The Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS) welcomes those of the faithful who, by special vocation, undertake to live in the world. Secular Carmelites come from all walks of life: men and women, young and old, married and single. Each one tries to respond to God's call to "meditate on the Lord's law, day and night".
As Secular Carmelites, we try to show God's love in our everyday lives, wherever God leads us and with the people God gives us.
We follow the Rule of St Albert, the OCDS Constitutions, and the Provincial Statutes, which are used to help us transform into the people that God intends us to be.
What is the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order?
Discalced Carmelite Seculars are members of the Carmelite family of the 16th-century reform of St. Teresa of Jesus. Discalced means shoeless. St. Teresa's followers wore sandals rather than shoes, a practice which distinguished them from Carmelites of the Ancient Observance. These followers are present in the modern world as friars, enclosed nuns, and Seculars.
Who are we?
Discalced Carmelite Seculars come from all walks of life, from every level of education and from every type of work. They are Catholic laypersons over the age of 18 (married or unmarried) or ordained diocesan priests or deacons.
There are more than 45,000 Discalced Carmelite Seculars worldwide and more than 6,000 in the United States. They gather in canonically erected communities or recognized study groups under the guidance and leadership of the order.
What is the foundation of Carmelite life?
The following principles of the Rule of Saint Albert, written for the hermits on Mount Carmel in the 13th century, guide Carmelite life today:
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Living in allegiance to Jesus Christ
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Being diligent in meditating on the law of the Lord
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Seeking interior silence and solitude
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Giving time to spiritual reading
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Participating in the liturgy of the Church, both the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours
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Arming themselves with the practice of the virtues
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Using prudent discretion in all that they do.