#Ressource | Call for papers to the journal Eastern European Holocaust Studies: Jewish Religious Life during the Holocaust | Details: https://www.jewishstudies.de/de/nachrichten/call-for-papers-eastern-european-holocaust-studies-jewish-religious-life-during-the-holocaust/

#Holocaus #ReligiousLife #EasternEurope

Deadline for proposals: June 30, 2026

Quote of the day, 15 April: St. Edith Stein

The walls of our monasteries enclose a narrow space. To erect the structure of holiness in it, one must dig deep and build high, must descend into the depths of the dark night of one’s own nothingness in order to be raised up high into the sunlight of divine love and compassion.

No human eye can see what God does in the soul during hours of inner prayer. It is grace upon grace. And all of life’s other hours are our thanks for them. Carmelites can repay God’s love by their everyday lives in no other way than by carrying out their daily duties faithfully in every respect— all the little sacrifices that a regimen structured day after day in all its details demands of an active spirit; all the self-control that living in close proximity with different kinds of people continually requires and that is achieved with a loving smile; letting no opportunity go by for serving others in love.

Saint Edith Stein

On the History and Spirit of Carmel (31 March 1935)

Note: On 15 April 1934, St. Edith Stein was clothed in the Carmelite habit and gave herself lovingly to God in the Carmel of Cologne-Lindenthal. Her novice mistress, Sr. Teresa Renata Posselt, OCD, described that day: “it was a feast such as the Cologne Carmel has never seen.”

Stein, E 2014, The Hidden Life: hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, Stein, W (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Edith Stein on her clothing day, 15 April 1934. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

Quote of the day, 18 March: St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi

[Saint Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi] tried to render her disciples not only obedient with a tranquil submission, but also desirous and almost famishing for the yoke of obedience. To this end she imposed on them that they should never do even the least thing without her permission; and as she could not always be with them, she assigned to each of them a companion, of whom, in her absence, they were to ask permission; and when even this could not be done, they were then to ask permission of anyone present, and never to do anything without some submission to the will of others. By accustoming themselves to obey in small things, they facilitated obedience in things greater and of strict obligation, as the same disciples avowed that it had so happened to them.

“Until you give yourselves into the hands of obedience as if dead, you can never taste what serving God is. Offer your will in sacrifice to God, and you will derive therefrom a sovereign consolation. If you wish to comply with the Divine Will, beware lest by persuasions you draw the will of the superiors to your own; but try to execute, simply and entirely, their orders, and thus will you arrive at a great perfection. If you experience a repugnance to break your will for the sake of obedience, you show that you have very little love for God, as you do not wish to trouble yourself in the one thing by which you can give Him sovereign honor—namely, submitting to the will of others for His love.”

And she tried to render her disciples not only obedient with a tranquil submission, but also desirous and almost famishing for the yoke of obedience. To this end she imposed on them that they should never do even the least thing without her permission; and as she could not always be with them, she assigned to each of them a companion, of whom, in her absence, they were to ask permission; and when even this could not be done, they were then to ask permission of anyone present, and never to do anything without some submission to the will of others. By accustoming themselves to obey in small things, they facilitated obedience in things greater and of strict obligation, as the same disciples avowed that it had so happened to them.

Father Placido Fabrini

The Life of St. Mary Magdalen De’ Pazzi, chap. XXIX

Fabrini, P. & De’ Pazzi, M.M. 1900, The life of St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi: Florentine noble, sacred Carmelite virgin, translated from the Italian by Isoleri A., [publisher not identified] Philadelphia.

Featured image: The Ecstasy of St Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi is an oil on canvas painting attributed to the Italian painter Alessandro Rosi (1627–1697). Its creation date is ca. 1650–1660 and it is part of the collection of the Musée des Beaux Arts in Chambéry, France. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

📝 Plot:
Two young women enter a convent seeking spiritual fulfillment but quickly confront the tensions between religious duty and personal desire. Amid strict rules, societal expectations, and humorous misunderstandings, they navigate friendship, temptation, and self-discovery. Chabrol blends comedy and drama to examine innocence, faith, and the challenges of growing up in a confined world.

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Quote of the day, 27 January: St. Henry de Ossó

The expansion of the women’s apostolate to new ministries that go beyond the tradition of youth education and health care gives a new value to women’s commitment within the Church.

Women’s congregations emerged by preaching the Word, catechesis, and leading spiritual exercises. Some women even founded men’s congregations, thus implying the spiritual magisterium over priests.

The promotion of women to the direct apostolate is a definitive acquisition of these congregations. Their new structure includes female forces in organizational and social commitments.

Saint Henry de Ossó y Cervelló

Letter to Saturnina Jassá (excerpt)
Barcelona, 16 February 1884

Translation from the Portuguese text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: On 27 January 2016, the parish of Our Lady of Our Lady of Henar in the Archdiocese of Valladolid hosted a celebration in honor of St. Henry de Ossó, who is the patron saint of Spanish catechists. Don Luis Argüello presided at the Mass, which took place a few weeks before he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Valladolid. Image credit: Ángel Cantero, Iglesia en Valladolid / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#catechists #healthcare #religiousLife #StHenryDeOssoYCervello #women

Quote of the day, 21 October: St. Titus Brandsma

On 3 October 1899, Frater Titus made his solemn profession, one more stage on his long ascent to the summit of Mount Carmel. It was a journey that would last all his life, a promise, taken under oath, to keep the religious vows as a Brother of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.

During the solemn community ceremony, the novices were once again asked to affirm their intentions. Then, one by one, they made their profession.  It is recalled that Titus pronounced every word clearly:

I, Frater Titus Brandsma, make my profession and promise obedience, poverty, and chastity to God, to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, and to the Most Reverend Ludovico Galli, Prior General of the Order of the Brothers of the same Blessed Virgin Mary and to his successors, according to the Rule of the aforesaid Order, until death.

The Provincial, Fr. Joseph Kerstens, then proclaimed this admonition: “Render unto God a sacrifice of praise.” And the community responded: “And fulfill your vows to the Lord.” The newly professed concluded with the words:

I will offer my vows to God in the presence of all His people, in the courtyards of the House of the Lord. I, Frater Titus, promise moreover to profess literally these Constitutions of the strict observance, confirmed by Pope Innocent X and, with the grace of God, to observe them faithfully.

Each of the newly professed signed a written copy of his vows and placed it in the hands of his superior.

Miguel Maria Arribas, O.Carm.

Chapter 2, Formation

Arribas O.Carm., M 2021, The Price of Truth: Titus Brandsma, Carmelite, Carmelite Media, Darien, Illinois.

Featured image: St. Titus Brandsma appears in this photo wearing the full habit of the Carmelite Order, including the white mantle. At this moment, he was a seminarian studying theology, aged 22. Image credit: Carmelites (used with permission of the Nederlands Carmelitaans Instituut)

#religiousLife #religiousProfession #StTitusBrandsma #vocation #vows

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https://vietnamnet.vn/tang-ni-phat-tu-thanh-kinh-tuong-niem-hoa-thuong-thich-tri-tinh-2450705.html

Quote of the day, 21 September: St. Titus Brandsma

Without poverty, a religious is a Pharisee, a gentleman of ease pretending to be a poor man. It is like someone who wants only the finer things of life disguising himself in the clothing of the poor. When religious are overly attached to unnecessary possessions or are always looking for luxuries, then we appear ridiculous before the Lord who received our vows.

Whenever someone comes seeking alms, give whatever you can. Giving alms is our way of life. It is the alms we receive that provide for our needs, and with our own alms, we must provide for those in need.  Whatever we give to the poor we give to God.

Saint Titus Brandsma

Chapter VI, Seeking God

Arribas O.Carm., M 2021, The Price of Truth: Titus Brandsma, Carmelite, Carmelite Media, Darien, Illinois.

Featured image: The United States nonprofit organization Feed My Starving Children visited Nicaragua in March 2011. To date, the Ortega regime has revoked the non-profit status of over 5000 non-governmental, non-profit organizations, including those funded by the Catholic Church who partnered with Feed My Starving Children. Since 2018, Catholic schools and universities have been seized, diocesan bank accounts have been frozen, religious congregations have been expelled, and their property confiscated. Yet the poor who relied on their assistance remain in Nicaragua. Image credit: Feed My Starving Children / Flickr (Some rights reserved).

#almsgiving #attachment #needy #poverty #religiousLife #StTitusBrandsma

Quote of the day, 9 September: St. Raphael Kalinowski

The Visitation for 1901 was held on September 9 and was repeated every year at about the same time whenever [St. Raphael Kalinowski] was strong enough to undertake the journey. He wrote:

“They sent me to you in spite of my unworthiness. In order to carry out this visit well, I would have to have the spirit of our Father Elijah, our Mother Teresa and our Father John of the Cross, which I don’t have. So if anything good is to happen, it will be the work of God, but I will boast of my weaknesses.”

In the opinion of Kalinowski, the purpose of a canonical visit is found in the Lord’s Prayer: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” and he used this as a motto for the nuns.

“We are in Carmel,” he would say, “to submit to God in giving up the things of this world, and in that way drawing down on ourselves and others the help we need to attain eternal happiness. The best part of this sacrifice, which is also the most pleasing to God, is that we surrender our will to Him by the vow of obedience. Obedience is the death of one’s own will, but that’s not enough. We need to persevere until death…. Our obedience offers us the perfect opportunity for our will to disappear completely and the will of God to be the guide of our actions. So when is our obedience perfect? We can see it in the mirror which the canonical visitation holds up to us. This is a mirror of our sacred obligations. If you do not obey them perfectly, the visitor will point it out to you, and you should take that as if it came from the lips of God – with respect and joy.”

Timothy Tierney, O.C.D.

Chapter 8, “Vicar Provincial for the Carmelite Nuns”

Note: Saint Raphael Kalinowski was appointed Vicar Provincial for the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Galicia in 1901.

Tierney, T  2016,  Saint Raphael Kalinowski: Apprenticed to Sainthood in Siberia,  Balboa Press  Australia.

Featured image: Ruins of the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Zagórz, Poland. Image credit: uranos1980 / Adobe Stock.

#DiscalcedCarmelites #nuns #obedience #religiousLife #StRaphaelKalinowski