SECULAR ORDER OF DISCALCED CARMELITES
England, Wales and Scotland

No new blogs until then.

I suspect that it was the writings of St John in the Scriptures which first sowed the Carmelite seed in me when I encountered them as a...

On this St Stephen’s Day, my thoughts turn to our Carmelite Martyrs.  I wrote recently about the sixteen Compiegne Sisters, martyrs of...

I found this report online on how the Carmelite Sisters of Notting Hill in London celebrate Christmas: ‘After the long waiting of Advent,...

The detective instinct in me loves wandering around Google, and this morning I typed in ‘Carmel Christmas’ out of curiosity, and...

In our Carmelite groups the question of ecstatic experiences comes up from time to time.  How important are they? Should we as Carmelites...

Great news for Carmel!  Our Blessed martyrs of Compiegne have at last been canonised! I quote from the internet: ‘In a decision rich in...

Thanks to the wonderful zoom technology, I was able to join our valiant group of Secular Carmelites in mid-Wales last night.  Catholics...

Recently I have been reading about Eve Lavalliere (1866-1929).  A website tells us that ‘For years, Eve Lavalliere was the toast of...

A friend sent me this delightful quotation from one of the Desert Fathers. Abba Lot came to Abba Joseph and said: Father, according as I...

The Feast of St John of the Cross was celebrated appropriately on Saturday at the OCD Priory on Boars Hill outside Oxford.  There was an...

At a recent Carmelite meeting we were discussing the future structure of our meetings.  One of our number observed that in (Secular)...

On today’s Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I reproduce a few lines from an article about the Carmelite presence at the shrine in Mexico. ...

When I was in my late teens, I took a turn inwards, I became introspective and self-critical.  I lost that confidence and spontaneity...

I have been reading more about the legendary French singer Edith Piaf (said to be one of the most celebrated performers of the 20th...

I have been looking recently at the story of Dorothy Day (1897-1980), the well-known American convert journalist and social activist who...

At a Carmelite meeting last night we focussed on the theme of detachment.  We were looking at Chapter 8 in The Way of Perfection.  This...

My attention was drawn to this seemingly innocuous saying of St Therese many years ago before I became a Carmelite.  Now it is part of...

My first discovery of today’s Saint, John Damascene (675/676-749) came when I was pondering the claims of the Catholic Church in my...

At our OCDS National Council meeting yesterday, the possibility of organising day retreats was raised.  We currently organise week-long...