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SECULAR ORDER OF DISCALCED CARMELITES
England, Wales and Scotland
cpblamires
Oct 231 min read
The Bigger Picture
Hot on the heels of yesterday’s blog about keeping in mind the wider picture beyond our local OCDS groups and communities comes the...
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cpblamires
Oct 222 min read
Isolationism
I suffered from the disease of extreme isolationism in my early years in Carmel. What I mean is that I only considered myself and the...
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cpblamires
Oct 211 min read
The Compostela experience
Just back from a lightning visit to Compostela. We did not have the time to do the proper Camino, we did it by boat from Plymouth to...
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cpblamires
Oct 111 min read
En route to Compostella
I will be going to Compostella for a few days next week. Not on foot but by the car ferry to Santander and then on four wheels. I have...
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cpblamires
Oct 101 min read
A trio of Carmelite saints
In a book ( Women Mystics) by the French convert Lutheran minister and theologian Louis Bouyer (1913-2004), a priest of the Oratory, he...
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cpblamires
Oct 91 min read
St John Henry Newman and Carmel
‘Between 1833 and 1838, about fifty years before Thérèse’s entry into the Carmel, Newman, whilst still an Anglican, announced from the...
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cpblamires
Oct 81 min read
Truly 'Safe Spaces'
At a small Carmelite gathering recently someone commented on the inspiring atmosphere – ‘something in the air’ that made them feel at...
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cpblamires
Oct 71 min read
Carmel and the Rosary
‘ The Rosary Prayer rises like incense to the feet of the Almighty’ . This seems a very appropriate quote from St Therese of Lisieux on...
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cpblamires
Oct 41 min read
More on our newly canonised saint
Thinking about our newly canonised St Anne of Jesus (see Mondy’s blog), I was reminded that the meteoric rise of the Discalced Carmelites...
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cpblamires
Oct 31 min read
Anniversaries
I have just received the latest bulletin from our Carmelite HQ in Rome (known as ‘the General Definitory’). It reminds us of the next...
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cpblamires
Oct 21 min read
Faith and destressing
I was in my local convenience store the other day and there on the counter were little cards advertising ‘Meditation Classes’. I took...
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cpblamires
Oct 12 min read
'Love at the heart of the Church'
On this feast day of St Therese of Lisieux, I will not attempt the impossible task of saying anything new about her. Suffice it to say...
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cpblamires
Sep 301 min read
We have a new Carmelite saint!!!
It was only yesterday that I realised Pope Francis was visiting Belgium with the intention of canonising one of St Teresa’s devoted...
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cpblamires
Sep 262 min read
A beautiful parable
This lovely story was recently sent to me by a member of a Carmelite Group. A Water Bearer had two large pots; each hung on each end of a...
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cpblamires
Sep 251 min read
A successor of Teresa
Several of the nuns that Teresa trained herself went on to be apostles in other parts of Europe. I particularly like the story of...
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cpblamires
Sep 241 min read
INEXHAUSTIBLE RICHES
Just as the One Catholic Church is the fount of inexhaustible riches, the one Carmel has given birth to an inexhaustible wealth of...
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cpblamires
Sep 231 min read
St Pio of Pietrelcina
Today’s saint, who used to be known popularly as Padre Pio, was one of those who helped me on my journey into the Church. I had...
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cpblamires
Sep 201 min read
Our crest
I was in a Seculars group meeting yesterday and we had a talk from the wonderful Fr Matt Blake OCDS. He was talking about the cross and...
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cpblamires
Sep 191 min read
A tale of our times
Last night I heard a truly inspiring story from a young man who is currently a Carmelite novice. Although baptised Catholic, he was not...
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cpblamires
Sep 181 min read
An exquisite saint
Today’s saint - the Italian Franciscan Friar St Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1663), makes me think of our celebrated French Carmelite and...
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