Quote of the day, 1 February: OCDS Constitutions

Christ is the center of our lives and of Christian experience. Members of the Secular Order are called to live the demands of following Christ in union with Him, by accepting His teachings and devoting themselves to Him. To follow Jesus is to take part in His saving mission of proclaiming the Good News and the establishment of God’s Kingdom (Mt 4:18-19). There are various ways of following Jesus: all Christians must follow Him, must make Him the law for their lives and be disposed to fulfil three fundamental demands: to place family ties beneath the interests of the Kingdom and Jesus himself (Mt 10:37-39; Lk 14:25-26); to live in detachment from wealth in order to show that the arrival of the Kingdom does not depend on human means but rather on God’s strength and the willingness of the human person before Him (Lk 14:33); to carry the cross of accepting God’s will revealed in the mission that He has confided to each person (Lk 14:33; 9:23).

Following Jesus as members of the Secular Order is expressed by the promise to strive for evangelical perfection in the spirit of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience and through the Beatitudes. By means of this promise the member’s baptismal commitment is strengthened for the service of God’s plan in the world. This promise is a pledge to pursue personal holiness, which necessarily carries with it a commitment to serving the Church in faithfulness to the Teresian Carmelite charism. The promise is taken before the members of the community, representing the whole Church and in the presence of the Delegate of the Superior of the Order.

Discalced Carmelite Secular Order

Constitutions, 10–11

Order of Discalced Carmelites, Secular (OCDS) (2003) Constitutions of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. Rome: Order of Discalced Carmelites. Available at: https://www.ocdswashprov.org/s/OCDSconstitutions.pdf (Accessed: 30 January 2026).

Featured image: Snapshots of Brazilian OCDS members are featured, showing the participation of many during the 2019 World Youth Day in Panama. Image credit: OCDS Brasil (by permission).

#beatitudes #Constitutions #DiscalcedCarmeliteSecularOrder #followingJesus #OCDS

20 August: Blessed Georg Häfner (devotional use only)

August 20
BLESSED GEORG HÄFNER
Priest and Martyr

Memorial, Diocese of Würzburg

Blessed Georg Häfner was born in Würzburg on 19 October 1900, studied theology in his hometown, and was ordained a priest on 13 April 1924. Through his connection with the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Würzburg, he joined the Third Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OCDS), as it was then known, on 11 January 1920 under the name “Aloysius of the Blessed Sacrament.” In November 1934, he became the pastor in Oberschwarzach and soon clashed with the ruling Nazi regime. Arrested on 31 October 1941, he was taken to the Dachau concentration camp on 12 December 1941, where he died of starvation on 20 August 1942 after being mistreated and tortured. He was beatified on 15 May 2011 in the Cathedral of Würzburg. His inner strength in the face of inhuman cruelty is particularly expressed in his words: “We do not want to curse anyone, we do not want to bear a grudge against anyone; we want to be good to everyone.” Let us ask the Lord to give us the strength to live by this motto.

For reflection:

Dear Parents!

It is God’s will that I continue on the Way of the Cross. On Thursday, I will most likely be sent to Dachau. Please don’t worry too much about this. Nothing happens without God’s will.

I was very happy, dear Father, that you visited me today. You held up bravely, and your cross, your blessing, which you pressed on my forehead in the name of our dear mother, will not be in vain; I rely on that; for it is written in the Holy Scripture: “A father’s blessing builds a house for his children.” It upset me more that I could hardly utter a word.

In closing, I wanted to say: I hope that the time will come soon when I can once more call you father and mother. Forgive me for anything that has hurt you and caused you concern. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, a thousand times over, for allowing me to become a priest, even though you now have to bear the cross together with your priestly son. We bear it together patiently, and that gives me special strength and comfort. I bear it, and you help me with your prayers, your patience, your trust in God, and your submission to His will.

We do not want to curse anyone, we do not want to bear a grudge against anyone; we want to be good to everyone.

Blessed Georg Häfner

Letter dated December 9, 1941, from the prison in Würzburg

Prayer I

Almighty God,
in the life and work of the priest, Blessed Georg Häfner,
you have given the Church a witness to your mercy
and accepted his sacrifice of life in captivity
as his testimony of faith.
Through his example, may we recognize
the redeeming love of your Son, love you and others,
and especially forgive our enemies.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.

Prayer II  

Almighty God,
you chose the priest and martyr, Blessed Georg Häfner,
to be a witness to your mercy
and accepted his sacrifice of life in captivity;
through his example, may we recognize the love of the Redeemer,
love you and others, and especially forgive our enemies.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.

Approbatum Imprimatur
Wurzburg, 1. March 2011
+ Friedhelm Hofmann
Bishop of Wurzburg

Nota bene: Working translation only; please consult the original texts

Blessed George Häfner’s booking photo taken by the Wurzburg Gestapo
Photo credit: Würzburg Diocese

Translation from the German text is the blogger’s own work product.

Featured image: Blessed Georg Häfner frequently served Holy Mass at the Discalced Carmelite nuns’ Gate of Heaven Monastery in Würzburg. In this photo, he is seen with other altar servers outside the monastery doors. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (By permission).

#Dachau #DiscalcedCarmeliteSecularOrder #GeorgHäfner #Liturgy #martyr #priest #Würzburg

Quote of the day, 30 June: Secular Carmelites

In the interior dynamism of following Jesus, Carmel contemplates Mary as Mother and Sister, as the perfect model of the disciple of the Lord (Cf. St. Teresa of Jesus, Life, 6,6–8; 33,12. Cf. John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos, 25. 27.) and, as such, a model for the life of the members of the Order.

The Virgin of the Magnificat proclaims the break with the old order and announces the beginning of a new order in which God casts the mighty down from their thrones and exalts the poor. Mary places herself on the side of the poor and proclaims how God acts in history.

For Secular Carmelites, Mary is a model of total commitment to God’s Kingdom. She teaches us to listen to God’s Word in Scripture and in life, to believe in it in every circumstance in order to live its demands. All this she did, without understanding many things; pondering all in her heart (Lk 2:19, 50–51) until light dawned through contemplative prayer.

Mary is also an ideal and inspiration for the Secular Carmelite. She lived close to people and their needs, being concerned about them (Lk 1:39–45; Jn 2:1–12; Ac 1:14).

She, the most perfect image of freedom and of the liberation of humanity and of the universe (Francis, Homily for the Inauguration of his Pontificate, 19 March 2013), helps us understand the meaning of mission.

She, Mother and Sister, who goes before us in a pilgrimage of faith and in following the Lord Jesus, keeps us company so that we may imitate her life hidden in Christ and committed to the service of others.

Discalced Carmelite Secular Order

Constitutions, Nos. 29–30 (2003)

Discalced Carmelite Secular Order 2003, Constitutions of Discalced Carmelite Secular Order, approved by the Holy See 16 June 2003, amended 7 January 2014, viewed 28 June 2025, https://www.ocdswashprov.org/legislation.

Featured image: OCDS Brasil members with Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Photo collage created by Carmelite Quotes from OCDS Brasil snapshots.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Mary “places herself on the side of the poor and proclaims how God acts in history.” How do you see Mary’s social justice commitment reflected in your own faith life?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#Constitutions #DiscalcedCarmeliteSecularOrder #model #poor #VirginMary

August 20
BLESSED GEORG HÄFNER
Priest and Martyr

Memorial, Diocese of Würzburg

Blessed Georg Häfner was born in Würzburg on 19 October 1900, studied theology in his hometown, and was ordained a priest on 13 April 1924. Through his connection with the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Würzburg, he joined the Third Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OCDS), as it was then known, on 11 January 1920 under the name “Aloysius of the Blessed Sacrament.” In November 1934, he became the pastor in Oberschwarzach and soon clashed with the ruling Nazi regime. Arrested on 31 October 1941, he was taken to the Dachau concentration camp on 12 December 1941, where he died of starvation on 20 August 1942 after being mistreated and tortured. He was beatified on 15 May 2011 in the Cathedral of Würzburg. His inner strength in the face of inhuman cruelty is particularly expressed in his words: “We do not want to curse anyone, we do not want to bear a grudge against anyone; we want to be good to everyone.” Let us ask the Lord to give us the strength to live by this motto.

For reflection:

Dear Parents!

It is God’s will that I continue on the Way of the Cross. On Thursday, I will most likely be sent to Dachau. Please don’t worry too much about this. Nothing happens without God’s will.

I was very happy, dear Father, that you visited me today. You held up bravely, and your cross, your blessing, which you pressed on my forehead in the name of our dear mother, will not be in vain; I rely on that; for it is written in the Holy Scripture: “A father’s blessing builds a house for his children.” It upset me more that I could hardly utter a word.

In closing, I wanted to say: I hope that the time will come soon when I can once more call you father and mother. Forgive me for anything that has hurt you and caused you concern. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, a thousand times over, for allowing me to become a priest, even though you now have to bear the cross together with your priestly son. We bear it together patiently, and that gives me special strength and comfort. I bear it, and you help me with your prayers, your patience, your trust in God, and your submission to His will.

We do not want to curse anyone, we do not want to bear a grudge against anyone; we want to be good to everyone.

Blessed Georg Häfner

Letter dated December 9, 1941, from the prison in Würzburg

Prayer I

Almighty God,
in the life and work of the priest, Blessed Georg Häfner,
you have given the Church a witness to your mercy
and accepted his sacrifice of life in captivity
as his testimony of faith.
Through his example, may we recognize
the redeeming love of your Son, love you and others,
and especially forgive our enemies.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.

Prayer II  

Almighty God,
you chose the priest and martyr, Blessed Georg Häfner,
to be a witness to your mercy
and accepted his sacrifice of life in captivity;
through his example, may we recognize the love of the Redeemer,
love you and others, and especially forgive our enemies.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.

Approbatum Imprimatur
Wurzburg, 1. March 2011
+ Friedhelm Hofmann
Bishop of Wurzburg

Nota bene: Working translation only; please consult the original texts

Blessed George Häfner’s booking photo taken by the Wurzburg Gestapo
Photo credit: Würzburg Diocese

Translation from the German text is the blogger’s own work product.

Featured image: Blessed Georg Häfner frequently served Holy Mass at the Discalced Carmelite nuns’ Gate of Heaven Monastery in Würzburg. In this photo, he is seen with other altar servers outside the monastery doors. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/19/hafnerlit24/

#Dachau #DiscalcedCarmeliteSecularOrder #GeorgHäfner #Gestapo #Liturgy #martyr #Nazi #priest #Würzburg