About the Carmelites

At the time of the Twelfth Century Crusades in the Holy Land, men desired to follow Christ in his homeland by living lives of prayerful solitude and silence. One such group settled on Mount Carmel, a place filled with the spirit of the Old Testament prophet, Elijah. Sometime between 1206 and 1214, St. Albert, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, set down a way of life for these hermits in the form of a Rule for following Christ and serving Him faithfully with a pure heart and good conscience. This Rule of Saint Albert still guides Carmelites today.

Whenever there was a spiritual need, the Carmelites reached out in unique fashion as contemplatives in action. They engaged in preaching, teaching, and spiritual direction. Others served as missionaries, as university teachers, or in pastoral care. Some became famous for their holiness and service: St. Albert of Sicily was a noted preacher; Saint Nuno Alvarez was a great leader and is honored as the George Washington of Portugal; St. Andrew Corsini was a renowned peacemaker between warring city-states; St. Peter Thomas founded a great University; Blessed Baptist of Mantua was a brilliant humanist writer; St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila were great mystical doctors and masters of the spiritual life; St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, became a doctor of the Church for her spirituality and Patroness of the Missions. Today, Saint Titus Brandsma, a Dutch Carmelite martyred in Dachau for defending the freedom of the press against Nazis, is an example to us as well as St. Edith Stein, co-patroness of Europe.

The life and work of Carmel continues to flourish after eight centuries. Like his medieval counterparts, the Carmelite today is a contemplative in action, caring for and serving his fellow Christians. Carmelites seek to walk in the light of Christ and to help those whom God sends into their lives to see that same light.

The life purpose of the Carmelites who minister today is to follow Jesus Christ as Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel called together by the Holy Spirit. They live as Elijah in the presence of God to serve the needs of the Church and each other in love.

Living in God's Presence

What we call “Carmel” is really a way of life in which we try to be aware of the Presence of God in the most ordinary, everyday things. We’re contemplative, but we live out our service in the world. We’re prayerful, but we’re also practical. We were founded 800 years ago on a mountaintop, but we have our feet firmly planted in today’s problems and concerns.

“Carmel learned to tell the story of the human heart as a love story. Thinking they were searching for something missing in their lives, Carmelites discovered they were being pursued by a loving presence whose desire for them gave them increased life, greater freedom, and a trustworthy relationship for their guidance.”

The Carmelite Way

"Carmel learned to tell the story of the human heart as a love story. Thinking they were searching for something missing in their lives, Carmelites discovered they were being pursued by a loving presence whose desire for them gave them increased life, greater freedom, and a trustworthy relationship for their guidance."

The Carmelite Way, John Welch, O.Carm.
(Paulist Press: 1996)

Living in Community

Carmelites live together in groups so that we can support one another in our desire to live up to what God wants of us. We share prayer times, meals, concerns, and, sometimes, work. We are brothers to one another and call each other to accountability for our way of life.

Living in Service to Others

Carmelite friars are pastors, teachers, and spiritual directors. But, we’re also lawyers, firefighters, and prison chaplains. There is no one career that defines a Carmelite. We pray for the freedom to respond to needs wherever we find them.

Who are the Carmelites?

Living in God's Presence

The Carmelite Way

Living in Community

Living in Service to Others

Carmelite Schools in the US