CARMELITE FORMATION

A JOURNEY OF TRANSFORMATION

(http://www.ocarm.org/books/sites/default/files/ratio_eng.htm)
CARMELITE FORMATION A JOURNEY OF TRANSFORMATION 1
LETTER FROM THE PRIOR GENERAL 8
PREFACE 10
ABBREVIATIONS 14
INTRODUCTION 16
1. Called to communion with God 16
2. A call to community and mission 16
3. The world in which we live 17
4. Unity in diversity 18
THE PROCESS OF FORMATION Error! Bookmark not defined.
1. Error! Bookmark not defined.
A. Called by God's love Error! Bookmark not defined.
5. Called by the Father to follow Christ in the Spirit Error! Bookmark not defined.
6. Discipleship Error! Bookmark not defined.
7. Called within the Church Error! Bookmark not defined.
8. Following Christ in his mission as a community Error! Bookmark not defined.
9. Profession of the evangelical counsels Error! Bookmark not defined.
B. Setting out in response to the call Error! Bookmark not defined.
10. Holiness and sinfulness Error! Bookmark not defined.
11. Self-knowledge Error! Bookmark not defined.
12. Full maturity Error! Bookmark not defined.
13. Conversion and personal growth Error! Bookmark not defined.
C. The journey of formation Error! Bookmark not defined.
14. An ongoing journey Error! Bookmark not defined.
15. A personalised journey Error! Bookmark not defined.
16. Journeying towards freedom Error! Bookmark not defined.
17. Journeying together Error! Bookmark not defined.
18. On the paths of Carmel Error! Bookmark not defined.
D. "This way is good and holy: follow it." Error! Bookmark not defined.
19. Principles and criteria of Carmelite formation Error! Bookmark not defined.
2. CALLED TO THE CARMELITE LIFE Error! Bookmark not defined.
A. Receiving Elijah's mantle Error! Bookmark not defined.
20. The gift of Carmelite life Error! Bookmark not defined.
21. Participating in a long history Error! Bookmark not defined.
22. A common vocation Error! Bookmark not defined.
B. Contemplation: the heart of the Carmelite charism Error! Bookmark not defined.
23. Journeying towards our goal Error! Bookmark not defined.
24. An inner journey Error! Bookmark not defined.
25. An evangelical journey Error! Bookmark not defined.
26. An ascetic journey Error! Bookmark not defined.
27. A journey through the desert Error! Bookmark not defined.
28. Along the paths of contemplation Error! Bookmark not defined.
C. Prayer: the experience of God who transforms us Error! Bookmark not defined.
29. The meeting of two paths Error! Bookmark not defined.
30. Preparing the way for the encounter Error! Bookmark not defined.
31. Alone before God Error! Bookmark not defined.
32. Together before God Error! Bookmark not defined.
33. Along the paths of prayer Error! Bookmark not defined.
D. Community: sharing the experience of God Error! Bookmark not defined.
34. The path outlined by the Rule Error! Bookmark not defined.
35. The journey towards community Error! Bookmark not defined.
36. Prophets of new relationships Error! Bookmark not defined.
37. Paths to community Error! Bookmark not defined.
E. Service among the people: the experience of God sends us into missionError! Bookmark not
defined.
38. Participants in Christ's mission in the Church Error! Bookmark not defined.
39. Serving those who seek God Error! Bookmark not defined.
40. Brothers in the midst of the people Error! Bookmark not defined.
41. Brothers in mission Error! Bookmark not defined.
42. Mission Error! Bookmark not defined.
43. Prophets of justice and peace Error! Bookmark not defined.
44. Keeping alive the memory of Mary Error! Bookmark not defined.
45. Paths which inspire service Error! Bookmark not defined.
F. Elijah and Mary Error! Bookmark not defined.
46. In the footsteps of the prophet Elijah Error! Bookmark not defined.
47. Near Elijah's spring Error! Bookmark not defined.
48. Mary guides us on our journey Error! Bookmark not defined.
49. Journeying with Mary Error! Bookmark not defined.
3. AGENTS AND MEDIATORS OF FORMATION Error! Bookmark not defined.
A. The agents: God and the one who is called Error! Bookmark not defined.
50. The story of a vocation Error! Bookmark not defined.
51. Vocation: God's gift and our response Error! Bookmark not defined.
B. Principal forms of mediation Error! Bookmark not defined.
52. The Church as the context of religious vocation Error! Bookmark not defined.
53. Mary, mother and teacher Error! Bookmark not defined.
54. The complementarity of vocations Error! Bookmark not defined.
55. The local religious community as the context of initial formationError! Bookmark not
defined.
56. The local religious community as the place of ongoing formationError! Bookmark not
defined.
57. Formators Error! Bookmark not defined.
58. The prerequisites and responsibilities of the formator Error! Bookmark not defined.
59. Coordination of formation Error! Bookmark not defined.
C. Support structures and the responsibilities of major superiors Error! Bookmark not defined.
60. The Order Error! Bookmark not defined.
61. The Prior General and his Delegate Error! Bookmark not defined.
62. The Prior Provincial and his delegate Error! Bookmark not defined.
PART TWO Error! Bookmark not defined.
STAGES IN THE PROCESS OF FORMATION Error! Bookmark not defined.
63. A lifelong journey Error! Bookmark not defined.
64. The stages of formation Error! Bookmark not defined.
1. THE VOCATIONS MINISTRY Error! Bookmark not defined.
A. Objectives and description Error! Bookmark not defined.
65. The nature and purpose of the vocations ministry Error! Bookmark not defined.
B. Persons responsible for the vocations ministry Error! Bookmark not defined.
66. Communities and Provinces Error! Bookmark not defined.
67. The vocations promoter Error! Bookmark not defined.
C. Structure and content Error! Bookmark not defined.
68. The vocational path Error! Bookmark not defined.
69. Methodology, means and instruments Error! Bookmark not defined.
D. Criteria for discernment Error! Bookmark not defined.
70. Discernment of vocations Error! Bookmark not defined.
2. THE PRE-NOVITIATE Error! Bookmark not defined.
A. Objectives and description Error! Bookmark not defined.
71. The nature and purpose of the pre-novitiate Error! Bookmark not defined.
B. Persons responsible for the pre-novitiate Error! Bookmark not defined.
72. Pre-novices Error! Bookmark not defined.
73. Formators Error! Bookmark not defined.
74. Communities Error! Bookmark not defined.
75. Formation commissions Error! Bookmark not defined.
76. The Prior Provincial Error! Bookmark not defined.
77. Other participants Error! Bookmark not defined.
C. Structure and content Error! Bookmark not defined.
78. The pre-novitiate journey Error! Bookmark not defined.
79. Methodology, means and instruments Error! Bookmark not defined.
D. Criteria for discernment Error! Bookmark not defined.
80. Discernment Error! Bookmark not defined.
3. Error! Bookmark not defined.
A. Objectives and description Error! Bookmark not defined.
81. Nature and purpose of the novitiate Error! Bookmark not defined.
B. Persons responsible for the novitiate Error! Bookmark not defined.
82. The novices Error! Bookmark not defined.
83. The novice director Error! Bookmark not defined.
84. The community Error! Bookmark not defined.
85. The formation commission Error! Bookmark not defined.
86. The Prior Provincial and his council Error! Bookmark not defined.
87. Other participants Error! Bookmark not defined.
C. Structure and content Error! Bookmark not defined.
88. The novice's journey Error! Bookmark not defined.
89. Methodology, means and instruments Error! Bookmark not defined.
D. Criteria for discernment Error! Bookmark not defined.
90. Discernment Error! Bookmark not defined.
91. Procedure Error! Bookmark not defined.
4. THE PERIOD OF SIMPLE PROFESSION Error! Bookmark not defined.
A. Objectives and description Error! Bookmark not defined.
92. Nature and purpose of the period of simple profession Error! Bookmark not defined.
B. Persons responsible for the period of simple profession Error! Bookmark not defined.
93. The simply professed Error! Bookmark not defined.
94. Formators Error! Bookmark not defined.
95. The community Error! Bookmark not defined.
96. The formation commission Error! Bookmark not defined.
97. The Prior Provincial and his council Error! Bookmark not defined.
98. Other participants Error! Bookmark not defined.
C. Structure and content Error! Bookmark not defined.
99. The journey beyond simple profession Error! Bookmark not defined.
100. Methodology, means and instruments Error! Bookmark not defined.
D. Criteria for discernment Error! Bookmark not defined.
101. Periodic and final evaluations Error! Bookmark not defined.
102. Discernment with a view to solemn profession Error! Bookmark not defined.
103. Preparing for solemn profession Error! Bookmark not defined.
5. Error! Bookmark not defined.
A. Objectives and description Error! Bookmark not defined.
104. Called to serve Error! Bookmark not defined.
105. The nature and purpose of formation to service Error! Bookmark not defined.
B. Persons responsible for formation to service Error! Bookmark not defined.
106. The candidates Error! Bookmark not defined.
107. The community Error! Bookmark not defined.
108. The formator Error! Bookmark not defined.
109. The Prior Provincial Error! Bookmark not defined.
110. Other participants Error! Bookmark not defined.
C. Structure and content Error! Bookmark not defined.
111. The process of formation to service Error! Bookmark not defined.
112. Methodology, means and instruments Error! Bookmark not defined.
D. Criteria for discernment Error! Bookmark not defined.
113. Discernment with a view to admission to services and ministriesError! Bookmark not
defined.
6. Error! Bookmark not defined.
A. Objectives and description Error! Bookmark not defined.
114. The nature and purpose of ongoing formation Error! Bookmark not defined.
B. Persons responsible for ongoing formation Error! Bookmark not defined.
115. Carmelites Error! Bookmark not defined.
116. The Prior Provincial and the Province Error! Bookmark not defined.
117. The local prior and the community Error! Bookmark not defined.
C. Structure and content Error! Bookmark not defined.
118. The journey of ongoing formation Error! Bookmark not defined.
119. Methodology, means and instruments Error! Bookmark not defined.
D. Times requiring special responses Error! Bookmark not defined.
120. Transition from the house of initial formation to another communityError! Bookmark
not defined.
121. When habit sets in Error! Bookmark not defined.
122. Times of crisis Error! Bookmark not defined.
123. Assuming new responsibilities Error! Bookmark not defined.
124. Advanced age Error! Bookmark not defined.
PART THREE Error! Bookmark not defined.
PROGRAMME OF CARMELITE STUDIES Error! Bookmark not defined.
125. The purpose of a Programme of Studies Error! Bookmark not defined.
 LETTER FROM THE PRIOR GENERAL

25th March 2000

Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord

Prot. No. 14/2000

Dear Brothers,

With great pleasure I present to you the new, revised Ratio Institutionis Vitæ Carmelitanæ. Since
1988 the Ratio has been the fundamental document for formation throughout the whole Order. It
has been necessary to update the Ratio due to the publication of several papal documents on the
consecrated life and the approval of our new Constitutions. I want to thank all those who have
been involved in the writing of this new Ratio. The General Council, during session no. 238, held
today, 25th March 2000, approved the text and gave instructions for its publication.

The title is “A Journey of Transformation” which describes the underlying thrust of the whole
formation process. The person who feels called to Carmel embarks on a journey of faith, like our
models, Mary and Elijah. Gradually over the course of a lifetime, the Carmelite is changed, not
just on an exterior plane but is transformed on every level of his personality if he consents to the
will of God. In this way the Carmelite is conformed to Christ and becomes a new creation in him.

On the spiritual journey, our faith, hope and love are purified through the events of daily life and
our response to them. We are called to walk together as brothers and to serve the people in whose
midst we live. In order to stay faithful to this vision, we need the strong support of prayer, which
is the way we relate to God and through which we learn to take on the mind of Christ.

The formative process lasts a lifetime with many twists and turns. The joys and difficulties of our
lives will be formative if we try to discern the hand of God in them all. Through continual prayer,
we begin to hear the voice of God in the sound of sheer silence and we are renewed in our mission
to live as Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in the midst of the people.
The Ratio is not intended only to be for initial formation but for ongoing formation also. Therefore
I strongly encourage each friar to read this Ratio frequently because, along with our Rule and
Constitutions, it describes the purpose of our Carmelite life. We are on the spiritual journey
together and we must support each other as we are slowly transformed so that we can look upon
the world as if with the eyes of God and love it as if with God’s heart.

May Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our Mother and Sister, accompany each of us on our journey of
faith and teach us to do all that the Lord tells us (cf. Jn. 2, 5).

Sincerely,

Joseph Chalmers, O.Carm.,

Prior General
 PREFACE

In 1988 the Order published its first Ratio Institutionis (RIVC) following the renewal promoted by
the Second Vatican Council. The definitive text was the fruit of a long and laborious process. It
involved several meetings and revisions and involved most of the theological experts and
formators in the Order.

I do not believe that I exaggerate when I say that the RIVC 1988 is the best document that the
Order has produced since Vatican II. I am convinced that it heralded a break-through in the
understanding and presentation of our charism. It was the first time that the charism was officially
characterised by the three elements of contemplation, fraternity and service. The intuition was that
there is an underlying element that unifies the three areas, and this was described as the desert
experience. The presentation of the charism made by the RIVC was gradually accepted by the
Order and formed the basis of the new Constitutions approved by the General Chapter of 1995.
In the meantime, besides the new Constitutions, various important Church documents had been
issued, which made revision of our RIVC necessary. Furthermore, this revision was already
foreseen by the RIVC itself (n.133) and prescribed by the Constitutions (n. 129). 1990 saw the
document on formation in religious institutes, Postissimum Institutioni, come to light. In February
1994, the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
published the document “Fraternal Life in Community.” The Synod on consecrated life in October
1994 offered its reflections, later elaborated in the apostolic exhortation Vita consecrata (1996).
One of the first concerns of the Prior General Fr. Joseph Chalmers, immediately following the
General Chapter of 1995 was that of the revision of the RIVC. This task was given to me as
Councillor General for Formation. The General Council set up an International Formation
Commission to assist me in this service to the Order. Each of the geographical areas of the Order
was to be represented: North America (David McEvoy - PCM), Latin America (Tarsicio M. Gotay
- Arag), Northern Europe (Christian Körner - GerS), Southern Europe (Domenico Lombardo –
Brun - for the first two years and then Giovanni Grosso - Ita), Africa (Jean Marie D’Undji –
Ita/Con), Asia-Australia (Dionysius Kosasih - Indi).
The following is the process followed by this commission in the revision of the RIVC:
- Each regional representative organised for two successive years a meeting of the formators of his
region to study the RIVC and to suggest changes and improvements to the text.
- The commission then met to study these suggestions and take necessary decisions.
- The commission charged three of its members, Giovanni Grosso, Christian Körner and me, to
write the new text.
- The first draft of the first part was sent to all provincials and formators in April 1998. From
suggestions received we drew up a second draft which was mailed to the same parties in the early
months of 1999. In June of the same year we finished and mailed the first draft of parts two and
three.
- At the General Congregation that was held in Bamberg, Germany, from 24th August to
3rdSeptember 1999 I presented the draft of the new RIVC. The participants had the opportunity to
discuss it and make suggestions.
- The formators also made their suggestions on the last two parts and studied the whole document
at the international congress for formators that was held in San Felice del Benaco, Italy, from
28thSeptember to 5th October of this year.
- The International Formation Commission met in Rome immediately following the congress in
order to evaluate all the suggestions.
- The subcommission for the redaction of the text met for the last time in December 1999 and
prepared the definitive text to present to the Prior General and his Council for their approval. On
this occasion we were happy to have the help of Günter Benker (GerS). The index was composed
by Christian Körner.
In the elaboration of the new text, the subcommission took as its basic text the RIVC 1988 and
sought to preserve the same structure and the same contents as far as possible. However at the
same time it also tried to take a further step in the clarification of our charism. In the revision of
the 1988 text, it used the following criteria:
- it kept in mind the itinerary of the Church and of the Order from 1988 to the present and the new
documents issued on Church and Carmelite levels;
- it kept in mind the experience and sharing among formators, especially during regional meetings
and the international congress;
- while maintaining the anthropological and psychological principles of the RIVC 1988, it sought
to frame them better in a theological-spiritual style;
- it sought to use a pedagogically sensitive style and language;
- it sought to maintain a certain balance between various sensibilities within the Order.
With regard to the RIVC 1988 the new document presents two notable novelties. First, the
presentation of the charism, which in the RIVC 1988 constituted a separate chapter (cf. RIVC
1988, I: Gift and Mission of the Order, 7-34), was developed in relation to formation and inserted
into the part given over to the process of formation. Second, the need for a deeper and more life-
giving knowledge of the charism and of the Carmelite tradition led us to elaborate a Programme
of Carmelite Studies, which makes up the third part of the new RIVC.
During the six-year term of the preceding General Council, there was the idea of drawing up aRatio
Studiorum Carmelitarum. Our International Formation Commission decided, from the very
beginning of its work, not to publish a second document but to include the Ratio Studiorum in
theRatio Institutionis. We are aware that what we have produced is only a first attempt which will
be enriched in a future revision by the experiences resulting from use of the new RIVC. The scope
of this “Programme of Carmelite Studies” is to guarantee that all our confreres in initial formation
in every part of the Order receive the basic elements of a good Carmelite formation. Naturally,
every province will adapt the programme to its own concrete situation, emphasising some aspects
and adding others.
I would like to note that we wrote this document not only for formators and for candidates, but
with the hope that it may serve as an instrument of on-going formation for all of us who are still
on our way towards an ideal which is never fully achieved. This idea is evident in the structure of
the document and in the description of the theme. We have purposely inserted the formation
process in the framework of our on-going journey of transformation, which needs the constant
support of adequate formation.
My great satisfaction in preparing this new RIVC was in being able to involve the greater part of
our formators and many other confreres in its composition. Thus, this new RIVC is a document
that mirrors not only the vision of the small subcommission that actually edited it, but that of all,
who are at present engaged in the ministry of formation. I would like to thank the members of the
International Formation Commission and all those who were involved in one way or another in
this endeavour. Above all, I would like to thank my close collaborators, Giovanni Grosso and
Christian Körner who during the past three years have dedicated much of their time to the redaction
of the new RIVC.
As I entrust this work to Mary, our mother and sister, I hope and pray that this new RIVC may
help us rediscover the beauty of our vocation and spur us to open ourselves ever more to God’s
transforming action on our journey to the summit of the mountain.

20th March 2000 Alexander Vella, O.Carm.

Solemnity of St. Joseph Councillor General Delegate for Formation

 ABBREVIATIONS

Documents of the Second Vatican Council

AG: Ad gentes, Decree on the church's Missionary Activity, 28 October 1965

GS: Gaudium et spes, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 7
December 1965

LG: Lumen gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 21 November 1964

Documents of the Holy See

CIC: Code of Canon Law

EE: Essential elements in the Church's teaching as applied to Institutes dedicated to

works of the apostolate, Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes, 31 May 1983

Cooperation:

Cooperation between Institutes in the area of formation, Congregation for Institutes of the
Religious Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, 8 December 1998

MR: Mutuae relationes, Congregation for Bishops, and Congregation for Institutes of the
Religious Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, 14 May 1978

PdV: Pastores dabo vobis, Apostolic Exhortation of John Paul II on priestly formation,
25 May 1992

PI: Potissimum institutioni, Congregation for Institutes of the Religious Life and
Societies of Apostolic Life, 2 February 1990

VC: Vita consecrata, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of John Paul II, 25 March
1996

Fraternal life:
 Fraternal life in community, Congregation for Institutes of the Religious Life and Societies
of Apostolic Life, 2 February 1994

Documents of the Carmelite Order

Constitutions:

Constitutions of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, approved
by the General Chapter celebrated in Sassone (Rome) in the year 1995; Rome, 1996

Carmel: a place and a journey:

Carmel: a Place and a Journey into the Third Millennium, O.Carm. General chapter 1995, Final
document, AnalOCarm, Rome 1995, 236-250

Rule: The Rule of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel

RIVC (1988): Ratio institutionis vitae carmelitanae, Rome 1988

Other abbreviations

AAS: Acta Apostolicae Sedis, Vatican City, from 1909

AnalOCarm: Analecta Ordinis Carmelitarum, Rome, from 1910

"The biblical concept of ‘journey’ reminds us of the first Carmelites’ pilgrimage to Jerusalem
(peregrinatio hierosolimitana) and of their forced return to Europe. It also reminds us of the inner
journey, which requires us to seek God, undergoing the purification of the desert and of the dark
night. With all those who journey alongside us, we discern the way ahead. The concept of ‘journey’
also demands that we develop and implement a plan of service to the Church. This implies a
commitment to the work of justice and peace and to solidarity with all people of good will, and
especially with those who are searching for community and striving to meet the demands of love."

Carmel - A Place and a Journey 3.5

 INTRODUCTION

1. Called to communion with God

God "loved us first"1, and he called us to participate in the communion of the Trinity. We
recognise his call in the experience of his love. Moved by the Spirit, we listen to the Word of
Christ, who is the Way that leads to Life. In his footsteps, entrusting ourselves to God's
compassionate love, we set out on the journey to the summit of Mount Carmel, the place where
we encounter God and are transformed in him.

As we journey towards Mount Carmel, God leads us to the desert, as he led the prophet
Elijah. There, the living flame of God's love transforms us, stripping away all that is not of him
and all that obscures his gift, allowing the “new creature", the new human being in the image of
Christ, to emerge and shine forth in us.

Thus our minds and our hearts are gradually transformed, so that, in the light of Christ and
in dialogue with the signs of the times, we may become more capable of cooperating with God in
the work of transforming the world so that his Kingdom may come.

2. A call to community and mission

We are not alone on this arduous ascent of Mount Carmel: Mary, our sister and pilgrim in
the faith, walks with us and encourages us, as mother and teacher.

We journey with others who have received the same gift and the same calling. Together
we strive to build a community modelled on that of Jerusalem; a community centred entirely on
the Word, the breaking of bread, prayer, the holding of all things in common, and service.2

We journey within the Church, and with the Church we journey throughout the world. Like
Elijah, we journey side by side with the men and women of our time, trying to help them discover
God's presence in themselves; for the image of God is present in every human being, and must be
allowed to emerge in complete freedom, even when it is darkened by inner contradictions or by
injustices perpetrated by others.
 We are invited to this path by the Rule, which for us echoes and mirrors the Gospel, and
which is the expression of the founding experience of our Fathers. From this founding experience
we receive our passionate love for the world, for its challenges, its provocations and its
contradictions.

Our Fathers came from a Europe in transition, a Europe evolving through the tensions
between war and peace, unity and fragmentation, expansion and crisis. In the Holy Land, they met
people of other cultures and religions; on returning to Europe, they chose to be witnesses to
attentiveness to God, living as brothers among brothers.

3. The world in which we live

For our Fathers, the world in which they were born and raised represented a challenge; in
the same way, the world in which we live and work must be a challenge for us. It is a world rich
in possibility and in opportunity, in a state of constant growth and evolution - but it is also a world
full of contradictions.

Communication, facilitated by ever more sophisticated means, is both a promise and a

challenge. The rapid development of science and technology makes life easier for many but
oppresses others; rather than being respectful of the environment, it often exploits it mindlessly.
Human rights have been solemnly affirmed many times, only to be violated again. It has been
acknowledged that women's rights and functions are equal to those of men; yet many women are
still victims of abuses. Some children are overindulged and spoiled, while others are abused and
exploited to satisfy the greed of a few individuals lacking in any moral sense. Awareness of one's
own rights increases sensitivity to the fundamental equality between individuals and between
peoples; yet nationalistic and individualistic tensions continue to create reasons for new conflicts.
Interaction among cultures, when it is not a source of conflict, becomes an incentive to dialogue,
to mutual respect, to the search for new approaches to shared space. Economic and cultural
globalisation can offer all of us opportunities for harmonious development; but it also raises
serious questions concerning the destiny of the poorer nations. The growing thirst for spirituality
contradicts the presumptions of secularism, but does not always succeed in expressing itself in an
authentic life of faith: it can become an escape from the heavy burden of daily life into esoteric
cults, pseudomystical movements, and sects. Faced with lack of meaning, lack of moral values and
various theoretical and practical forms of atheism, contemporary men and women of faith are
challenged to seek shared and coherent responses, beyond religious barriers. Alongside a sincere
desire for interreligious dialogue, and concrete experiences of such dialogue, there are painful and
even homicidal episodes of fundamentalism.

We are children of this world; we share in "the joy and hope, the grief and anguish" of our
times.3 We belong to this world, we participate in its contradictions and we rejoice in its
accomplishments.4 In this world we walk humbly, side by side with our brothers and sisters,
attentively seeking to recognise, as Elijah did, the hidden signs of God's presence and of his work.

4. Unity in diversity

Carmelites receive and share a common charism to live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ,
in a contemplative attitude which fashions and supports our life of prayer, fraternity and service.

It is by virtue of this charism that Carmelites in every place and time belong to the Order
of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.

In its essential elements, the charism is one. Its universal application requires us to go
beyond a limited, regional vision of the Order, in a constant effort to express and incarnate the
charism concretely in various cultures, times and places.

There must be at all times an intimate link between the unity derived from identification
with the essential aspects of the Carmelite charism and the pluralism derived from the different
cultures, which enriches the charism's many expressions.
PART ONE