carmelite Carmelite Family Laity 26 Carmel Loses One of Its Leading Historians The General Congregation GENERAL CON G RE G ATION 2011 “Carmel’s Mission in the Church” Fr. Ben Wolbers, O.Carm. and Fr. Emiel Abalahim, O.Carm. etween 5th–16th September 2011, the the origin of our Order. The old question of Rubrica General Congregation of the Carmelite Prima also challenges us to find an answer in the Friars took place at Mount Carmel Spiritual context of world today: Who are we? What do we B do here (1Kings 19, 10) and why we do what we Centre, Niagara Falls, Canada. Approximately 60 Carmelite friars of the Order participated in the do? It is a question about our identity. General Congregation, among them: the Prior On Tuesday 6th September, the General General, the members of his General Council, Priors Congregation officially began with a Eucharist Provincial, the General Commissaries, General presided by the Prior General and the General Delegates, and delegates from some provinces. Council. The Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán The main task of the General Congregation is to Romeral, welcomed some 60 participants from discuss matters of common interest to the whole all parts of the world by recalling the spirit of this Order and discuss some suggestions for the General gathering. “Let us celebrate the Mass of the Holy Chapter that will take place in 2013 (Constitutions Spirit so that we might live the mystery of Pentecost art. 287). during these days: “the marvelous experience of “Carmel’s Mission in the Church” was the theme communion and unity.” for this General Congregation, a theme that With these words he spoke about the various reflects the first words of our oldest Constitution, ways the charism of Carmel is incarnated in the the Rubrica Prima from 1281. The theme invites Church today and how every Carmelite and every all the members of the Order to answer the ministry of the Order is called to bring forth this question: how can we respond to people who ask rich heritage. who we are? It was also the question that the Having heard the call of the twelve Apostles, earliest Carmelites asked themselves when they proclaimed in the liturgy of the opening Mass, Fr. were driven out of Mt. Carmel because they did Fernando invited everyone to rediscover their own not know whether or not they were still Carmelites call to follow the Gospel in service to the Church since they no longer lived on Mount Carmel. It was and to all people. He recalled that in 1935 Blessed a question about their identity. The Rubrica Prima Titus Brandsma came to this same place to give was an official answer to those who asked about conferences on spirituality and, fascinated with CITOC | PAGE 4 the beauty of the area, he asked himself how it was possible an attitude that we have to be honest, that modern man could move away from God. This question, consistent, and step by step, to face the Prior General concluded, is an invitation for the participants our lives to God. John of the Cross at the General Congregation to become listeners to the Word of and Teresa of Ávila are our great God and of the brothers in order to be faithful to the charism teachers in this. that Carmel has received. On Thursday, Dr. María López In his opening talk of the General Congregation, Fr. Fernando Guzmán gave a talk on the importance invited us to be in a continual process of discernment of our of Christian hope. She stated that, calling at various levels: individual, community, province and death and resurrection of Jesus are General. In all of these different levels of discernment we need the essential pillars of the Christian hope. There is no resurrection without death. The source of our hope lies not in ourselves but in a concrete person, a historical person, Jesus Christ, who died and rose from the dead. The memory of the cross and the memorial of the crucified is the indispensable foundation of our faith. She affirmed that Carmelite spirituality can be a reference and a sign for hope for many. The lecture of Fr. Michael Plattig, O.Carm. gave an excellent view of the spirituality of the Carmelites and how we, Carmelites live this spirituality in today’s world. Looking to the Rule, the Carmelite saints and real life examples to illustrate his points, Fr. Michael began by looking Fr. Desire Unen, Fr. Stanley Makacinas and Fr. Boniface Kimondolo at the importance of a personal, prayerful relationship with God that is to ask again why we are doing what we are doing, and why we based on the understanding that as are doing it the way we are doing it. What makes us specifically one cultivates this life of prayer, it is a Carmelites in what we do? relationship based on freedom, where In all of these, we face two dangers, said the Prior General. The God freely chooses his self-revelation, first is that we might “over-Carmelise” our ministry and fail to not manipulated by prayer forms or see the good that is in other traditions, other ways of belonging any human effort, and the Carmelite to the Church and its wider ministry. The other danger is that awaits in freeing silence, in which God we might lose all sense of being a Carmelite and fail to promote also invites him to share this freedom our heritage. It is an ancient tradition of which we can be rightly with others through the exercise of proud. justice. Fr. Michael later examined The first week of the gathering saw a number of expert how this relationship develops presentations, including reflections from Fr. Richard Rohr, precisely through the experience of O.F.M, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation the cross, the dark night, experienced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Dr. María López Guzmán, a lay within the context of a relationship theologian from Spain, and Fr. Michael Plattig, O.Carm. Responses with the Church. He concluded his to these were discussed in language groups after periods of presentation by explaining how this personal reflection. basic relationship with God and with the Church, founded on prayer, is In the first talk,Fr.