Some of the mendicant religious orders in the Roman Catholic Church are "subdivided" into three orders. The First Order consists of the friars. The Second Order is made up of cloistered nuns. The Third Order may also be divided into the Third Order Religious and the Third Order Secular. The Third Order Religious would be those sisters who are not cloistered but serve the Church in the world. The Third Order Secular is made up of laity and diocesan clergy who live the charism of the order in secular life.

Members of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites are practicing members of the Catholic Church who, under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and inspired by Saint Teresa of Jesus and Saint John of the Cross, makes the commitment to the Order to seek the face of God for the sake of the Church and the world (Profile of an OCDS, Aloysius Deeney OCD).

Carmelite Seculars come from all walks of life. They are business owners, public servants, clerical staff, professionals, homemakers, retirees, students, men and women, young and old, married and single. Each one trying to respond to God's call to "meditate on the Lord's law, day and night" while working, raising families, etc.

Carmelite Seculars belong to local communities. Where such communities exist they gather once a month for fellowship, prayer, and the study of Carmelite spirituality. When there is no community nearby, a Carmelite Secular may be considered an isolate member but is always, still, associated with a community (Constitutions, Art. 56).

The Six Primary Obligations of a Carmelite Secular

The Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites is not a club.  It involves a vocation, a call from God to live a particular way of life.  Responding to this call involves committing oneself to following the Rule of St Albert, the OCDS Constitutions, and the Provincial Statutes.  The primary obligations to which one commits oneself can be summarized as:

1. Mental Prayer/Meditation - committing at least 30 minutes each to the practice of mental prayer
2. Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Night Prayer - praying Morning and Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours and Night Prayer when possible,
3. Mass - attend daily mass when possible
4. Mary - proper devotion to Mary
5. Meetings - attend monthly meetings of the OCDS community
6. Mission - participate in and contribute to the mission of the Order

Becoming a Carmelite Secular

Those interested in becoming a Carmelite Secular first undergo a period as an Aspirant. Aspirancy involves an basic introduction to Carmelite spirituality and the OCDS vocation.  The length of aspirancy is determined by Provincial Statutes and usually last from six months to a year.

Upon completion of the aspirancy period, a candidate is clothed in the Scapular and enters formation for First Promise.  This formation period involves further study of the spirituality and saints of the Order, its history, writings of our saints, and formation into community life.  The period of formation leading to First Promise normally lasts two years.

 The Promise is a commitment "to tend towards evangelical perfection in the spirit of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, obedience and of the Beatitudes, according to the Rule of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, for three years." After three years, an individual may request permission to make the Final Promise (substituting "for all my life" in place of "for three years").

After making the First Promise, another period of formation leading to the Final Promise begins.  Normally this formation period lasts three years.

Click here for contact information for communities in the USA (links for community listings in Canada, France and the United Kingdom also on this link) .


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Last update 12/16/2005