HOMESPIRITUALITYCOMMUNITIESVOCATIONRESOURCESMEMBERS

VOCATION

CARMEL'S CALL

Are you called to follow Jesus Christ in prayer, community, and ministry as a Lay Carmelite?

Initial formation is a 6-9 year journey of discernment and growth. The Lay Carmelites use a program similar to the religious branches of the Carmelite family. "The purpose of the novitiate, by which life in an institute begins, is to give the novices a greater understanding of their divine vocation, and of their vocation to that institute. During the novitiate the novices are to experience the manner of life of the institute and form their minds and hearts in its spirit. At the same time their resolution and suitability are to be tested." (Code of Canon Law, art. 646)

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you." 

- Jeremiah 1:5

ADMISSION

"A person wishing to become a candidate for admission to the Lay Carmelites must be a Catholic in good standing who is a registered member of a parish, who feels called by God to live more deeply his/her baptismal vocation as a member of the Carmelite Family according to the charism of the Carmelite Order. A candidate must be between 18 and 69 years of age when seeking entry to formation as a Lay Carmelite. A person is admitted to formation through an existing Lay Carmelite Community." (Lay Carmelite Office website)

Prospective members attend up to three community meetings, complete an application form signed by their pastor, and are interviewed by the community director or community formation director before being recommended for admission to the formation program.

"You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and summoned from its far-off places, you whom I have called my servant, whom I have chosen and will not cast off."
- Isaiah 41:9

FORMATION

Formation is a time of discernment and growth (spiritual, intellectual, and communal). Formation meetings are held once a month, in addition to the monthly community meeting. Formation is divided into four periods:

• Preparation for Reception (9 months - 2 years): An introduction to the Carmelite way of life. This "trial period" includes sessions on prayer and scripture, community, ministry, Rule and Statutes, Carmelite saints, and Carmelite history and traditions. At the end of this phase, candidates may request membership into the Order.

• Preparation for Temporary Promises (2 - 3 years): A deepening of the member's prayer life, sense of community, and call to ministry. Some session topics include Carmelite spirituality, Scripture, life of prayer, silence, spiritual direction, sacraments, Carmelite role models, living in community, and being a contemplative in an active world. At the end of this phase, members may request to make Temporary Promises.

• Preparation for Final Promises (3+ years): A special time of discernment and living the life of a Lay Carmelite. Relevant topics of study are selected by the formation group. At the end of this phase, members may request to make Final Promises.

• Ongoing Formation (life): Formation does not end after Final Promises. Members continue to meet for monthly formation meetings, selecting topics of interest related to Carmelite spirituality. Topics might include Carmelite charisms in Church documents, written works of a Carmelite saint, or other areas of interest.

For more information about Lay Carmelite vocations or to attend a local community meeting, contact us.

“The point of the Third Order is to accept with humility the task of one’s secular profession and its requirements, wherever one happens to be, while directing one’s whole life to that deep interior communion with Christ ... ‘Those who make use of the world as though they were not using it,’ (1 Cor. 7:31) — to master this inner tension, which is perhaps the more difficult challenge, and sustained by those pledged to follow Christ radically, truly to live it out ever anew — that is what third orders are for.”
- Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, 79

"The Lay Carmelite is expected to participate in the daily celebration of the Eucharist when possible. He/she should spend about one-half hour in meditation each day, that is reflecting on the Scriptures, using Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, or some other appropriate type of personal reflective prayer. The Lay Carmelite also prays in union with the Church through recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours – Morning and Evening Prayer.

Lay Carmelites attend a monthly community meeting . They wear the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel daily as an external sign of dedication to Mary, as a sign of trust in her motherly protection, as well as an expression of their desire to be like Mary in her commitment of Christ and to others." (Lay Carmelite Office website)

"Then Mary said, 'Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.'"

- Luke 1:38

A PRAYER FOR DISCERNMENT

"There he came to a cave, where he took shelter. But the word of the Lord came to him, 'Why are you here?'"

- 1 Kings 19:9