Carmelite Spirituality, the Legacy of Holy Land Hermits

By Carol Johnson

Carmelite tradition is rooted in the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a community of hermits that existed after the schools of the prophets in ancient Israel. The order counts among its members many mystics and saints, and it is founded solidly on the messages of the Old Testament. Its mission is decidedly a spiritual one, yet the order has never seemed to make any special effort to define its spirituality.

The historical origin of the Carmelite tradition can be traced back to Saint Berthold, who had gone to Palestine from Calabria as a pilgrim. He chose Mount Carmel, the traditional home of Elijah, to be the seat of his community of hermits. The community of hermits slowly grew in the eastern Holy Land as pilgrims sought it out, and sometime between 1208 and 1214 they requested a rule from the patriarch Albert of Jerusalem. The rule consisted of 16 articles, which included strict obedience to the prior; residing in individual cells; praying constantly; gathering to hear Mass every morning; poverty and toil; complete silence from vespers until the next morning; abstinence from meat except when severely ill; and fasting from Holy Cross Day (September 14) until Easter of the following year. The rule was approved by Pope Honorius III in 1226.

Because of increasing divisiveness between the West and the East, however, the Carmelites chose to leave their original home, settling in 1238 in Sicily and Cyprus. In 1230 the order had spread to Kent, England, and four years later to southern France. By 1245 the Carmelite community had grown so much that they were able to hold their first general chapter at Aylesford, where Simon Stock was chosen to be general of the order. Although he was 80 years old upon being chosen, Stock ruled for 20 years and the order continued to prosper, with a monastery established in Paris by Saint Louis in 1259.

By 2001, the membership of the Carmelite community had increased to over 2000 men in 25 provinces, 700 nuns in 70 monasteries, and 13 affiliated congregations and institutes. In addition, there are over 30,000 lay Carmelite members throughout the world. Provinces exist in Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Malta, Poland, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, and Australia. Delegations directly under the Prior General exist in Portugal, the Czech Republic, the Philippines, and France.

Carmelite Missions are located in Lithuania, Romania, Burkino Faso, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mozambique, Kenya, India, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, Mexico, Trinidad, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Argentina. There are monasteries of enclosed Carmelite nuns located in Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, Peru, the United States of America, Kenya, the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Dominican Republic. Hermit communities of either men or women exist in the United States, France, Italy, Indonesia, and Brazil.

Members of the Carmelite family feel closely united by "a characteristic and permanent way of seeing, feeling, and willing." The nature of this spirituality is believed to have come down directly from heaven upon the sons of the prophets who lived for centuries upon the slopes of the holy mountain of Carmel, because without this spirit Carmel would never have existed. Although Carmelite spirituality is based in part on documents, it is above all based on spirit and life. By examining its origins, the writings of the Carmelite saints, and studying the lives of the Carmelite community, the soul of Carmel is revealed and one can come to understand the wisdom and purity of Carmelite spirituality.