The British Province
of Carmelite Friars
The British Province
of Carmelite Friars
Origins of the Carmelite Order
The Carmelites have a very unique
background. Unlike most Religious Orders, we have no founder.
Earliest historical accounts find the first Carmelites already
settled as hermits on Mount Carmel some 800 years ago, living
near the fountain of the prophet Elijah. The chapel which stood
in the midst of their cells was dedicated to Mary, the Mother
of Jesus. The process of change from a small band of hermits to
a world wide family did not happen overnight. The present Constitutions
of the Order give the basic steps:
At the time of the Crusades to the Holy Land, hermits settled
in various places throughout Palestine. Some of these, "following
the example of Elijah, a holy man and a lover of solitude, adopted
a solitary life-style on Mount Carmel, near a spring called Elijah's
Fountain. In small cells, similar to the cells of a beehive, they
lived as God's bees, gathering the divine honey of spiritual consolation."
Later, St. Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem brought the hermits
together, at their request, into a single "collegium";
he gave them a formula for living which expressed their own eremetical
ideals ("propositum") and reflected the spirit of the
so-called pilgrimage to the Holy Land and of the early community
of Jerusalem. Moved by "their love of the Holy Land",
these hermits consecrated themselves in this Land to the One who
had paid for it by the shedding of his blood, in order that they
might serve him, clothed in the habit of religious poverty,"
persevering "in holy penance" and forming a fraternal
community.
This way of life was approved successively by Honorius III in
1226, by Gregory IX in 1229, and by Innocent IV in 1245. In 1247,
Innocent IV approved it definitively as an authentic rule of life,
amending it to suit Western conditions. These adaptations became
necessary when the Carmelites began to migrate to the West to
escape persecution, and expressed a desire to lead a life "in
which, with the help of God, they would have the joy of working
for their own salvation and that of their neighbour."
As a result of the approval of the Rule by Innocent IV, the Carmelites
placed themselves at the service of the Church, according to the
common ideal of the Mendicant Orders...
So, we have no Francis or Dominic or Benedict (or even a Teresa
as have the Discalced Carmelites) to whom we can look as a founder.
This means that God's founding gift to the Order (the Charism)
is not found in a person or a particular book but in a community
of people. Being without a founder, the Carmelites have continually
looked to the great figures of Elijah and Mary for inspiration
- remember we settled by the Well of Elijah on Carmel and dedicated
the first chapel to the Mother of God. Throughout our history,
these key figures have helped us clarify our identity and renew
our spirit. They provide a wonderful integration of the two streams
of the Carmelite tradition - contemplative and active; prayerful
and prophetic; reflective and apostolic.
As human models, Elijah and Mary provide Carmelites with an example
to imitate. Not unlike Carmelites of any era, they struggled with
fear, stood in the face of very difficult questions, and felt
deeply the pains of human life. Being human, they appear like
us, as fragile and vulnerable. Yet They were filled with a deep
conviction. It is a conviction that lies at the heart of the Carmelite
spirit: God is alive! God is present! God is with us! - in the
words of the Prophet Elijah "God lives in whose presence
I stand".
Between the years 1206 and 1214, the community on Mt. Carmel petitioned
Albert, the Patriarch of Jerusalem for a Rule of Life. His response
became the "formula for living" that Carmelites follow
to this day.
Hospitality was no doubt one of the original values for the early
Carmelites. Mt. Carmel served as a place of rest for pilgrims
in the Holy Land. Some of them were so impressed by the beauty
of Carmel and the simple lifestyle of the community of hermits
who lived there that they stayed.
Soon after they received Albert's Rule, the Carmelites were forced
to leave the known slopes of Carmel and settle in Europe. In all
probability many of the first Carmelites had been crusaders and
they naturally headed for their own countries. Like ripples in
a lake Carmel spread first to Cyprus, then to France and then
to England in 1242.
Adaptation and flexibility were demanded as the Carmelites not
only changed their place of residence but also modified their
style of life - from desert to city, from hermit to friar. Assuming
the mendicant tradition, Carmelites went wherever they were needed
serving God's people and sharing the spirit of Carmel.
Prayer is at the core of the Carmelite spirit. To grow in friendship
with God, to experience God's love, to ponder the mystery and
wonder of life, to search for meaning - all encompass the contemplative
dimension of Carmelite life.
In the solitude of prayer, we experience the compassion of God
which enables us to live in solidarity with our brothers and sisters.
This experience makes ministry possible. It empowers us to "suffer
with" and respond to those in deed. It also enables us to
be patient with and forgiving towards each other.
How Carmelites serve is not set in stone. As friars, we respond
to the needs of the Church in a variety of ways. Today we can
be found in parishes, schools, retreat houses, on campuses, in
hospitals, in prisons, in both rural and urban settings. What
we do today, we may not have done in the past. The same holds
true for the future. Depending on the need, Carmelites will respond
- continually following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Carmelites are ordinary people who witness an extraordinary reality
- the abiding presence of God. To live in the presence of God
gives the ordinary things we do great meaning. It was the motivating
force for Elijah whose spirit continues - "the Lord lives
in who presence I stand" and "with zeal, have I been
zealous for the Lord God of Hosts."
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