Carmelite Saints

Today, July 17, is the memorial of Blessed Teresa of St. Augustine & Companion Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne. During the anti-clericalism of the French Revolution, the monasteries and convents were suppressed. Consequently, the Discalced Carmelite nuns were arrested in June 1794, during the Reign of Terror. They were led in a cart through the streets …

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Today, July 16, is the Solemnity 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 …

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Today, July 13, is the memorial of Saint Teresa of the Andes. Carmelite nun. The future saint was born Juana Enriqueta Josefina de los Sagrados Corazones Fernández y Solar in Santiago, Chile into an upper class family in 1900. Early in her life she read “The Story Of A Soul,” the classic autobiography of St.Thérèse …

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Today, July 9, is the memorial of Blessed Jane Scopelli. Carmelite religious. Born in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in 1439 to parents Simone and Caterina Scopelli, As a child, she recognized she had a vocation, but her parents discouraged her from pursuing it. Jane made the most of her time in the house. She began her …

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Today, June 7, is the memorial of Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew. Secretary of Saint Teresa of Avila. Anne Garcia Manzanas was born in 1550 in modern-day Spain. At 13, the orphan Anne became a shepherdess. She already knew that she had a vocation. As a devotee to the Passion of Christ, she wanted to …

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Today, May 25, is the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi. Carmelite nun and virgin. Patroness of the Third Order of Carmelites. Mary Magdalene, born in 1566, came from a very wealthy family. Even as a child, she rejected the high fashion of her station, choosing instead to dress in simple clothes. Her religious …

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Today, May 8, is the memorial of Blessed Aloysius Rabata. Carmelite friar and martyr. Aloysius was born in 1443 in modern-day Sicily, Italy. He entered the Carmelite Order at the Annunziata convent in Trapani at an early age. He was appointed prior of the Carmelite community of St. Michael in the town of Randazzo. As …

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Today, May 5, is the memorial of Saint Angelus. Carmelite friar. He was one of the first Carmelites to come to Sicily from Mount Carmel. Angelus’ parents were 12th-century Jewish converts. At age 18, Angelus and his twin brother joined a group of hermits who formed the first Carmelite house. He was sent to evangelize …

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Today, May 1, is the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. Pope Pius XII declared the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955 as a response to the increasingly communist climate of the time. It served as a reminder to the faithful of the true dignity and value of work for human beings, …

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