SECULAR ORDER OF DISCALCED CARMELITES
England, Wales and Scotland
CARMELITE ONLINE LIBRARY
St Teresa of Avila
In 2015, preparation for the Quincentenary of the birth of St Teresa of Avila, Fr Matt kindly provided us with set of study guides for Teresa’s major works: Her Life, the Interior Castle, the Foundations and her Letters.
Each document highlights a particular area which we can use for study and discussion within our groups or simply use for personal formation to deepen our understanding of Teresa’s experience of the spiritual journey.
The Letters
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The Book of Her Life
The Book of Her Foundations
The Interior Castle
Overview of the Interior Castle, talk given by Fr Liam Finnerty, 2013
Synopsis of the Interior Castle, talk given by Fr Matt Blake, 2013
Talks around The Interior Castle, a comprehensive presentation in seven talks, given by Fr Matt Blake at a Secular Carmelite retreat at Ampleforth in 2022. An audio recording of this retreat is available under the 'audio recordings' tab.
Study Guide for the Interior Castle, by Fr Matt Blake, 2013, covering all seven Dwelling Places, with an analysis of selected passages
Interior Castle: Reading Journey, a two-page Reading Guide to the Interior Castle, by Fr Matt Blake
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The Way of Perfection
General material on St Teresa of Avila
Abridged transcripts of talks given by Fr Matt Blake OCD on St Teresa's The Book of Her Life at the 2022 Aylesford Retreat. Talks 2 - 7 are also available as audio files on our Audio Recordings page.
Aylesford Retreat 2022: St Teresa The Book of Her Life
St Thérèse of Lisieux
God Is Greater Than Our Heart: Thérèse of the Child Jesus and prayer
Sr. Aline Eraly, OCD
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Deep loneliness and pain – Thérèse of Lisieux
Annette Goulden, OCDS
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The relevance of Thérèse of Lisieux in our daily lives, relationships and prayer
Annette Goulden, OCDS
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Talks at the Secular Order Annual Retreat 2009, on arrival of the relics of St Thérèse
Fr Matt Blake OCD
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Link to Archive of the Carmel of Lisieux. Everything needed to find out more about Thérèse, giving rich insights into her work and the genesis of her thinking.
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St John of the Cross
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Commentaries on the Living Flame of Love by Fr Tony Cussen:
Prologue and Stanza 1 Stanza 2 Stanza 3 Stanza 4
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Introduction to the Living Flame of Love by Fr Iain Matthew
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The Dark Night of the Soul: an opportunity for growth and freedom
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The Living Flame of Love. Transcript of a retreat with seven talks given by Fr Matt Blake OCD, with links to the YouTube video of each talk.
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St John of the Cross and prayer in times of anguish
A talk given by Fr Iain Matthew OCD on 13 December 2022
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Elizabeth of the Trinity
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Notes from a talk by Roderick Campbell Guion OCDS
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A commentary on Elizabeth's 'Prayer to the Trinity'
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Edith Stein
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Notes from talks by Fr Matt Blake OCD
Edith Stein: Her Life and Teaching
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Blessed Marie-Eugene de L'Enfant-Jésus
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A 2022 Lent reflection on Blessed Marie-Eugene and baptismal grace by Fr Matt Blake OCD
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The Blessed Virgin Mary
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Mary, a Woman of Prayer, Fr James McCaffrey OCD
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Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Fr Matt Blake OCD
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The Annunciation, a 2022 Lent reflection by Fr Matt Blake OCD
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St Joseph
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A talk given by Fr Matt Blake OCD at our Walsingham pilgrimage in June 2021
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(See also the link to the 'Seven Sundays Devotion' under 'Resources on Prayer' below.)
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Constitutions and Counsels
Notes from talks by Fr Matt Blake OCD
Constitution No. 6 Constitution No. 9
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Apostolicam Actuositatem
Notes highlighting the significance for the Secular Order of the Second Vatican Council's
Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity
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Resources on Prayer
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The Breadth and Depth of Christian Prayer
The transcript of a series of eight talks by Fr Matt Blake OCD, based on St Teresa of Avila’s four stages of prayer (Book of her Life Chapters 11-22).
Links to the original audio files may can be found here.
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A short introduction to the Liturgy of the Hours
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Praying with St Paul, Fr Matt Blake OCD
The Seven Sundays Devotion to St Joseph with an Introduction by Chantal Roxane Haigh, Community of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Oxford.
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This devotion to St Joseph, involving seven Sundays leading up to his feast day on 19th March, has been written by María Pilar de la Iglesia, a Spanish theologian with a doctorate in Spiritual Theology from the Carmelite Pontifical faculty of the Teresianum in Rome.
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Awakened by the Beloved. Contemplation in the Carmelite tradition.
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The transcript of two talks given by Fr Matt Blake OCD at Boar's Hill on 6 November 2021.
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Other useful resources
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2023 Easter Triduum reflections by Fr Matt Blake OCD
2022 Lent reflections by Fr Matt Blake OCD
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2022 Easter Triduum reflections by Fr Matt Blake OCD
A Lent talk by Fr Liam Finnerty OCD
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Carmelite Retreat 2021
Transcripts of talks by Father Matt Blake OCD on St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Avila.
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Click here for a contents summary with links to each talk.
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Advent Retreat 2021
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Five talks on Carmelite saints by Fr Matt Blake OCD given as the Advent retreat for the parish of the Carmelite church in Kensington.
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Click here for the transcript.
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