Basic Elements

A brief overview of Elijah's life reveals the basic elements of the Carmelite vocation:

> living always in God's presence
> seeking God in solitude, yet ready to go wherever God directs
> giving new life to others
> witnessing to the absolute priority of God in all things
> being nourished by God in the Eucharist for daily strength in the spiritual journey
> seeking the direct experience of God in prayer
> allowing God to speak to us in silence
> responding to God's call to serve others
> opposing injustice.

This summarizes the Carmelite spirit..

" Contemplative Prayer, Prophetic Action"
Fr. Kevin Culligan, OCD, St. Louis Congress
September 29, 2005

Developing Formation Programs

The local Council is responsible for "the formation and Christian and Carmelite maturing of the members of the community" (Constitutions, Art. 46). Council members must be active in the life of the community and maintain a purposeful stance of openness to all members of the community, to be able to fulfill the responsibilities assigned in the Constitutions.

The local Council explores many ideas related to the three stages of formation and ongoing formation that will support the maturing of members of the community as described in Article 46 of the Constitutions. The discussion often begins as Councils look through the lens of the current legislation to see if their formation process needs updating or as they begin the process of writing out their 1 year plan for Aspirancy, a 2 year plan of Preparation for First Promise, a 3 year plan of Preparation for Final (Definitive) Promise, and to write a plan for ongoing formation.

The discussions quickly begin to include other considerations that experienced Councils and formators know are central to the needs of a good formation process. Eleven of those needs are listed below. They could be used by a Council developing a new formation program, or to support a Council as it evaluates its current formation program.

These ideas are meant to strengthen current practices and stimulate new ideas that support the ministry of formation in Carmel. The list starts with the topics to be covered in a formation process (see the Provincial Formation Guidelines) and the timeframes of those formation sessions but immediately transitions to other important considerations for the Council to make. They can be prioritized on the basis of what the community already has in place. Additions or changes can be made to a community's practice on that basis, over time.

1. CALENDAR: Make a calendar for each level of formation. In which month will you cover which topics? How long will a formation session be? How will the community retreat be included?

2. FORM CARMELITES: Identify different ways to engage the community in the topics being studied. What techniques will be applied at each level of formation to take it from "information" to "formation"? How will your community members be challenged to study the texts and their hearts and their lives to become informed, formed and to mature in their Carmelite vocation? (See the article on Questioning Strategies in this Flos Carmeli.) Fr. Aloysius Deeney, General Delegate to the Secular Order, challenged us to ensure that secular formation programs include, "formation for the mind so they are satisfied that they know what they need to know, formation for the heart (I want to give my heart to God), and things 'to do' that brings them thru the process of being formed." How does the community's formation program meet those challenges?

3. SECULAR IDENTITY: Everything that occurs in formation needs to support the development and maturing of Carmelite personality. How will these choices of topics and strategies help clarify and strengthen the secular identity of those being formed? Will they form members to understand and discern how they are called to live the consequences of being Clothed, making the Promises or making the Vows as secular members of the Discalced Carmelite Order?

4. ENGAGE: The Council must maintain a purposeful stance of openness to its members. How will the Council make an effort to get to know each person in all levels of the formation process and observe how they relate to the community? How will the Council intervene if it sees problems developing? How will the Council spot, form, and call into service future leaders? How will the Council assure that those being formed will have ample opportunity to engage with the community?

5. VISITORS: How will visitors be screened? What steps will the Council use to discern if a visitor will be invited to become an Aspirant.

6. ASPIRANTS: What will be asked of Aspirants as they discern if they are called to Carmel (participate in the Aspirancy formation program, participate in community meetings, begin to live the prayer and liturgical life of a secular, interview with the director of formation and Council, community retreat, reflection questions, letter of petition, etc)? How will the Council measure progress in prayer, community, apostolate, study and preparation for Clothing? How will the Council get to know, and what steps will it use for discerning if an Aspirant will be Clothed (interact with them at meetings; contact references they provide; read the letter of petition; pray for the assistance and guidance of the Holy Spirit, St. Teresa, St. John of the Cross, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel; reflect; interview the candidate; take time to discern and pray; then vote; inform the candidate; etc.).

7. FIRST PROMISE and FINAL PROMISE: How will the Council measure progress in prayer, community, apostolate, study and preparation for the Promise? How will the Council discern if a candidate will be invited to make the Promise (make a purposeful effort to get to know the candidate; read the letter of petition; pray for guidance of the Holy Spirit, St. Teresa, St. John of the Cross, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel; reflect; interview the candidate; take time to discern and pray; then vote; inform the candidate; etc.)? What steps will be asked of candidates as they discern if they are called to make the Promise (participate in the formation program, attend community meetings, be of service in the community, yearly interviews with the formator, yearly retreat with the community, reflection questions, letter of petition, a final interview with the council, etc)?

8. SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: How will the Council handle those special circumstances of formation such as when someone transfers to the community prior to making final profession or when an isolate needs formation support? How will the Council help someone from the community prepare and discern if they are called to make Vows?

9. WHEN THE ANSWER IS 'NO': How will the Council tell someone, and who will tell them, if the Council discerns a person will not be Clothed or make Promises or Vows?

10. FORMATION TEAM: How will the Council support the director of formation in determining and training those who will be responsible for the various levels of formation, recalling that it is important for individuals to experience more than one formator as they go from one level of formation to the next, and as they experience ongoing formation?

11. RITUALS: How will plans and programs for the ceremonies and celebrations for Clothing, Promises, and Vows be handled?

Do not be overwhelmed at the thought of trying to address every one of these elements immediately. It takes time. The workshops for Councils held last summer in our Province were wellsprings of ideas for applying these concepts. Creative Councils work together to establish comprehensive formation processes that fulfill our Legislative mandate and inspire community members to new depths of vocation as Carmelite seculars.

A Conversation about "Obedience"

"Sometimes I wonder about my Promise of Obedience. As I understand it my obedience is given to the Superiors of the Order, the Constitutions, Statutes, and Community Council. Right?"

Right. The Promise does not mention God but that way I see it, God is "incarnate" in all of the above. Now the VOW of obedience comes under the virtue of religion, which means to God.

We all have to concretize or make incarnate what we promise. So to promise obedience of what and to whom is important otherwise the Promise remains just an abstract ideal. When we are confronted with something that goes against what we want or like, well, it does not mean that we cannot question or have difficulty with it, but if we mean when we promise obedience that we will obey only what we find agreeable, then what is that? Even the pagans do that.

We make our Carmelite promise to God of course, but explicitly we offer it to the Superiors of the Order, to the Constitutions provided by the Order and to each other. These are generally the instruments God employs in revealing His Will to us.

"Once a friend in community said to me that she didn't have to obey something that "went against her understanding, opinion, conscience." We were talking about a point in the Rule."

Obey only what we understand? Well again, what is that? We promise allegiance to Christ and Christ was obedient unto death. Of course, there is a false kind of blind obedience. You have to use your reason and you have to follow your conscience. But you have an obligation to the truth, which means bringing your understanding, your opinions, and your conscience in line with what is true. Basically what the Order asks of us is presented in the Constitutions, the Provincial Statutes and that, so to speak, is the truth we are to live by if we want to belong to the Order. If we cannot accept that "truth" then perhaps we should consider sincerely if we really want to belong to the Order. Perhaps we want to follow Carmelite spirituality as we understand it, and that is fine, but we do not need to be in the Order to do that.

Selective obedience is game playing with the truth. "I made the resolution," Theresa said, "never to consider whether the things commanded of me appeared useful or not.. it is love alone that counts. Forget about whether something is needed or useful; see it (the demand, rule, obligation, etc.) as a whim of Jesus."

Theresa lamented those in her community "who do nothing or next to nothing, saying: 'I am not obliged to do that, after all.' How few there are who do everything in the best way possible!"

"I'm almost afraid to admit this, but I would find it difficult "never to consider whether the things demanded of me are needed or useful." .. I would need to understand the what and the why."

You always have the obligation to come to a correct understanding of what is being asked of you. So, you question, discuss, and yes, even argue with the "lawgiver," but then sooner or later, you have to decide if you believe that the Constitutions promulgated by the lawful authority in the Order and approved by the Church is the will of God for you. If not, then your conscience should tell you to seek where you may find the will of God.

Obedience is not always absolute. Things change. What is expected of us changes and evolves. Obedience to God is absolute, but sometimes our understanding of His will is relative. We grow in understanding and wisdom and Grace, and so does our practice of obedience. Having a spirit of obedience means having this attitude of always listening thoroughly for the expression of God's will. We do not always like what we hear, but after we have discussed and expressed our disagreements, if we have them, then we strive to obey. There is Grace in that, not only for us but also for the lawgiver who also may come to a better understanding through our questioning.

"Ok, I think I understand what you are saying. It is good and proper to consider, question, and discuss until we come to a good understanding and acceptance of what is being asked of us in our Promise of obedience. It is a searching for and surrendering to God's Will for us."

Yes. What should matter to us in being obedient to God's Will is not abstract ideals, but profound love and surrender to the concrete "judgments of God." When we are professed as Carmelites we surrender to the judgment of God that he is calling us to live out our Baptismal covenant by following the Constitutions given to us by the Order. Obedience inspired by and directed by the Holy Spirit is docile. To be docile is not to be a doormat but to be a child of God and as a child of God; we accept our total dependence on Him relative to our salvation and sanctification.

Obedience makes us surrender our own will to adhere to God's will as expressed in the orders of our superiors; and that leads us into the perfection of charity. Charity will be perfect in us when we govern ourselves in each action —not according to our personal desires and inclinations, but according to God's will.

Isolate Formation

Article 56 of the Constitutions states "Members of the Secular Order, who for reasons of distance, age, or illness cannot participate in the regular meetings of a community, remain members of the Secular Order and, under the authority of the Provincial Delegate, are to be associated to a particular community. It is the responsibility of the President of the community to establish contact with those members and the responsibility of these members to maintain contact with the community." How do the community and the isolate maintain this contact? Section II of the Provincial Statutes on isolates states very clearly how to go about this contact. Also past issues of the Flos Carmeli have included some suggestions. It should be noted that the Provincial Statutes distinguishes isolates as those who live at a distance from community, whereas those unable to attend meetings due to age or illness are dealt with separately and not referred to in the Statutes as isolates. This article is focusing on isolates living at a distance.

We have encountered some problems when names of isolates are sent to a community.

When a community receives notice from the Provincial Council of an isolate being assigned to them, the President needs to get in touch with the isolate. One of the first pieces of information needed by the community is the status of the isolate. Are they definitively professed or still in formation? If definitively professed, when was the Promise taken, are they keeping up with changes evolving in the Order and are they committed to their Promise? If they have not been in touch with changes, they should be given the Rule of St Albert, the Constitutions and our own Province Statutes. They should at least attend one meeting to meet members of the community and the Local Council should evaluate if catch up formation is needed. Formation guidelines will be followed in all cases of catch up. Isolate should give the community a record of their status in the Order (use the transfer form provided on the OCDS provincial website). We know as stated on the Provincial Statutes that the President may delegate the monthly contact to any member of the community who is willing to assume that responsibility.

Discussion of Spiritual Conferences, readings and discussions during on going formation may be shared on tape or written as a summary of activities and sent by the contact person to the isolate. As stated in the Statutes could be done either via snail mail, telephone or e-mail. Again, the isolate is encouraged to meet with community at least once a year.

Isolates requiring initial formation should be handled the same as if they are coming to meetings regularly. First it should be established where they are in formation. If starting as aspirant, the Aspirancy Application and Acceptance form should be given and once filled should be submitted to the Formation Director. It would be advisable contact person in this case is the Formation Director. The Local Council of the community should be seriously involved in discernment of the isolate during formation. Section XXI Formation Guidelines should be followed. Isolates in formation are required to attend a meeting once a year preferably at annual retreat.

Sometimes Provincial Council will refer an isolate transferring from another Province. All of the same things mentioned above apply - use the transfer form to obtain records from the previous community, assess the level of formation received to date. A definitively professed isolate should receive on going formation in the new community. Those on formation should be asked to submit information about the formation program taken from former community and formation continues following the formation guidelines.

If a member of the community is moving to a place where distance to nearest community is a problem, then the Provincial Council should be contacted about placing that person on isolate status. This person will then be assigned to a community per the Constitutions and Statutes (please note that it is the Provincial Council, not the Local Council that determines isolate status).

I hope this will clarify some questions on handling our isolates.

--Amelia H. Wilken OCDS