The gift of a vocation to the Discalced Carmelite friars inspires in a person a desire to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ, to live the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. A vocation to Carmel is a call to live in community, to share in a true communion of life with one's brothers.

A vocation to Carmel also includes the call to prayer and contemplation, to seek Christ in solitude, and to discover him in each brother and sister, in each event of one's daily life. Like the prophet Elijah, the Carmelite strives to live each moment in the presence of the living God. Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Carmelite aims always to keep God's word, pondering it in his heart. Like St. Teresa of Jesus, he sees prayer as "an intimate sharing between friends," as "taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us."

When God gives the gift of a vocation, this gift comes with a mission. The mission of the Discalced Carmelite friar has several aspects.

The first responsibility of the Carmelite is to give witness to God who is experienced in the silence and solitude of prayer. As St. Teresa of Jesus states: This is the reason for prayer….the birth always of good works, good works. St. Teresa also urges Carmelites to teach by works rather than by words.

What are the works of the Discalced Carmelite friar? What does our mission involve?

Above all, our mission is one of prayer, of seeking union with God. The Carmelite seeks this union with God not for himself alone, but for the good of the Church and of the world. Carmelite prayer is apostolic by nature, it is a service to the Church and the world. When the Carmelite stands in the presence of God in prayer, he does so always as a member of the Body of Christ, the Church. As he draws near to the Lord in faith and love, he bears all of his brothers and sisters in Christ in his heart, presenting their needs, their joys and sufferings, their praise and supplications to God. The Order of Discalced Carmelites is entrusted with the mission of being a praying presence in and for the Church and the world.

The Discalced Carmelite friar is also entrusted with the apostolate of spirituality. The Church looks to the Carmelite to offer guidance to the faithful as they, too, seek a deeper union with God. In the tradition of our great saints, such as St. Teresa of Jesus, St. John of the Cross, and St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, the Carmelite places himself and his experience in the spiritual life at the service of his brothers and sisters in Christ. The Discalced Carmelite friar serves as spiritual director, confessor, and retreat director, especially for the monasteries of cloistered Discalced Carmelite nuns and the communities of lay Carmelites.

What you hear in the dark, proclaim in the light. The Discalced Carmelite friar, after having pondered the word in his heart, is entrusted with the mission of proclaiming the word through preaching, teaching, and catechizing. The Church looks to Carmelites for such apostolates as preaching parish missions, giving public conferences on prayer and spirituality, and for leading retreats and days of recollection. The Church also looks to the Carmelites, the Brothers of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, to foster among the faithful an authentically Christian relationship with Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer.

Do you feel drawn to the mission described above? Do you think you might like to dedicate your life to living in allegiance to Jesus Christ in the company of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the brothers and sisters of the Order of Discalced Carmelites? Are you wondering whether you might have the gift of a vocation to the Discalced Carmelite Friars?

Please use the link below to contact our vocation director for assistance in discerning a possible call to the Discalced Carmelite Friars!

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