Do you want to be one of those 'people in brown'?

—Do you feel a call to deeper prayer life but do not know where to begin?

—Are you aching for a personal friendship with Jesus but are too shy to ask for help?

—Are you attracted to Mary and desire to be under the patronage of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel?

—Are you serious about expressing your love for the Lord more than through the Sunday Mass?

—Deep inside are you drawn to seek God’s face and to intimately converse with Him in prayer?

—Do you wish to be taught and inspired by the Masters of Prayer, St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross?

—Are you moved to serve in a way that may be new to you, for the sake of the Church and the world?

If you said “Yes” to some or all of the above, then perhaps you are called to be one of us—the "people" in brown who worship with you at the Shrine, the Seculars of the Order of Discalced Carmelites.  

1. What is the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order?  It is part of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCD) which was established in 1593, pursuant to the reform of the Carmelite Order of the Ancient Observance by two Spanish saints, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. “Discalced” is derived from Latin, meaning “without shoes”.  Discalced Carmelites (or Barefoot Carmelites) are present in the modern world as friars, cloistered nuns, and seculars.  The friars and the nuns have “OCD” after their religious names; the seculars or the lay members of the OCD family, have “OCDS”.  Seculars have their religious names, too, but these are used only in Carmel. 

2.  Who are we?  Discalced Carmelite Seculars come from all walks of life, from every level of education and from every type of work. We 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 2,000 in the Philippines. We gather in canonically erected communities or recognized study groups under the guidance and leadership of the Order.

3.  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:

* Living in allegiance to Jesus Christ

* Being diligent in meditating on the law of the Lord

* Giving time to spiritual reading

* Participating in the liturgy of the church, both the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours

* Arming themselves with the practice of the virtues

* Seeking interior silence and solitude

* Using prudent discretion in all that they do. (from “Constitutions of the Secular Order of the Teresian Carmel,” 2003)

4. What is required of Discalced Carmelite Seculars? The Secular’s obligations can be summarized by the “6 Ms”:

1)  Meditation: A suggestion is 30 minutes each day.

2) Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and, if possible, Night Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours.

3) Mass: daily, if possible.

4) Mary: every day, Seculars express devotion to Mary. Their primary devotion is to imitate Mary in “reflecting on [all these things] in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

5) Meetings: Seculars are called to communities whose members have made a commitment to one another. Meetings consist of formation, information and fellowship.

6) Mission: Seculars share in the Carmelite mission of knowing God so God can be known.

5.  What is the timetable for becoming a Discalced Carmelite Secular?  The entire period of formation commonly requires about six years. Aspirancy: Attendance at 12 monthly meetings of the community is required, so the Aspirant may be supported by its members as he or she learns more about Secular life and discerns whether he or she has a vocation to the order. Novitiate—First period of formation.  A minimum of two years is required for study and growth in prayer, the apostolate and community life. At the end of this time, the Council of the Community may invite the Novice to make a Temporary Promise of poverty, chastity and obedience to the Order, after which he or she

enters the Second period of formation, where candidates go through “TP1, TP2, and TP3”.  “TP” stands for “Temporary Promise”, at least three years preceding the Definitive Promise, which is binding for life.  Either period of formation may be extended if the Council and the individual in formation agree that doing so is in the best interest of the candidate.

Discalced Carmelite Seculars are practising members of the Catholic Church who, under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and inspired by St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross, make the commitment to the Order of Discalced Carmelites to seek the face of God for the sake of the Church and the world.

To know us better, visit or call, preferably on our gathering on the 2nd Sunday of every month

St. Teresa of Jesus Community of Manila

#4, 5^th Street, New Manila, QC

(OCDS House of Prayer behind the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Shrine)
Telephone:  721-4252

You may also call or text any of us:

Carmencita Abaquin, OCDS, President

– 0917 790 9994

Mariecor Maglaya, OCDS, Director of Formation

– 0918 927 7741

Teresa Tunay, OCDS, Councilor for Apostolate

– 0918 878 5683 and  664 5886

 For more information about our Community, please visit our website:

https://friendsofjesusforever.blogspot.com