discalcedcarmelites1990: 4. The Holy Rule of Jerusalem

Federations/Associations

Federations/Associations among cloistered contemplative communities have been recommended by the Church, as a means of providing mutual support in areas such as financial needs and formation. It is a practice of many such associations and federations of cloistered contemplatives to have meetings every so many years. These meetings, although common are not required and such meetings in no way go against the observance of Papal Enclosure.

However, St. Teresa of Avila explicitly desired for her nuns to observe strict enclosure, only to leave the walls of the cloister in case of a severe emergency or situation or the forming of a new foundation. In this spirit, Discalced Carmelite monasteries which follow the 1990 Constitutions do not attend federation/association meetings.

There are two associations which include 1990 OCD monasteries in the United States. These associations do not have meetings.

St. Joseph Association
Los Palomarcitos de la Virgen

"The decision to belong or not to such bodies depends on each community, whose freedom must be respected." - Verbi Sponsa, Part IV

All other 1990 Carmelite monasteries in the United States have chosen - as they have the right to do - to not join an association.

The Association of Los Palomarcitos de la Virgen is an international association of 1990 Discalced Carmelite monasteries, that, at the time of the choosing of Constitutions, were given the privilege to be both 1990 Carmels and under the Discalced Carmelite Friars. Otherwise, 1990 Discalced Carmelite nuns are directly under the Holy Father rather then the Friars.

The Holy Rule given them by St. Albert emphasized the nature of solitude and that we hear God in the “gentle whisper.” The brothers and sisters renounced their inheritance, lived in separate cells, left the things and persons of the world behind them, lived under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, prayed, fasted, practiced silence and a strong devotion to the Virgin Mary as well as abstained from meat, and underwent voluntarily other penances as a community and individually for their sins and those of the world. This spirituality characterized Carmel.

ADOPTION OF THE RULE

However, in 1434-1435 the Rule suffered a series of changes that were approved by Pope Eugene IV. The most observant of the friars did not like these changes, as the mitigations relaxed the ascetical lifestyle they believed themselves called to live. Despite the reforming efforts of Bl. John Soreth (1451-1471), dissatisfaction grew and the Order as a whole became more worldly and drifted away from what appeared to the world and even some of their own to be the rigid, ascetical lifestyle of their founders and saints.

Monasteries

Federations/Associations

4. The Holy Rule of Jerusalem