"I have found a very nurturing and joyful community at the Carmelite Centre with lots of opportunities for inquiry and growth."
Clare McArdleThe Power of Slowing, Centering Prayer Meditation, May 2024
The theme for this month of May is a reflection on the Power of Slowing, using themes from Gerald May’s book, The Wisdom of the Wilderness, with epigraphs from Saint John of the Cross, a sixteenth-century Spanish Carmelite friar. Gerald May says: The call of...
The perennial human questions: a reflection on suffering and death, Carmelite Conversation, May 2024
At May's Carmelite Conversation, Bernadette Micallef led a reflection on our own response to the perennial human questions about suffering and death. The group of 18 engaged thoughtfully and prayerfully in the discussion sharing personal experiences in particular...
Provincial Assembly April 2024 ‘cast your net to the right side’
A group of thirty six, including Friars, Lay Carmelites and representatives of ministries in Australia and Timor-Leste gathered in Melbourne April 22-26. Along with friars from all Carmelite communities, delegates from Lay Carmelite communities, Damien and Irene...
Divine Beauty, Centering Prayer Meditation, April 2024
Over the last few months we have reflected on themes of Peace and Gratitude, Choosing Life, and this month Divine Beauty, using John O’Donohue’s book of that title. John O'Donohue tells us: ~ At birth we were awakened and emerged to become visible to the world. At...
First Tuesday – a day for me
On the first Tuesday of each month the Carmelite Centre offers opportunities for stillness and silence and also community. This begins at 9.30 with a Contemplative Walk around the streets of Middle Park. We begin with a reflection in front of the church and then a 30...
Easter Triduum – Good Friday
The Lord is here, present among us. We are gathered with the whole Church in this moment of prayer. What is the meaning of ‘good’ in Good Friday? Perhaps the title takes up a now lost sense of ‘holy’ found within the range of ancient usage of the word ‘good’. Indeed,...
Carmelite Spirituality in a secular world and insights from Ruth Burrows with Denis Andrew OCarm
In this "Carmelite Conversation" with Denis Andrew we considered modern Western society which has been described as being increasingly secular and looked at how we live our Carmelite life in this milieu. We take the opportunity to delve into the writings of...
Kissed by God into Life, Centering Prayer Meditation, March 2024
This month our meditation reflection is on being kissed by God into Life using words from Margaret Silf’s The Way of Wisdom and Landscapes of Prayer. Margaret quotes Ronald Rohlheiser: Ancient philosophers and mystics used to say that before being born,...
Eco-Spirituality Reading Circle: Ten Love Letters to the Earth
On Tuesday 20 February, our first meeting for the year, we had eleven participants. I think this is the largest group at a zoom meeting. We shared our thoughts about the "Ten Love Letters to the Earth" which are a series of meditations on Mother Earth written by the...
Living the Carmelite Charism: the personal journey of Matthew McPhee OCarm
In this "Carmelite Conversation" Fr Matthew shares his experience of living the Carmelite charism. He recently celebrated his Golden Jubilation of Ordination and 70 years of religious life with the Carmelite community. Fr Matthew has ministered in a variety of...
Peace and Gratitude, Centering Prayer Meditation, February 2024
The theme for February is a reflection on Peace and Gratitude for the little moments, using verse from Joyce Rupp, and from Wendell Berry. Allow any word or image that may stand out for you as your centering prayer. Joyce tells us: the little moments, / assumed and...
My experience of the Carmelite Centre community
I walk my dog every evening around the streets of Middle Park. On one of these walks, some years ago now, I noticed a flyer in the Carmelite Centre advertising poetry evenings. I heard Les Murray read his poems. What a fantastic night. Another time on the way back...
Who are the Lay Carmelites?
In this "Carmelite Conversation" on 1st November 2023, Gabrielle Fogarty, Moderator of the Lay Carmelites in Australia and New Zealand and several other Lay Carmelites situate the Lay Carmelites today within the history of the Order. They share what it means to be a...
Final session with Brendan Byrne on St Paul’s Letter to Romans
On Tuesday 19 September 2023 a group who have been meeting via zoom every month since February had our last session. Over these months we have been progressively reading St Paul's Letter to Romans and discussing and sharing our insight. A special thank you to Fr...
Season of Creation 2023 Let Justice and Peace Flow
SEASON OF CREATION ~ September 1 to October 4. 2023 Let Justice and Peace Flow.The season started on 1 September with a the Day of Prayer for Creation, and ends 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian...
Season of Creation 2022 Week 4
Welcome to the Season of Creation 2022: Week 4 - Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Commission newsletter. Click here. Greetings to our Carmelite family and friends, Once again in week 4 of the Season of Creation we are invited to listen to the voice of Creation,...
Season of Creation 2022 Week 3
Welcome to the Season of Creation 2022: Week 3 - Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Commission newsletter. Click here. Greetings to our family and friends in Carmel, During the Season of Creation, Christians worldwide are listening to the voice of creation. We...
Season of Creation 2022 Week 2
Welcome to the Season of Creation 2022: Week 2 - Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Commission newsletter. Click here. Good afternoon friends and members of the Carmelite Family, During the Season of Creation, our common prayer and action can help us listen for the...
Season of Creation 2022 Week 1
Welcome to the Season of Creation 2022: Week 1 - Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Commission newsletter. Click here. Good afternoon friends and members of the Carmelite Family For us in the southern hemisphere, we welcome September this week after our cold winter...
JPIC July 2022 newsletter
Welcome to the July 2022 edition of Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Commission newsletter. Click here. Greetings to Carmelite family and friends, Sunday 3rd July will see many prominent members of our Catholic Church come together for the continuation of the...
JPIC June 2022 newsletter
Welcome to the J 2022 edition of Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Commission newsletter. Click JPIC JUNE 2022 Warm Greetings to all our friends and family in Carmel as we move into our Winter season, There is a movement of people all over the world, including...
JPIC May 2022 newsletter
Welcome to the May 2022 edition of Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Commission newsletter. Click JPIC MAY 2022 Dear Friends and Carmelite Family The month of May has many notable events to draw our attention to social justice issues; our focus is on just a few of...
JPIC April 2022 newsletter
Welcome to the April 2022 edition of Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Commission newsletter. Click JPIC APRIL 2022 Greetings all, This month we reflect and recognise the part that the Press and journalists play in risking their lives to bring us truthful, current...
JPIC February 2022 newsletter
Welcome to the February 2022 edition of Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Commission newsletter. Click JPIC FEBRUARY 2022 Greetings all and welcome to a brand new year, Amidst what seems to be the opening of a chaotic beginning, there seems to be much to concern...
JPIC November 2021 newsletter
Welcome to the November 2021 edition of Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Commission newsletter. Click JPIC NOVEMBER 2021 Greetings Friends, Sisters and Brothers in Carmel, The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26 and as the Glasgow...
OUR LATEST BLOG
A message to the Carmelite Centre Community, March 2025
The recent retirement of our inaugural staff members, Irene Hayes and Damien Peile, after sixteen years’ service has provided the Province with the opportunity to reflect on the work of the Centre, its significance to the Province as a deep expression of who the...
Carmelite Conversation, Experience in Vietnam and Prayer in the Carmelite Tradition with Daryl Moresco OCarm
Recently, Br Daryl was in Vietnam giving a series of talks on Prayer in the Carmelite Tradition to 25 friars in formation during their annual Carmelite Studies Week. This conversation will highlight some of the topics presented such as the Practice of the Presence of...
Carmelite Conversations, The Carmelite Rule: a path to mysticism with Matthew Tonini OCarm
The Carmelite Rule (also known as the Rule of Saint Albert) was written over 800 years ago for a group of Christian hermits living simply on Mount Carmel in Israel. Despite its age, this brief but profound Rule has inspired countless men and women to cultivate a...
Carmelite Library January 2025
Dear Friends of the Carmelite Library Please find the link below to the January 2025 issue of the library’s newsletter. We hope that you enjoy reading about the library’s recent news and updates. We also invite you to take advantage of several opportunities for...
Carmelite Conversations: Saint John the poet and lover of nature with Patricia Greene
This session will look at the journey of John of the Cross that led him to the Carmelites where he would be an inspiring light in the darkness for all who journeyed in the spiritual pursuit of the Beloved. The main focus will on his love for the beauty of nature from...
Eco Spirituality Reading Circle – Inspiring and Challenging
For the small group of people who have gathered six times this year, the text we have been reading has been quite inspiring and challenging. It is Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis by Leah D Schade and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, editors,...
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