Chapter 2
Purpose of the Order

1. "The purpose of this lay branch of the Carmelite Order is to provide a community in which to live the Gospel way of life according to the Carmelite charism of seeking God in contemplative prayer, a communion of faith, hope and love and in a spirit of service to God and the human family.
   
2. The Carmelite family draws its inspiration from the lives of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Prophet Elijah." [2] Mary is our Patroness, Mother and Sister. An appreciation of her deep influence in our lives is given in the statement "Carmelus totus marianus est" (Carmel is eminently Marian) . [3] In her we find the model of all that we desire and hope to be.
   
3. Elijah is the prophet of Mount Carmel and our father in faith. With an ardent desire for the true and living God, he spent his whole life in faithfully testifying to Yahweh's presence in the world.
   
4. This Gospel way of living which Lay Carmelites seek to live, a life of contemplative prayer, a communion of life and ministry, is summed up by one word, love. St. Therese of the Child Jesus, a great saint of Carmel, showed this clearly to us when she cried out: "O Jesus, my love ... my vocation, at last I have found it ... MY VOCATION IS LOVE! " [4]

Footnotes

[2] Lay Carmelite Constitutions for Australia, 1988, Part I, Chapter II.

[3] Father General's Letter for the Marian Year, July 16, 1988.

[4] Story of a Soul, ICS Publications, Washington, DC, 1975, pg. 194.

Created August 5, 1996 by Bro. Charles, O.Carm.