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SECULAR ORDER OF DISCALCED CARMELITES
England, Wales and Scotland
cpblamires
Sep 6, 20241 min read
Loveless prayer
In one of our meetings last night we were discussing St Teresa’s Way of Perfection. Much of our discussion centred on the connection...
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cpblamires
Sep 5, 20241 min read
What is a blog?
A fellow Carmelite asked me 'What is a blog?' This illustrates the gulf between those who have some familiarity with social media and...
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cpblamires
Sep 4, 20241 min read
Priests who encourage us to go deeper
I am much encouraged by the welcome that parish priests give to new Secular Carmelite groups. Finding a good venue is a priority with a...
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cpblamires
Sep 3, 20242 min read
A founder figure
Yesterday was the Feast of St Brocard, a leading figure in the early history of the Carmelite Order, but unfortunately little is known...
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cpblamires
Sep 2, 20241 min read
News from around the world
The latest issue of OCD Communicationes has arrived from Rome. This is a regular newsletter containing reports of OCD and OCDS...
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cpblamires
Aug 30, 20241 min read
Let nothing trouble you
Many people find solace in Teresa's famous saying  Let nothing frighten you,  All things pass away:  God never changes.  Patience obtains...
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cpblamires
Aug 29, 20241 min read
Two simple saints
Still thinking about St Mary of Jesus Crucified - otherwise known as Mariam Bouardy OCD (1846-1878), or 'the little Arab'. Born in Upper...
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cpblamires
Aug 28, 20241 min read
Busyness and prayer
'Every Christian needs a half hour of prayer each day, except when he is busy, then he needs an hour'. I just came across this quote...
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cpblamires
Aug 27, 20241 min read
Hidden potential
I guess we are just at the beginning of the internet age. We in Carmel are faced with the challenge of making use of this tool to fulfil...
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cpblamires
Aug 26, 20241 min read
Teresa and a great artist
Perhaps the most famous image of our St Teresa is Bernini's sculpture representing her transverberation - the piercing of her heart by a...
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cpblamires
Aug 23, 20241 min read
The little Arab
I have been learning about Mariam Baouardy, known as 'the little Arab ', who was born in the Holy Land in the nineteenth century. Her...
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cpblamires
Aug 22, 20241 min read
Bridgettines
I have spent the night at the Bridgettines Guest House at Iver Heath. This branch of the ancient Order was founded by Maria Hasselblad,...
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cpblamires
Aug 21, 20241 min read
The Song of the Church
Today's Office of Readings has a wonderful passage from St Pius X - whose feast day is toda - on the Psalms. In Carmel we say Psalms...
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cpblamires
Aug 20, 20241 min read
A saint of love
If you google St Bernard (c1090-1153) - whose feast is celebrated today - you will find shedloads of information about the dog breed but...
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cpblamires
Aug 19, 20241 min read
Breaks
The question of meetings in August is a funny one. August is of course the holiday month, so some group members will be away. Is that...
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cpblamires
Aug 16, 20242 min read
From one prophet to another
We Carmelites have always revelled in our relationship with St Elijah. But now his successor St Elishah can be celebrated on 14 June, as...
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cpblamires
Aug 15, 20241 min read
A wonderful feast day
Before I became a Catholic I looked on the dogma of the Assumption with great scepticism. It seemed like just another novelty produced...
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cpblamires
Aug 14, 20241 min read
A heroic saint for modern times
This day in 1941 saw the death of a great Catholic saint: like Edith Stein and Titus Brandsma, the Carmelite saints who had both perished...
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cpblamires
Aug 13, 20241 min read
Another thought on the mountain
Yesterday I wrote a few lines comparing the physical and the spiritual ascent (cf. John of the Cross). There is a famous remark...
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cpblamires
Aug 12, 20241 min read
Climbing mountains
I was having coffee with a friend after mass yesterday and we were talking - as you do at this time of year - about holidays. She...
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