The Brisbane Young Carmelite Group – for young adults aged 18-35 – meets here at the Carmelite Monastery every couple of months. We share something of our faith and spirituality on a topic chosen each time, and using a text emailed prior to the gathering, and end with Evening Prayer.
Next YCG Meeting Sunday 19 October
Past Meetings
We began 2025 with the first stanza of St John of the Cross’s ‘Spiritual Canticle’.
We had some new faces in August. As it was the Feast of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross – Edith Stein – we watched a few YouTubes on her life before discussing her spirituality, particularly the place of the Cross. As a Jewish convert and Carmelite nun, in being taken by the Nazis, she offered her life for her people in Auschwitz.
In June we continued studying Carmelite prayer from Sr Mary McCormack’s ‘Upon this Mountain’. This time we did ‘The Apostolate of Contemplation’ and there were many questions about the apostolic value of prayer, particularly when it is rooted in love.
Our most recent YCG meeting was on a Sunday, 10 March. The Topic: ‘Prayer as Relationship: Finding the Real Person and the Real God’ from ‘Upon this Mountain’ by Sr Mary McCormack ocd
After a very busy few months, we re-started our YCG meeetings in February 2024, beginning a series on Carmelite Prayer. As you can see, Stephanie has joined us during this time.
It was the eve of Trinity Sunday so we shared reflections on St Elizabeth of the Trinity’s beautiful Prayer to the Trinity. Unfortunately, some could not come, with assignments due and exams looming, but they have the text to ponder in their own time.
We were happy to have two seminarians join us for our April meeting. Unfortunately they and others had to leave early. We used chapter 26 of St Teresa’s ‘Way of Perfection’ to help us prepare for Holy Week.
There are more on our side of the grille, but we are having very deep and reflective conversations about St Teresa’s stages of prayer. In December we studied the second way of ‘watering the garden’ – that is, of a water wheel, which yields more water with less effort: the beginnings of the ‘living water’ promised by Jesus.
On Saturday 27 February 2021 we resumed our YCG meetings after the long break due to the pandemic. Our topic was: ‘And It was very Good’: Asceticism for the Lenten Season
We discussed some insights from our Carmelite Sister Ruth Burrows
Following the recent visit of the Relics of St Therese and her parents, Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, we began with an audio visual presentation on Therese and a reflection on Therese’s prayer for priests.
Those who had spent time with the Relics, either here or elsewhere, also shared their impressions.
13 April was the eve of Palm Sunday, so we took St. Teresa’s ‘Way of Perfection’ chapter 26 to help us stay close to Jesus in his suffering and death, the topic being:
‘Praying with St Teresa – Walking with Jesus through Holy Week’
Our topic on 6 October was ‘Back to the Gospel – The Message of Thérèse of Lisieux’ and we had a big group from UQ joining us. Several didn’t make it into the photo. We said good-bye to Katherine and Michael who are finishing up with NET and returning home – Katherine all the way to the USA.
Our August topic was ‘The Loneliness of Jesus: Insights from St Teresa and the Gospel of Mark
On 3 February 2018 we continued our themes from ‘The Spiritual Canticle’ of St John of the Cross with the topic: ‘Immersion in God’s Beauty’
We said goodbye to Hien who is entering the Benedictines at Jamberoo next weekend. She is starting to feel a little nervous, but looks very peaceful and happy. We will keep her in our prayers.
It was also Aushra’s last time with us, before she returns home to Lithuania. We remember all those who have been part of our YCG and hope they have come a little closer to God through our Carmelite spirituality.
At present we are reflecting on some themes from the ‘Spiritual Canticle’
Our first meetings in 2017 focused on different aspects of the spirituality of St Therese of Lisieux. Then we started looking at St. John of the Cross’s poem: ‘The Spiritual Canticle’
With some new faces we started off 2016 by going back to basics with an introduction to Carmelite Spirituality
In April we looked at ‘The Call to Holiness’ from a Carmelite perspective
In 2015, the 5th centenary year of the Birth of St. Teresa, we are ‘travellings inwards’ through ‘The Interior Castle’. In March we studied the First Mansions.
Our May group was small, but we enjoyed exploring Teresa’s Second Mansions.
At our September meeting we explored the riches of Teresa’s 4th Mansions