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).

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