The Carmelites of Australia & Timor-Leste have launched a new charity to help those in need in Timor-Leste called Carmel Impact. The new charity can receive tax deductible donations to enable children to attend school, Carmelite students to study philosophy and English, young men and women to receive community scholarships for further study, our work with disenfranchised youth through sporting and cultural activities and the teachers and volunteers in our schools to receive ongoing professional development. pdf You can read more in this issue of our newsletter, Carmel Contact.

Dutch Carmelite, Titus Brandsma (1881-1942), has moved a step closer to being officially recognised by the Church as a saint. On 25 May 2021 the Congress of Theological Consultors recognised as a miracle the scientifically inexplicable healing of Fr Michael Driscoll, OCarm, attributed to the intercession of Blessed Titus Brandsma. This positive result now allows Fr Titus' Cause to be submitted to the Cardinals and Bishops of the Congregation for Causes of the Saints. If the outcome is positive the Congregation will then submit its conclusions for the approval of the Pope who will then meet with the council of cardinals (Consistory) during which the recognition of Titus Brandsma as a saint will be officially announced. More story & images

Today we do not pray to receive the Holy Spirit. Instead, we pray to grow more aware of the Spirit’s presence in our lives and to allow that Spirit to grow within us, gradually re-shaping our minds and hearts in the image of Jesus. The spiritual search is for the heart of God within our own. When we enter into relationship with Christ through the Spirit, the gifts begin to flow more abundantly. Read more

Celebrating At Home - Pentecost Sunday [PDF]
Celebrating At Home - Pentecost Sunday [ePub]

Ever since Easter, we have been proclaiming that Jesus is alive. The feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost help us to realise that we are part of a long tradition of faithful disciples. We have our faults and failings, but our call is to witness to and teach the way of Jesus by the kind of people we are, the values and attitudes we hold, in thought, word and action - to be the living presence of God in the world today. Read more

Celebrating at Home Ascension Sunday [PDF]
Celebrating at Home Ascension Sunday [ePub]

Today is Mothers’ Day and I’ve been thinking about all the ways in which mothers are so important to us and cherished by us and how they embody many of the images in the Gospels of the last 3 Sundays: shepherds who help sheep become shepherds, vines which bring branches to life, friends who abide with us for ever.

Just as Jesus drew people to a new awareness of God presence, it’s often our mothers who are first to draw our attention to the presence of God. Even as small children, my mum began to make us aware of God’s presence in our world and is us. She had to deal with awkward theological questions like, “If God is here, why can’t I see him?” Read more

As we approach the coming feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost, the Gospel today helps us understand that Jesus is our bond of love with the Father and with one another. He is a true friend to us. He is both the image of God and the model of the redeemed human being that each of us is called to be. Read more

Celebrating At Home Sixth Sunday of Easter [PDF]
Celebrating At Home Sixth Sunday of Easter [ePub]

Angelus is thought to have been one of the first Carmelites to return to Sicily from Mount Carmel and, according to a long-standing tradition, he was murdered in Licata during the first half of the 13th century.

Venerated as a martyr, a church was built soon after his death at the place where he died and his body was interred there. Only in 1662 were his remains transferred to the Carmelite church in Licata. More story

Explore Pope Francis' encyclical on Fraternity and Social Friendship (Fratelli Tutti) with John Day on Wednesday 5 May 10.30-12 midday via Zoom. This session will look at "A stranger on the road," the Pope's reflection on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Chapter 2), and "A better kind of politics" which introduces a new kind of politics in which the followers of Jesus are invited to engage (Chapter 5). Click here for more information and to register. You can read the full encyclical here. This session is part of the Carmelite Conversations series offered by The Carmelite Centre Melbourne.

The purpose of remaining in communion with Jesus, the Vine, is for us branches to draw the life and nourishment we need to become good fruit. That fruit shows itself in lives of plenty, in rich and generous sharing of love, hope, comfort, compassion, joy and forgiveness.

Celebrating At Home Fifth Sunday of Easter [PDF]                        
Celebrating At Home Fifth Sunday of Easter [ePub]

The Gospel this Sunday shows us that the sheep (us) are at the centre of the life of Jesus and the Father! Jesus gives his all for them. He is a true shepherd prepared to lay down his life for his sheep. He is not like the hired man who runs away when danger appears. He knows his sheep and one day will gather them all into one flock. Read more

Celebrating At Home Fourth Sunday of Easter [PDF]
Celebrating At Home Fourth Sunday of Easter [ePub]