THE LAY CARMELITES

BLESSED TRINITY LCC (#5815 - Thornhill, ON)

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MEETINGS

1st Saturday, 9:30 AM

(Parish Mass 8:30 AM)

St Luke’s Catholic Church
39 Green Lane

Thornhill, ON L3T 6K5

Information Pamphlet (PDF)

"Welcome! We are a community of Roman Catholic women and men who belong to the Lay Carmelites, the Third Order Secular branch of the Carmelite Order. Our mission is to follow Christ in love, to seek the kingdom of God, to sanctify and to transform the secular world through the participation in the Carmelite charisms of contemplative prayer, community and ministry. It is an ancient path followed by laity since 1210, and embraced by religious such as St Teresa of Avila, St Therese of Lisieux, St John of the Cross, St Titus Brandsma, and others.

Blessed Trinity Lay Carmelite Community (#5815) started as a spirituality group in March 2009, and became a community on November 30, 2010. We continued to operate online during the COVID pandemic, and are glad to be back to face-to-face meetings and accepting new candidates.

We meet on the first Saturday of the month at St. Luke's Parish in Thornhill.

If you feel you may have a vocation in Carmel, please browse this site, read our information pamphlet, and contact us to discuss your vocation.

Blessings,

Blessed Trinity LCC

The Annunciation (cropped), by Leonardo da Vinci. License.

CALL TO CARMEL

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

- Luke 1.38, NRSV

"I wanted Carmel as soon as I knew about it. I find all the aspirations of my soul are fulfilled in this Order."

- St. Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul, Manuscript A, 54v

Many and varied are the ways (Rule, 2) in which God calls people to follow Jesus Christ. Read about the Carmelite journey of some of our members.

Read about the Carmelite journey

Saint Albert Presents the Rule of Carmel (cropped), by Pietro Lorenzetti

St Albert Presents Rule, (cropped) by Pietro Lorenzetti. License.

THE CARMELITES

"Now therefore have all Israel assemble for me at Mount Carmel."

- 1 Kings 18.19, NRSV

"All must be friends, all must loved, all must be held dear, all must be helped."

- St Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection (ICS) 4.7

The Carmelites are an 800-year old religious family whose members include revered doctors and saints of the Church, such as St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross, St Titus Brandsma, and others. In North America, the Third Order Secular branch of the Order is commonly known as the Lay Carmelites.

Learn more about the Lay Carmelites

Our Lady of Mount Carmel (2020), by Ria. Used with permission.

For Members...

MEETING SCHEDULE

We're meeting face-to-face again, and accepting new candidates!

Monthly: 1st Sat, 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Inquiry: varies
Phase I: 2nd Mon, 7 PM (may vary)
Phase II: 2nd Thu, 7 PM (may vary)

[Optional] Saturday prayer: 3rd Sat, 10:00 - 11:00 AM, via Zoom

UPCOMING EVENTS

In-person events may be canceled due to local COVID restrictions. Please watch your email closer to the date for any changes.

SAT
MAY
6
2023

Professions

Adrianne will make her Temporary Profession, and Teresa will make her Final Profession at our May Monthly meeting! Fr Chris Kulig will be visiting to conduct the ceremonies, and to lead us in a morning retreat.

APRIL 2023

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Anniversaries

Happy birthday to: Helen

2. Craft Night

Tue, Apr 4, 7-9 PM, Daniel's house. Let's finish stitching the leather liturgy covers, and make leather prayer bracelets. If you haven't started a cover, you can still come along for camaraderie and to make leather prayer bracelets.

3. Professions

Our May Monthly Meeting (Sat May 6) will be a celebration! Adrianne will make her Temporary Profession, and Teresa will make her Final Profession. Fr Chris Kulig, OCarm will preside at the ceremonies.

4. Brown Scapular Enrolment Ceremonies at Local Parishes

We are beginning to make preparations for the Brown Scapular Enrolment Ceremonies in July. We held these ceremonies throughout COVID, encouraging people to be more prayerful and committed to their relationship with Christ. We will need help making scapulars and helping to run the enrolment ceremonies. More details closer to the date.

5. Fundraising

Our community started fundraising more intensely during COVID to host online spiritual retreats and to support Carmelite religious.

- We still have 12 oz. CENY mugs available for $12, with the icon of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The iconographer, Stephen, from our community, will initial them if you wish.

- Lidia, Pina, and Daniel are working on a simple profession ceremony kit to sell to communities: candle, certificate, scapular bag, and keepsake bookmark. By buying in bulk and ordering early, they hope is to provide better-quality, Carmelite-specific, personalized materials at the same cost communities would spend at the last-minute for lesser-quality, generic products.

6. New Phase 3 Formation Book

In June, we will begin a new book study for Ongoing Formation. Conrad De Meester's With Empty Hands: The Message of St Therese of Lisieux was selected because St Therese of Lisieux is being honoured by UNESCO this year, and it will be the 150th anniversary of her birth. Thousands of books have been written about the Little Flower, but this book is widely recognized in Carmel as one of the best.

7. Funeral Wishes

A checklist will be distributed at the April Monthly Meeting, where members may select a Carmelite presence during their funeral: honour guard, pray Office of the Dead during funeral visitation, buried wearing the Ceremonial Scapular, ... The list is optional and will be updated annually. We will always respect the wishes of surviving family members despite what you select.

MINISTRY CONTACTS

Council

Director: Stephen

Councilor 1: Daniel

Formation Director: Bernardine

Secretary: Eva

Treasurer: Pina

Ministry Contacts

Zoom meetings: Bernardine

Equipment donations: Lourdes

Web group: Daniel

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