Our Life
A life of prayer, community, and ministry.
Prayer
“Our Holy Mother St. Teresa presents prayer as the raison d’etre of our life as Carmelites, the source and focal point of all the components of our charism.”
Besides the daily celebration of the Eucharist and recitation of the Divine Office, the community comes together for two hours of silent mental prayer every day, an hour each morning and an hour each evening. In the quiet of his cell, when not attending to other duties, a friar strives to "pray without ceasing," "meditating on the law of the Lord day and night."
Community
“The life we share as brothers is built on and held together by the love of Christ; so charity must be the supreme law of our community life.”
Our communities are modeled on the community of Christ and the Apostles, sharing all things in common, both material and spiritual. We pray, minister, and recreate together - sharing our joys, fears, and hopes with one another. In imitation of our Holy Mother, St. Teresa, we balance our times of solitude with periods of lively fraternal recreation.
Ministry
“The very nature of our charism demands that our prayer and our whole religious life be ardently apostolic.”
St. Teresa founded the Discalced Carmelite friars to serve the Church in union with Our Lady. Thus, every aspect of our lives, including our prayer, is marked with apostolic zeal. This ministry flows from our close union with Christ in prayer and strives to lead others closer to Him. Some examples include spiritual direction, confession, retreats, ministry to our nuns and secular order, and publications sharing the teachings of the Carmelite saints.
A Typical Day
While the schedules from one monastery to another may vary a little, according to the ministries and make-up of a particular community, they will all share a basic structure which is comprised of a few key elements (Daily Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, two hours of mental prayer, scheduled recreation, community meetings). This sample schedule will give you a good idea of the structure of a typical day.
