Angelus was born in Florence or near there; the year is unknown but it was before 1386. He was the first member of the reformed observance of Our Lady of the Wood, was many times prior of various houses and noted for his work in preaching the Word of God. He died in Florence in 1438.
Bartholomew Fanti was born in Mantua: the year is unknown, but in 1452 he was already a Carmelite priest of the Congregation of Mantua. For thirty-five years at the Order's church in Mantua he was spiritual father and rector of the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for which he composed a rule and statutes. He is especially remembered for his love of the Eucharist. He died in 1495.
Frances was born in 1427, probably in Thouars in France. She was the wife of Peter II, Duke of Britanny. After his death, and under the direction of Blessed John Soreth, the prior general, she took the habit of the Carmelite Order in the monastery she had previously founded in Bondon. Afterwards she transferred to another foundation in Nantes, also erected by her, where she held the office of prioress and nourished the sisters with wise teaching. She is considered the foundress of the Carmelite nuns in France. She died in 1485.
Hilary Januszewski was born on 11 June 1907 in Krajenki (Poland). In 1927 he entered the Order of Carmel and was ordained on 15 July 1934. In 1939, Poland was occupied by the Germans and one year later, Fr. Hilary decided to present himself in exchange for an older and sick friar. He was sent to Dachau, where he was a model of prayer life, encouraging others and giving hope for a better tomorrow. He died from typhus on 25 March 1945, a few days before the liberation of the concentration camp. Fr. Hilary Januszewski was beatified by John Paul II on 13 June 1999.
Bl. Jacques Retouret was born at Limoges in France on 15th September 1746 to a merchant family. He was a serious young man, a lover of books and greatly gifted. At fifteen years of age, he entered the Carmelite house in his native city. After ordination, his zeal and learning were widely admired and large crowds of people were attracted by his way of preaching.
The French Revolution did not spare him. Like the majority of his fellow clergy, Jacques refused to accept the civil law, unilaterally introduced by the state. He was arrested and condemned, together with many other priests and religious, and sentenced to exile in French Guinea in South America. Jacques died at Madame Isle on 26th August 1794 at the age of 48 years. He was beatified, together with 63 other priests and religious, as martyrs for the faith, on 1st October 1995 by Pope John Paul II.
Mother Euphrasia was born on October 17, 1877. Her pious mother taught her to pray the rosary and to participate in the Holy Mass. She had a vision of Mother Mary at the age of nine and she offered her virginity to God eternally. Her father was opposed to her entering the Convent but eventually gave her permission to go to the Carmelite Convent in 1888. For the rest of her life she was immersed in prayer, in contemplation or praying the Rosary. People began to call her “The Praying Mother.” She was most devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and had a great longing to be with the Eucharistic Lord and participate in the Holy Mass and adore the Blessed Sacrament. She was canonized by Pope Francis on November 23, 2014 in Vatican City.
Saint Kuriakos Elias Chavara, co-founder and first prior general of the congregation of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, was born at Kainakary in Kersala, India, February 10, 1805. He entered the seminary in 1818, and was ordained priest in 1829. He made his religious profession in 1855, in the congregation he founded. Throughout his life he worked for the renovation of the church in Malabar. Above all, he was a man of prayer, zealous for the Eucharistic Lord and devoted to the Immaculate Virgin Mary. He died at Koonammavu in 1871. Kuriakose Kathanar was beatified on February 8, 1986 and canonized on November 23, 2014.
Born about 1305 in southern Perigord in France, Peter Thomas entered the Carmelites when he was twenty-one. He was chosen by the Order as its procurator general to the Papal Court at Avignon in 1345. After being made bishop of Patti and Lipari in 1354, he was entrusted with many papal missions to promote peace and unity with the Eastern Churches. He was transferred to the see of Corone in the Peloponnesus in 1359 and made Papal Legate for the East. In 1363 he was appointed Archbishop of Crete and 1364 Latin Patriarch of Constantinople. He won a reputation as an apostle of church unity before he died at Famagosta on Cyprus in 1366.
Raphael Kalinowski was born to Polish parents in the city of Vilnius in 1835. Following military service, he was condemned in 1864 to ten years of forced labor in Siberia. In 1877 he became a Carmelite and was ordained a priest in 1882. He contributed greatly to the restoration of the Discalced Carmelites in Poland. His life was distinguished by zeal for Church unity and by his unflagging devotion to his ministry as confessor and spiritual director. He died in Wadowice in 1907.
November 1 • All Saints Day • 2019
Dear Lay Carmelites!
This month, in a special way, we remember in prayer those who have passed away from this life; the ones we have loved the most and perhaps even those we have never met but are in desperate need of our prayers. This is the month we can shine (in a quiet and hidden way) for after all, this is our charism and special gift to the Church.
Cindy A. Perazzo, T.O.Carm., Coordinator of Lay Carmelites
for the Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary
As an update, the appendix forms for the 2015 Community Manual have been turned over to our webmaster. He is currently working on setting up these forms so that they can be filled in online as well as printed out.
There is a new Carmelite Institute Advent Webinar scheduled for December 14, 2019. The title of the webinar is “ God in Life’s Journey” and will explore the Spirituality of Bl. Titus Brandsma. I’ve included the link below for more information and to register. These webinars are a very affordable $10 for an hour of continuing education in Carmel. Very much worth your time and financial support. Here is the link:
REGISTER NOW chevron circle right
Now for this week’s Q&As.
How do you encourage community members to volunteer?
I think the best way to encourage a member to be a vital part of the community is to bring the subject up at the very beginning. In my own community, it is brought to the attention of Candidates – Phase I, Lesson 1. It’s an assumption really, that each person will contribute something unique to the community. We all won’t necessarily be directors, formation directors, or councilors, however, we all can bring something to the table for our Carmelite Family.
Partial Attendance. Our community’s partial attendance is high for about 4-6 members. Will you please give us parameters to work within for our policy?
In January 2019 I addressed partial attendance in a letter that was sent to all directors. I’ve included this information below:
“Attendance: I still hear from Community Directors who have difficulties with members who attend meetings sporadically or arrive late/leave early, missing a good portion of the meeting. This partial attendance is harmful to those who are absent in this way on a regular basis and to the community who sees this behavior and wonders why it is allowed. Since there is no Provincial Statute or policy right now that covers this issue of arriving after the meeting begins and/or leaving before the last element is completed (partial attendance), I have given each community council permission to create a local policy which may include a partial attendance percentage given. Your Director should relay to the community when a policy like this has been developed and when it is to take effect. You should be given ample notice prior to any policy implementation. Should you have extenuating circumstances you should discuss this with your director or one of your elected councilors in order to come to an agreement.”
It would be fair for your council to consider that if members miss any significant part of either the first half of the meeting (typically, prayer, Lectio, Homework from the Order, and business) or ongoing formation that attendance could be considered 50%. Please contact me with any special circumstance you feel needs special consideration.
