""Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." (Mt 5.16)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Carmel;

We are in the month of October, a month that brings with it happy memories: It is no wonder that Thanksgiving is celebrated during this month! Among the Feasts and happy memories that we celebrate in October, one cannot but recall the Feast of St Thérèse, The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and the Feast of Our Mother St Teresa. These feasts where ushered by the Feast of St Albert of Jerusalem on the 17th of September.

The feast of St Albert challenges each one of us to think seriously about the observance of Our Rule, and together with Our Mother St Teresa, and Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, express our zeal to live it. St Therese comes to our rescue with her total abandonment in God's mercy and love; and the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary reminds us of what Pope John Paul II said: " The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at the heart a Christ-centered prayer."

This year, the Feast of Our Holy Mother St Teresa, opens for us a five year preparation plan that will help all of us to revive the Carmelite Spirit and Charisma so that we will be ready to celebrate solemnly the 500th year from her birth, 1515-2015. The good Lord has inspired us to begin to make use of Our Center of Spirituality by organizing different talks on the Saints of the Order and on the Importance of the Word of God in our lives. So far we have had already four talks at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Scarborough, which were very well attended! Apart from these talks, other activities and days of reflections were organized by different OCDS Communities: Kingston, Mary Queen of Peace, together with Ottawa Communities, Bl Mary of Jesus Crucified, and Sainte Marie-Du-Mount-Carmel, and the Belleville Community, St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross ; Cambridge ,Our Lady of Victory; Scarborough Community, Our Lady of Mount Carmel; Thunder Bay Community, Our Lady of Mount Carmel; Zephyr Community, Flower of Carmel; etc…All these Communities and others have been very active organizing programs and different devotions to spread the Spirit of the Order. I want to express my gratitude for all this enthusiasm that all of you are manifesting in living the Carmelite Spirituality!

Apart from the two documents which we have already distributed to you which are to be studied in ALL Communities, we will soon be sending you the program of the Talks which Our Center of Spirituality will be holding at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine. I also want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Fr Victor Mallia, The Pastor of Our Parish in Scarborough, for the great help and support he has constantly offered us in holding these important activities in his Parish. Many are those OCDS members who are working hard to make sure that these talks be successful. May God reward ALL OF YOU.

Marguerite Mason and Teresa Martinez have graciously visited our Eastern Communities and have encouraged them to continue to live Our Carmelite life. Our Sisters in Zephyr have also opened their premises for different activities which the OCDS have organized, and for this I am grateful to Mother Therese and all the Community.

With great joy I have visited our Sisters at St Agatha, and their welcome and hospitality was something to cherish. Thanks to Mother Catherine and the Community.

This issue is made up of two publications: June and October; life has been extremely busy for me, and I want to express my apologies to Carmela and others who are very patient with my delays. So far I can only have bi-location… I am working hard on my tri-location !

The past few months have seen the elections of Our Fr General Superior and the Definitory .
Our new Fr General Superior is P. Saverio Cannistrà
All of us here in Canada have sent him our Congratulations,support and prayers.

Biography
P. Saverio (Antonio Gennaro) Cannistrà of the Sacred Heart, was born in the Calabrian city of Catanzaro the 3 of October of 1958. He studied philology in the Scuola Normale and later he worked for the Einaudi publishing house.

He entered in the novitiate of the Italian Province of Tuscany of the Order of Discalced Carmelites in 1985 and made its simple profession the 17 of September of 1986. He made his solemn profession in 1990 and was ordered priest the 24 of October of 1992.

Doctor in Dogmatic Theology by the Gregoriana University of Rome, Saverio Cannistrà, is a member of the Italian Theological Conference (northern area) and has participated in numerous congresses of the Order.

Proficient in several languages, has given classes in the Faculty of Theology of the Teresianum of Rome and until now, professor of Christology and theological Anthropology in the Faculty of Theology of Central Italy near Florence. P. Saverio was chosen for the first time Superior Provincial in the Provincial Chapter of Tuscany this past year. The 20th April of 2009 at the 90th General Chapter celebrated in Fatima, Portugal he was chosen General Superior.

Our Fr Provincial, Fr Alfred Grech, has resigned from the office of Provincial, and Fr Manny Schembri, as his Vicar-Provincial, has been entrusted with the responsibility of the province until our next Provincial Elections. We have sent our Support and prayers together with our congratulations. Our prayers go with him for this difficult task!

We want to express our gratitude to all those who in one way or another have and are supporting us at the Secretariat and all those who have contributed donations towards the Center, in particular one member who has so generously donated a large some of money towards the Center. May the good Lord reward you all for your generosity.

Please remember to pray for All Priests, being the year dedicated to the Priests, and in a special way for VOCATIONS to the Priesthood in our Province.

Since this is the last issue for this year, I want to take the opportunity to extend my heartfelt wishes and prayers to all of you and your families for a Joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year full of God's Blessing of PEACE ! Peace is the vessel that contains ALL GOD's BLESSINGS !!!


Fraternally in Carmel,
Fr Dominic Borg, ,ocd
Provincial Delegate