Today, November 14, is the feast of All Carmelite Saints. Who are the saints of Carmel? They are hermits of Mount Carmel who “lived in small cells, similar to the cells of a beehive, they lived as God’s bees, gathering the divine honey of spiritual consolation.” They are mendicants of the first medieval communities, who …
Today, November 8, is the memorial of Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity. Carmelite nun. Elizabeth was born in 1880 to Captain Joseph Catez and Marie Catez. Joseph died when the girl was seven, leaving her mother to raise Elizabeth and her sister Marguerite. Elizabeth was a bubbly and popular girl, extremely stubborn with a fiery …
Today, November 5, is the memorial of Blessed Frances d’Amboise. Carmelite nun. Frances was born in 1427 in a castle in Thouars, France. Her father was Louis d’Amboise, Prince of Talmont and Viscount of Thouars, and Louise-Marie de Rieux. At the age of three, Frances was already engaged to marry Peter II, a son of …
Today, October 15, is the feast of Saint Teresa of Avila. Doctor of the Church. Foundress of the Order of Discalced Carmelites. Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada was born in 1515 to the Spanish nobility, the daughter of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda and Doña Beatriz. She grew up reading the lives of the …
Today, October 1, is the feast of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face. Carmelite nun and Doctor of the Church. Patron saint of missionaries. Thérèse was the daughter of St. Louis Martin and St. Marie-Azelie Guérin Martin. She had four sisters, all of whom became nuns. Marie-Azelie died of breast …
Today, September 17, is the feast of Saint Albert of Jerusalem. Law-Giver of the Carmelites. Albert was born in Castel Gualtieri, Italy. He was educated in theology and law. He entered the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross at Mortara and was elected prior in 1180. Albert was a canon lawyer who became bishop of …
Today, September 1, is the memorial of Saint Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart. Carmelite nun. The future Carmelite was born into the noble family of Redi, wth cavalier Ignatius Redi and Camilla Ballati as her parents. In 1764, she entered the Discalced Carmelites’ monastery in Florence, changing her baptismal name of Anna Maria to …
Memorial of St. Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart Read More »
Today, August 26, is the memorial of Blessed Jacques Retouret. Carmelite priest and martyr. Born to a family of merchants in Limoges (France) in 1746, Jacques was an educated man and was known as a lover of books. He joined the Carmelites of the Ancient Observance (O.Carm.) at age 15. He was a priest, whose …
Today, August 25, is the memorial of Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified. Carmelite nun. Mariam Baouardy was born at Abellin in Galilee in 1846 to very poor and devoted Greek-rite Catholic parents. She became an orphan at three years old when both her parents died of natural causes days apart. An uncle adopted Mariam and …
Today, August 18, is the memorial of the Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Rochefort. The three Discalced Carmelites were Frenchmen: Fr. Jean-Baptiste Duverneuil (Leonard in religious life) was born in 1737, other accounts contend it was 1759; Fr. Michel Louis Brulard was born in 1758; Fr. Jacques Gagnot (Hubert of St. Claude in religious life) was …
Memorial of the Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Rochefort Read More »