THE LAY CARMELITES
BLESSED TRINITY LAY CARMELITE COMMUNITY (#5815)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saints (cropped), by Pietro Novelli. Public domain.
Ontario and NW New York Region | Blessed Trinity LCC
Monthly Meeting time:
2nd Saturday, 10 AM
Meeting place:
Meetings online during the pandemic
St Luke’s Catholic Church
39 Green Lane
Thornhill, ON L3T 6K5
We are a community of Catholic laity and belong to the Lay Carmelite Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 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 of Carmelite charism of contemplative prayer, community and ministry.
Our community was formed on November 30, 2010. Lourdes and Daniel are our founding members. To date, our community has grown to sixteen members.
We meet on the second Saturday of the month at St. Luke's Parish, 39 Green Lane, Thornhill, for prayers and ongoing formation.
If you feel you may have a vocation in Carmel, please browse this site, read our information pamphlet, and contact us.
Blessings,
Eva
Community Director
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
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, Bl 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
For Members...
MEETING SCHEDULE
LAY CARMELITE OFFICE, Darien, IL - Community meetings are postponed during the pandemic. New Candidates are not to be accepted during this time. If meetings are held online, they are optional.
Our community is holding meetings online via Zoom. We welcome Lay Carmelites from other communities to join us (use the Contact Us form above).
Monthly: 2nd Sat, 10 AM
Inquiry: postponed until after pandemic
Phase I: 2nd Mon, 7 PM
Phase II: 2nd Thu, 7 PM
Lectio divina: every Sat, 10 PM
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sat, Nov 7, 2020
2020 Community Retreat #2
Online via Zoom
Due to popular public demand, we are running our second online community retreat again. Join Blessed Trinity LCC for a four-part retreat on The Transformational Power of Forgiveness. The retreat will be led by Adrinanne Sequeira, MDiv, DMin(Cand), Registered Pyschotherapist, Registered Nurse. The format is presentations followed by breakout room discussions.
Sat Nov 7: 10 AM - 12 PM
Sun Nov 8: 11 AM - 1 PM
Sat Nov 14: 10 AM - 12 PM
Sun Nov 15: 11 AM - 1 PM
To register and for more details, contact btlccretreat@gmail.com
Sat, Nov 28, 2020
Regional Advent Day of Recollection
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Online via Zoom
The Regional Advent Day of Recollection will be led online by Fr. Dominic Borg, OCD. The theme is The Meaning of Advent and How to Live It. To register, visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDqNFtiLFR82Tm8GyiRHkw6wBxCiu4hO0J9BZFiCM-PZiN8g/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
Registration is limited to 100, so it may fill up within a few days. Register immediately!
Sat, Dec 12, 2020
Solemnity of Community Founding
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Online via Zoom
This December 18 marks the 10th Anniversary of our community founding. We will celebrate on Sat Dec 12 after lectio divina for prayer and fellowship!
[Opt] Sat, Dec 12, 2020
Carmelite Institute Advent Webinar: To Journey by Starlight
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Online
Sponsored by the Carmelite Institute, Carol Bailey explores the story of the Magi by inviting us to pause and ponder the wisdom this sacred story holds.
Cost: $10
To register, visit: https://carmelnet.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d4c0cc9a7e19fe7ca2717aa15&id=d04694763b&e=f5d2d07e34
NOVEMBER 2020 UPDATES
1. Anniversaries
Birthdays: Happy birthday to Violet!
Nov 22:
Daniel, Final Profession (1994)
2. 2020 Community Retreat #2 (Second Date Added)
Congratulations to Adrianne and the retreat team! Due to the popularity of our last retreat, a second date has been added for the weekends of Nov 7-8 and Nov 14-15. See the Upcoming Events section for more details.
3. November Monthly Meeting Postponed to 3rd Saturday
Our Monthly Meeting in November has been postponed to the third Saturday (Nov 21), due to the community retreat.
4. Help Needed to Prepare for 10th Anniversary Celebration
We will be celebrating our 10th anniversary on Sat Dec 12. If interested in helping to plan the prayer and social activities for this event, contact Daniel.