Welcome to the website of the Irish Province of Carmelites. Please take some time to explore the site, which features a wide selection of news, articles, and other spiritual and intellectual resources.
Carmelites live and work in 26 nations throughout the world. We are teachers, retreat directors, chaplains to hospitals and prisons, in parish ministry, counsellors, spiritual directors, and missionaries.
In Ireland, Carmelites have care of one parish in Dublin: Whitefriar Street, which is also an important and historic city centre church. People come to Whitefriar Street and to other Carmelite churches at Kinsale, Kildare, Moate, Terenure College and Gort Muire to share in the celebration of the Eucharist and other religious services.
Irish Carmelites are still committed to education at Terenure College, Whitefriar Street, Third Level and through CIBI (Carmelite Institute of Britain and Ireland), which provides distance-learning courses on Carmelite Spirituality.
Opportunities for sharing and teaching the Carmelite spiritual tradition also arise through preaching, retreats and occasions of special devotion. The Irish Carmelites established a mission in Zimbabwe in 1946. This has now developed into a vibrant presence, with many young Zimbabwean Carmelites.
The canonisation of Titus Brandsma took place at St Peter’s, Rome, on Sunday, May 15th. This is a great moment of joy for the Carmelite Order, as St Titus has been an inspirational figure to all who walk the Carmelite path for many years.
Here we feature a selection of news stories from across our communities and ministries in Ireland. This section is updated regularly so please check back often for our latest news. To access an archive of all recent news stories please click here.
The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI) has completed the Second Review of Child Safeguarding in the Irish Province of Carmelites. The report can be accessed here.
The following is a note about the upcoming audit of the Irish Province of Carmelites by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland.
The annual Carmelite Pilgrimage to Knock will take place on Sunday, September 10th, 2023. The pilgrimage is a great occasion of community and prayer, an opportunity for the Carmelite family and all associated with us to come together at our national shrine.
In this section, we feature all the upcoming Carmelite Saints & Blesseds Feast Days. In each case, we provide a very brief story of their lives and contribution both to the Order and society in general, together with a short prayer or reflection. We update this section regularly. For a comprehensive look at all Carmelite Saints and Blesseds, please see here.
In this section, we assemble all the readings for the coming week and provide a useful reflection on their main themes. We update this section on a weekly basis, so please check back regularly. To see more please visit our full year of reflections here.
Easter Season – The Sixth Week | Readings: Sunday Cycle B; Weekday Cycle 2.
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; Psalm 97; 1John 4:7-10; John 15:9-17
In our first reading St Peter is teaching a group of pagans who receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as he speaks to them. Some of his Jewish followers are amazed that pagans should receive the gift that they believed only true followers could receive but Peter reminds them that God’s message is for all people regardless of their nationality or race or skin colour. St John speaks to us in the second reading about the love of God and tells us that God is love and that he revealed his love by sending his Son into the world for us. This theme of love is continued in the gospel where Christ tells us to remain in his love and we do this by keeping the commandments and loving God above all else. If we live in love we will reach out to others no matter where they come from and we will work to build up the kingdom of God in peace, harmony and love. In the text, Christ also tells us that he is commissioning each of us to go out and spread this love where ever we may find ourselves. He has called us and he is waiting for our reply and our full commitment.
Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Acts 16:11-15; Psalm 149; John 15:26-16:4
In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles we see St Paul on his second mission to the Gentiles to preach the Gospel of Christ, this time in the area of Macedonia. He begins preaching in Philippi and is well received by the people. His preaching is so powerful and full of the Spirit that people readily accept Jesus as their saviour. In the gospel, Jesus is assuring his followers that he will leave them a strong witness to assist them after he has gone from them. The witness is the Holy Spirit. Christ is fully aware of the trials and persecutions which are to befall his followers but he is equally aware that with the aid of the Holy Spirit they will be able to endure and so be victorious. We too will be strengthened if we allow the Spirit to work in us.
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Acts 16:22-34; Psalm 137; John 16:5-11
Today’s first reading tells us of the imprisonment of St Paul and his companion Silas. They had freed a girl of an evil spirit which now meant that she was useless to her masters. These same masters had Paul and Silas imprisoned because of their lost earnings now that she was freed from possession. However, this is turned into an occasion of teaching and conversion when they are freed from their chains and the gaoler sees this. As a result, the gaoler is converted to the faith. In the gospel, Jesus tells his followers that if he were to remain with them they would not receive the Holy Spirit. By his going all is accomplished and the reign of the Spirit in the hearts of all humankind can begin. The Spirit is always with us but unless we undergo personal conversion – like the gaoler in the first reading – the Spirit’s presence will be lost to us.
Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Acts 17:15, 22-18:1; Psalm 148; John 16:12-15
In the first reading St Paul is now in Athens, the artistic and spiritual centre of Greece in Paul’s day. Paul’s first impression of the city is not a good one and he resolves to bring about change in the hearts of the people. He preaches at the Areopagus and uses the philosophy of the ancient Greeks in his arguments. Some laugh at his teaching while others believe and follow him. Jesus, in the gospel text, continues to talk to the disciples about the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit we too will be led to the complete truth but only if we truly believe and are open to that truth and are willing to listen to the Spirit in our midst. If not, we will be no better than those who laughed at Paul in Athens.
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Acts 18:1-8; Psalm 97; John 16:16-20
Today we see St Paul in southern Greece, in the city of Corinth, a city well known for its sexual immorality. Paul goes several times to the synagogue to persuade the people about Jesus but when they refuse to listen to him he goes instead to the Gentiles. Again his Spirit-filled teaching wins over many new believers. The gospel passage from St John sees Jesus preparing the disciples for his Ascension which quickly approaches. While they will be sorry to lose his physical presence they will rejoice in his glory and in the spread of the Gospel. So too, we should rejoice in the Gospel and its message to all peoples.
Memorial of St Georg Preca, Priest
Georg Preca was born in Valletta, Malta, and was ordained priest in 1906. The Carmelite Family and spirituality had always been close to his heart and he became a Carmelite Tertiary in 1918, referring to himself as a Carmelite on many occasions. From 1907 he gathered around him many young men in their twenties and taught them an awareness of God’s love for humanity, encouraging them to work for the spread of the faith. This Society of the MUSEUM is to be found in many places across the world. In 1957 he created the ‘Mysteries of Light’ which were formally incorporated into the Rosary by Pope John Paul II in 2004. Fr George died in 1962 at the age of eighty-two and was canonized on June 3, 2007.
Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Acts 18:9-18; Psalm 46; John 16:20-23
Today’s reading from the Acts sees St Paul being assured by Christ himself in a vision, that those in Corinth who speak against him will never be able to silence or hurt Paul. With this knowledge Paul preaches all the more earnestly. A group of Jews even bring him before the civil courts because of his preaching but Paul is allowed to go as the proconsul refuses to get involved in religious matters. Paul now heads for Antioch. Again in the gospel, Christ is assuring his followers that their sorrow at his departure will only be temporary and that soon after they will rejoice as the kingdom of God spreads across the earth. We have a duty to help spread that kingdom as did the first followers of Christ.
Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Acts 18:23-28; Psalm 26; John 16:23-28
In the first reading from the Acts we see St Paul visiting the Christian community in Antioch. From here he sets off on his third missionary journey, this time to Galatia in modern-day Turkey. We are also introduced to Apollos, an Alexandrian Jew, who openly teaches about Christ and helps the believers. In the gospel, Christ is again reassuring the disciples as he prepares to leave them. He tells them that we should pray earnestly to God with full confidence while making all our prayers in the Lord’s own name.
The Carmelite Order is present throughout the world, made up of people from many different cultures and traditions. What unites the Order is the call to live the threefold charism of prayer, community and service. Have you considered a life in the Carmelite Order?
Please see below some quick links to other sections in the site which you may find interesting.
The Carmelite Library, located in Gort Muire, Dublin, can be accessed by appointment.
The Carmelite Institute of Britain and Ireland (CIBI) provides distanced-learning courses in Carmelite Spirituality.
The Carmelite Archive, located in Gort Muire, Dublin, can be accessed by appointment.
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