Who we are?

We are one body in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Church, in the Order of Carmel and in the OCDS. How do we reunite this body and help each individual member to feel connected? Let's go back to our roots! Constitution I Our Identity, Value and Commitment.

Understanding our identity, values and commitment is very important. It is the foundation upon which our entire formation is built. As a Secular Carmelite, we are a part of the Order of Carmel. We are not just a group or confraternity or an organization, we are an important part of the Order of Carmel. Therefore, we have a duty, a responsibility. Our Constitutions have obligations which must be lived out in the daily life of the Secular Order Carmelite. If you have received the grace of a vocation in Carmel, it is so that you might give what you have received. Our vocation in Carmel is rich. We will only discover the fullness of its richness by living its responsibility.

How do we do this?

"The origin of The Discalced Carmel is to be found in St Teresa of Jesus. She lived with profound faith in God's mercy which strengthened her to persevere in prayer, humility, love for her brothers and sisters, and love for the Church, leading her to the grace of spiritual matrimony. Her evangelical self-denial, disposition to service and perseverance in the practice of the virtues are a daily guide to living the spiritual life. Her teachings on prayer and the spiritual life are essential to the formation and life of the Secular Order." (Constitution I:7)

As Seculars we exercise our Apostolate in a hidden way, first in our family. As a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, I share through my witness. My home, our homes are a place of mission, not by preaching but by setting an example. Second, in the workplace, parish, and social life. Our prayer, and the change it brings about in our lives, is what we bring to these areas as witness.

As a Secular Order Discalced Carmelite, we have a great responsibility. We are not living in monasteries; we live in the world, and it is in the world where we exercise our ministry. The world has a need of what Carmel has to offer. In the past, the church was bountiful with vocations but that has changed. More responsibility for evangelization has fallen on the laity. In Pope John Paul II's "Christifideles Laici", the laity is called to a more intense participation, in collaboration with the structures of the Church, in the

evangelization of the world. With humble contrite hearts, let us listen to the sign of the times. Place yourself beside the Living Waters. Let your roots go deep, so you can bear fruit, fruit that will last. In prayer come to know God and through ministry make God known to others.

Bonnie Schroth, OCDS

President