History of the Order

The Carmelite Order developed from a single community of hermits living after the example of Elijah on Mt. Carmel in Palestine in the early 13th century. Circa 1210 they asked for, and were given, a Rule of Life by St. Albert, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. Their chapel and community were dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Carmelites have always regarded themselves as sons and daughters, in a very special way, of Mary and also of Elijah, whom Scripture intimately associates with Mt. Carmel (1 Kings: 18).

By 1238 the Saracens had overrun Mt. Carmel, forcing the Carmelites to move to Europe, where they began establishing communities. In 1247, the Rule of Life was adapted to meet the needs of an Order spreading throughout Christendom. During the second half of the 13th century, circumstances led the Carmelites ever further from their hermit origins and they finally became a mendicant Order, though the eremitical way of life (embracing solitude and community) was not forgotten; indeed, it was ever present in the Rule.

In 1562, a Carmelite nun in (Avila) Spain, St. Teresa of Jesus, instituted a reform of the Carmelite Order, assisted by St. John of the Cross. Together they established a new branch of the Order: the Discalced Carmelites. "Discalced" comes from the Latin word meaning "unshod"; they were so-called because, in keeping with their more austere way of life, they wore the rope sandals of the poor in place of leather shoes. This was a sign to the world of their poverty of spirit and simplicity of life, also symbolizing a deep humility in the presence of God. Both Carmelites are now Doctors of the Church, renowned for their wisdom and counsel on the life of prayer.

Carmelite friars and nuns strive for a more retired and contemplative form of religious life, in keeping with the spirit of the original Rule of Life. Today there are two branches of the Carmelite family: the Ancient Observance (O.Carm.) and the Discalced (OCD). Each branch has its own Secular Order. Although updated by Vatican II, the Carmelite way of life remains the same today as centuries ago: to live simply and always in the presence of God at the service of the Church.