Carmelite Digest is a quarterly magazine published and sponsored by the California-Arizona Province of Discalced Carmelite Friars. It has become part of their ministry. We invite you to join us on a spiritual journey as we present written thoughts, ideas, prayers, news, and various articles - not only by contemporary writers within the United States and abroad, but also by those who have fulfilled this journey and continue to inspire us today. This inspirational magazine has become one of the best channels of communication within the Carmelite Order, both religious and secular, and with the rest of the world. Through this publication, readers are given a taste of "different flavors" of spiritual literature from Carmelite historical events to those of the present day, from the serious and sublime to the light and ordinary. We help bring our readers into contact with our saints, blesseds, and other holy Carmelites, such as Sts. Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Edith Stein, Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. Although many of our writers are Carmelites, we try to publish articles from other writers that contain common sense spirituality for whatever journey one may choose to take.
There is no doubt that every issue of this magazine will somehow assist you in your prayerful quest in finding the path to God. That is why we use few ads and have many pages of solid reading material. When compared to other spiritual publications, we think Carmelite Digest offers you a lot for a yearly subscription of $26 ($45 foreign). You can save by taking a two-year subscription for $48 ($65 foreign).
Who Are the Discalced Carmelites?
The Carmelite Order first began as a single community of hermits who chose to live according to the example of the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel in Palestine during the early days of the thirteenth century. Carmelites have always regarded themselves as children of the Blessed Mother and of St. Elijah, whom the Bible associates so closely with Mount Carmel. In about 1238, the hermits from Mount Carmel began to establish other communities in different parts of Europe. Circumstances led the Carmelites even further from their hermit origins; and they became a mendicant order, although the old hermit way of life was never forgotten or completely wiped out. It is still ever-present to them in their rule.
In 1562, a Spanish Carmelite nun, known to us as St. Teresa of Avila, assisted by another great Carmelite, St. John of the Cross, established what was to become a new branch of the Carmelite Order - the Discalced Carmelites. "Discalced" comes from the Latin word meaning "unshod." They were so called because the most distinctive thing about their appearance was the fact that, because of their more austere way of life, they wore rope sandals of the poor in place of leather shoes. The Discalced Carmelites, both friars and nuns, aim at a more retired and contemplative form of life. The Carmelite Order today has two branches of its family: the Ancient Observance (O.Carm) and the Discalced (OCD).
The Discalced Carmelites also have communities of lay men and women known as Carmelite seculars or OCDS. These members try to develop their spiritual life by a close association with the spirituality and guidelines of the Teresian Carmel. They wear the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and participate as much as possible in the apostolic endeavors of the Church.
The icon of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel featured above was written by Virginia Barber, OCDS
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St. Teresa of Avila
St. John of the Cross
This page was last updated: July 17, 2010
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St. Elijah
- Icon written by Robert Barcelos, OCD -
since 1/14/09
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