Our Vocation: A Call to Carmel

What is the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order?

Discalced Carmelite Seculars are members of the Carmelite family of the 16th century reform of St. Teresa of Jesus. Discalced means unshod.

St. Teresa’s followers wore sandals rather than shoes, a practice which distinguished them from Carmelites of the Ancient Observance. These followers are present in the modern world as friars, enclosed nuns, and seculars. The Discalced Carmelite Order is “nourished by the long tradition of Carmel, expressed in the Rule of Saint Albert and the doctrine of the Carmelite Doctors of the Church and the Order’s other saints.” (Constitutions of the Secular Order of the Teresian Carmel, 2003)

What is required of Discalced Carmelite Seculars?

The following principles of the Rule of Saint Albert, written for the hermits on Mount Carmel in the 13th century, guide Carmelite Secular life today:

• Living in allegiance to Jesus Christ

• Being diligent in meditating on the law of the Lord

• Giving time to spiritual reading

• Participating in the liturgy of the Church, both the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours

• Arming ourselves with the practice of the virtues

• Seeking interior silence and solitude

• Using prudent discretion in all that we do.

(from the “Constitutions of the Secular Order of the Teresian Carmel,” 2003)

What is the timetable for becoming a Discalced Carmelite Secular?

The entire period of initial formation commonly requires about six years.

Aspirancy: Attendance at 12 monthly meetings of the community is required, so the Aspirant may be supported by its members as he or she learns more about secular life and discerns whether he or she has a vocation to the Order.

First period of formation: A minimum of two years is required for study and growth in prayer, the apostolate and community life. At the end of this time, the council of the community may invite the candidate to make a three-year First Promise to the Order to strive to follow Christ in poverty, chastity, obedience, and the beatitudes.

Second Period of formation: At least three years of further study and growth in the vocation is needed to make the Definitive Promise, which confirms the commitments of the First Promise for the rest of the person’s life. Either period of formation may be extended if the council and the individual in formation agree that doing so is in the best interest of the candidate.  After the Definitive Promise, ongoing formation and transformation in Christ is a life-long commitment.