The Relics of Saints Louis & Zélie Martin and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux are visiting Ireland - August 4 to Sept 9 2018

In conjunction with the organisers of the World Meeting of Families, the Irish Order of Carmelites, Order of Discalced Carmelites, Carmelite nuns and Lay/Secular Carmelites have arranged that Relics of Saints Louis, Zélie and Thérèse will come from Lisieux and be in Ireland for the World Meeting of Families. The relics will arrive on August 4 and remain in Ireland until September 9

The Relics of Saints Louis & Zélie Martin and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux visiting Whitefriar Street Church, Dublin

The Relics will be at the Opening Ceremony in the R.D.S., Dublin, on Tuesday, August 21, and they will also be in the sanctuary in the Phoenix Park for the Papal Mass on Sunday, August 26. The Carmelites have also been invited to give a forty-five minute presentation on the spirituality of the Martin family in the Phoenix Park before the Papal Mass. This will consist of interviews with people on aspects of the Martin spirituality, texts from the writings of the saints and intercessions and have engaged the services of Kairos Communications to ensure that this will be done to a professional standard. Music will be provided by the Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Eireann orchestra.

The Relics will also travel to several places across Ireland before and after the World Meeting and this gives a much wider group of people who cannot the Congress in the R.D.S. or the Festival of Families in Croke Park or the Papal Mass at the close of the World Meeting to participate in the Meeting in a different though tangible way. Given the short time the Relics will be in the country it is not possible to visit every diocese and every part of the island, but the hope is that given the time available, that as many people as possible will be able to spend time with the Relics and to consider the life of this saintly family. The journey of the Relics through Ireland is a form of pilgrimage leading up to the World Meeting itself and leading away from it afterwards.

Each place that will receive the Reliquaries will organise their own liturgical celebrations and times for veneration and these will be made known over the coming weeks. Information regarding the preparations in each place can be had direct from each place.

You can find more information from the Carmelites website here.

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The Dominican Church, Glentworth St, Limerick will be hosting the relics of Saint Therese of Lisieux, and of her parents, Saints Louis and Zelie Martin, on Saturday 18 August, beginning with the 1pm Mass. Blessing of roses, veneration of relics, and reflections by the Dominicans will follow, with sung Vespers concluding the event at 5pm.

July 16th - Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel with St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Avila
- Terry Nelson (iconographer)

July 16th is the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th and early to mid 13th centuries. They built a chapel in the midst of their hermitages which they dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, whom they conceived of in chivalric terms as the "Lady of the place"

Since the 15th century, popular devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel has centered on the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel also known as the Brown Scapular, a sacramental associated with promises of Mary's special aid for the salvation of the devoted wearer. Traditionally, Mary is said to have given the Scapular to an early Carmelite named Saint Simon Stock. The liturgical feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated on 16 July.

"Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is bound to the history and spiritual values of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and is expressed through the scapular. Thus, whoever receives the scapular becomes a member of the order and pledges him/herself to live according to its spirituality in accordance with the characteristics of his/her state in life."

"The scapular is a Marian habit or garment. It is both a sign and pledge. A sign of belonging to Mary; a pledge of her motherly protection, not only in this life but after death. As a sign, it is a conventional sign signifying three elements strictly joined: first, belonging to a religious family particularly devoted to Mary, especially dear to Mary, the Carmelite Order; second, consecration to Mary, devotion to and trust in her Immaculate Heart; third an incitement to become like Mary by imitating her virtues, above all her humility, chastity, and spirit of prayer."


Dr Lillis has a reflection on Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Blessed John Paul II.

Letter of the Prior General (OCarm) on the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 2018

October 15th - Feast of St Teresa of Avila

Source

October 15th is the feast of St Teresa of Avila, the first woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970. She has many writings. Born in 1515 in Avila, Spain, she lived during the Counter Reformation in Europe and she died in 1582.

Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, (March 28, 1515 – October 4, 1582) was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer. She was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be, along with John of the Cross, a founder of the Discalced Carmelites.




iBenedictines have a very short but pointed reflection on her feast day today:

The five hundredth anniversary year of St Teresa of Avila’s birth has seen some remarkable celebrations but today, on her feastday, I think we honour her best by reflecting on one single aspect of her life: her prayer. It was the leitmotif of her whole existence. We tend to think of her enormous energy in founding convent after convent, her endless letters, her often awkward dealings with ecclesiastical authority, but at the centre of it all, day after day, was that humble, persevering seeking after God. Today, when we must be busy about so many things, let’s make sure we take some time just to be with God. His Divine Majesty awaits us. Let us not disappoint him

Read more about this saint here and here.

Christ Has No Body
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

St Teresa of Avila

"Nada Te Turbe" is one of two virtual choirs produced for the celebration of St. Teresa of Jesus's 500th birthday. The choir is made up of Carmelite Nuns from around the world and is accompanied by the Teresian Orchestra of St. James Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, USA. Music composed by Claire Sokol, OCD.

The prayer — which is more of a sort of contemplative pulse — is this:

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

"Salve Regina" is the second of two virtual choirs produced for the celebration of St. Teresa of Jesus's 500th birthday. This virtual choir is made up of Carmelite Nuns and Friars from around the world and highlights the internationality and diversity of the Carmelite Order. Music composed by Claire Sokol, OCD.

13th September 2015 - The Community of Our Lady of Walsingham: Interview with Sr Theresa Weight

This weeks programme is from our "Come & See" studios in Ardagh and is part of our coverage of the Year for Consecrated Life. On this week programme John interviews Sr. Theresa Weight from Community of Our Lady of Walsingham.

You can listen to the podcast of this weeks full programme HERE.

The Community of Our Lady of Walsingham

The veneration to Our Lady under her title as Our Lady of Walsingham isn't that well know in Ireland but is an old and distinguished honour to Our Lady in England since the Middle Ages.

We have covered the devotion at the Shrine in Walsingham previously on the programme HERE and we have explored the feast of Our Lady which is celebrated on 24th September under this title HERE.

On this weeks programme however, we have an interview with one of the newer religious communities in the wider Catholic Church - the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The Community of Our Lady of Walsingham

Incarnational - Marian - Missionary - Vocational - Contemplative 

  

The COLW describe themselves as a new contemplative, but not enclosed, community of religious sisters and brothers (some of whom may become priests) who are passionate about encouraging a culture of vocation within the Church and society by helping people recognise and respond to God's love in their lives. As a Marian community dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham, they pray for the conversion of England and the western world and are engaged in the New Evangelisation.

 

The community is rooted in the Carmelite tradition focused on the Word and the Eucharist, with a preferential option for the young and for the spiritually poor. You can find their website HERE including a full history and the decree establishing them. You can also check out their Facebook page to see what they are getting up to!

Sr Theresa with her family on 23rd September 2012 after making first vows.

Our interview is with Sr Theresa and you listen to the interview with her excerpted from the main programme podcast HERE. You can read about Sr Theresa's personal journey and those of other members of the community HERE. 


Gospel - Mark 8:27-35

Reflections on this weeks gospel:

Sunday Reflections
Centre for Liturgy
English Dominicans
Word on Fire
 
Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours - Psalter week 4; 24th week in ordinary time

Saints of the Week
14th September - Exultation of the Holy Cross
15th September - Our Lady of Sorrows
16th September - St Cornelius
17th September - St Robert Bellarmine
18th September - Various
19th September - St Januarius