The Carmelite Order belongs in a special way to Mary, the one who, in her simplicity, was totally open and receptive to God’s word and pondered it in her heart. She is our Mother, our model and our sister in our search for God.
The Carmelite Order has no founder as such. Little is known about its early beginnings. In the late twelfth or early thirteenth century a group of men – some, pilgrims from Europe, others, possibly former crusaders – settled on the slopes of Mount Carmel near the Spring of Elijah. Calling themselves the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, they tried to live, in the spirit of the prophet Elijah, a life of solitude and prayer.
Photos of Mt. Carmel site on this and following 2 pages reproduced with permission from ‘Carmel in the Holy Land’ edited by Silvano Giordanp ocd, published by Il Messaggero di Gesu Bambino – Aranzano, Italy.
They lived in caves in a secluded area called the Wadi Ain Es-Siah, seeking God in prayer, fasting and silence, coming together for the daily celebration of the Eucharist and a weekly meeting.
Standing always before the Living God on behalf of His people, and totally dedicated to His worship and glory, these hermits had heard the call of Jesus Christ to leave everything and to follow him.
Between 1206 and 1214 the hermits asked St. Albert, Bishop of Jerusalem, to draw up a Rule of Life for them. It is perhaps the least known of the existing monastic Rules, noted for its brevity, simplicity and its rootedness in the scriptures.
It sketches out a way of life based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in which each hermit is to live in his own cell meditating on the Word of the Lord and watching in prayer. Under the guidance of an elected Prior the brothers built a little chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Excavations on the site have revealed the remains of the Church and Monastery built by the first Carmelites.
By the end of the 13th century, however, these first Carmelites were forced from their solitude by marauding Saracens, and returned to their previous homelands in Europe, seeking to continue their life of prayer. The change in conditions in Europe forced them to abandon their hermit lifestyle in favour of a mendicant or apostolic one.
They no longer lived in small hermitages away from people but moved gradually into the cities, teaching, preaching and administering the sacraments. The once simple hermits became involved in active ministries much like the Dominicans and Franciscans. So the Order began to spread throughout Europe.
Tradition has it that Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock, an early Prior General, and gave him the Brown Scapular as a sign of her protection.
The scapular is an important part of our Carmelite Habit. By wearing it we proclaim that we belong to Mary, that we wish to be clothed with her virtues and mirror in our lives the beauty of her holiness. A smaller version of the Scapular has become popular with lay people.
In 1452 the first women were admitted to the Order. By 1536 there were 11 monasteries of nuns in Spain alone.
In that year a young Spanish woman, Teresa de Ahumada, entered the Monastery of the Incarnation in Avila, Spain.
At that time the monastery was unable to support its 180 nuns, and Teresa, with her attractive personality, was often asked to spend time socialising with the many wealthy people of the city who provided some financial assistance for the community.
For 20 years she struggled to give herself totally to God who was drawing her into a deeper life of prayer. Eventually, before an image of Jesus wounded and suffering, she received the grace she needed to live for him alone.
Finding it extremely difficult to live her vocation fully at the Incarnation, she believed God was calling her to begin a small community where she might more easily live in poverty, solitude, silence and prayer, in the spirit of those first hermits on Mt. Carmel.
St. Teresa
With a few sisters from the Incarnation and four young women from poor families Teresa founded the first monastery of what came to be known as the Discalced Carmelite Nuns. (discalced – literally, without shoes – sharing the poverty of the poor to follow the poor Christ.) She named the monastery St Joseph’s. The sisters lived a cloistered life, free to give themselves to a life of intimate prayer for the sake of the Church, which at that time was being torn apart by division and scandal.
Teresa continued to receive many graces in prayer and was asked by her sisters and her confessors to write about prayer.
In her writings, which are both profound and practical, she shares her own personal experiences, her ecstasies, her difficulties, her frustrations and her failings.
In 1970 she was named the first woman Doctor of the Church.
Writings of St. Teresa
- The Life (Teresa’s autobiography)
- The Way of Perfection
- The Interior Castle
- Meditations on the Song of Songs
- The Foundations
- Spiritual Testimonies
- Poems
Five years after the foundation of St. Joseph’s Teresa met a young Carmelite Priest, who was thinking of leaving the Order to join the stricter Order of Carthusians. Teresa convinced him to become the first Discalced Carmelite Friar. John of the Cross was a man of deep prayer, whose mystical writings complement those of Teresa, and are a source of inspiration throughout the Christian and non-Christian world to this day.
The Discalced Carmelite Friars, sharing in the same spirit, help the nuns to live their common vocation and themselves serve the Church through prayer and active ministry.
St. John of the Cross
As people heard about Teresa’s new way of life, she was called upon to leave her cherished solitude to make foundations all over Spain. Journeys in covered wagons were long, hazardous, and tiring. By the time of her death in 1582 there were 17 Discalced Monasteries of Nuns in Spain.
Foundations made by St. Teresa in Spain
Since the time of Teresa there have been many saints who have lived this hidden life of prayer in Carmel. Among the most popular are:
St. Therese of Lisieux who showed that holiness means doing the little ordinary things of every day with great love.
St. Therese of Lisieux
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity whose life was radiant with the joy of the mystery of the Trinity alive within her.
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
St. Edith Stein – a famous Jewish convert, a German philosopher and advocate of women’s rights, who was killed in Auschwitz in 1942.
St. Edith Stein
After the death of Teresa monasteries of the reform were established all over the world. Today there are more than 800 Carmels in almost every country.
The first Carmel in Australia was founded from France in 1885. From that foundation in Sydney Carmels were established in every state.
For 38 years the Brisbane community lived in Auchenflower House, which served as a temporary monastery, until funds could be raised and a site located for a regular monastery. In 1959 the sisters bought the present property at Ormiston.
It was here that the Hon. Louis Hope grew the first sugar cane in Australia in the 1860’s. His home, Ormiston House, was at this time in a state of disrepair. Recognising the architectural beauty and historical and cultural value of the homestead, the sisters decided to build their monastery a short distance away.
Over a period of years a committee of devoted helpers of the community slowly and painstakingly restored Ormiston House to something of its original grandeur. It is now a heritage-listed tourist attraction, managed by a group of generous volunteers – The Ormiston House Advisers and Friends Committee and their helpers.
Auchenflower
Ormiston House
It took six years to build the new monastery, and in 1965 our community transferred from Auchenflower to Ormiston. This year marked the end of the second Vatican Council, an event which unleashed a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church and impacted on every religious community and its centuries-old traditions. Communities began the process of renewal and adaptation to the changing conditions of a world approaching the third Christian millennium.
Peace and Beauty
We thank God for having guided us to this place of peace and beauty, which is so conducive to contemplative prayer.
