Meet the Carmelites
Why Enclosure?
That the Lord may be loved. He, the Almighty, All-beautiful and All-merciful God, is most worthy to be loved. The separateness, solitude, and silence of the enclosure frees the Sister from distraction, enabling her to wholly occupy herself with the love of God.
Love of Him necessarily overflows into love for souls. Hence, the Carmelites of Mary Ever Virgin offer prayer and sacrifice for the salvation of souls, and fervently carry in their hearts the needs of Holy Mother Church and her priests.
Mount Carmel, a mountain ridge located in the Holy Land, is the birthplace of Carmelites.
The Old Testament relates that on Mount Carmel the prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven, in order to win the people’s hearts back from idols to the worship of the One True God.
At the end of the 12th century pilgrims to the Land of Jesus settled on Mount Carmel, in order to live a holy penitential life of prayer, in the spirit of Elijah. There they devoted themselves to Blessed Mary Ever Virgin of Mount Carmel and became known as her brothers.
In 1238 on the island of Cyprus, Carmelites made the first of numerous foundations outside the Holy Land, and in 1452, women officially joined the Order as nuns. Today Carmelites live all over the world, but they never forget the Mount. Indeed, wherever they live, they turn that place into Carmel.
