GeneralInformation

The Council:
1. The council is made up of the following elected members: Director, Councilors (two to four)
2. The council is made up of the following appointed members: Formation Director,
    Secretary, Treasurer
3. The Chaplain is also a member of the Council.
4. The Council must meet quarterly and may choose to meet as often as once a month.
5. The Council approves all members for admission.
6. The Council approves dates for all ceremonies.
7. Decisions reached by the Council are binding on all members of the community.
8. The Council can establish local customs, but they must be approved by the Provincial Director.

COUNCIL MEMBERS
Duties of Officers

Director
1. Elected for a two year term and can be re-elected for one additional term. Two years must
    pass before a person can be re-elected after serving two consecutive terms.
2. Serves other members, leads the council, and guides the community, encourages the
    following of all statutes, ensures that officers perform their duties, and insures peace
    and good spirit.

Formation Director
1. Appointed by the Director and Councilors.
2. Directs preparation, implements progress, and presents candidates to the council for
    Profession and Reception upon completion of their instruction.
3. Keeps Candidate and Novice records which include dates and types of instruction,
    interview dates, retreat/related instruction dates and dates of Reception and Profession.

Councilors (2 - 4)
1. Elected for a two year term and can be re-elected.
2. One councilor is in charge of arranging for Days of Recollection and Retreats.
3. Invites experts to do presentations at occasional General Meetings.
4. Makes arrangements to visit the sick, send cards, and instruct shut-in members.
5. Coordinates recruitment activities.
6. Promotes a spirit of ministry through action.

Secretary
1. Appointed by the Director and Councilors.
2. Records minutes of Council and General Meetings and informs members of meetings.
3. Attends to correspondence.
4. Maintains community membership records which include parish, dates of Reception
    and Profession as well as date of death.
5. Informs Regional Coordinator of activities.

Treasurer
1. Appointed by the Director and Councilors.
2. Collects and banks funds, maintains financial accounts, dispenses monies as needed,
    provides statements at Council Meetings, gives financial report at General Meetings.

Chaplain
1. Must be either a Priest, Deacon, or Religious and appointed by the Provincial Director.
2. Provides spiritual assistance, leads prayer, provides liturgy, and receives and
    professes members.
3. Can dispense from points of rule with just cause or reason.

February 26, 2006

General Information

The members of the Order of Carmel seek to live in union with God and with our neighbor. We do this through a commitment to seek the face of the living God, by developing a genuinely familial style of community and through service in the midst of all the peoples of the hjuman family. We try to live the Gospel Way of Life according to the Carmelite Tradition.

This Gospel way of living which Lay Carmelites seek to live, a life of contemplative prayer, of community and of ministry, is summed up by one word: love.

Call to Prayer

The challenge of Carmel is to seek God's presence in prayer while living an active, busy life in the midst of the world. The celebration of the Holy Eucharist is the chief prayer of each and every Carmelite. After the Eucharistic Liturgy, the priority in our prayer is to share in some portion of the Liburgy of the hours, the prayer of the Church, which extends the Eucharistic sacrifice throughout the day in a sacrifice of praise. As a minimum, the lay carmelite prayes the morning and evening prayer. When not occupied with the daily demands of life, we are called by the Carmelite Way of Life to listen quietly to the Word wich is formed in our hearts.