The Carmelite Family

The Carmelites began as hermits dwelling in caves on Mount Carmel in present day northern Israel near the town of Haifa. The location provided some security following the Battle of Hattin in 1187. But more importantly it provided rugged slopes and dense vegetation, remote valleys and wide views of the Mediterranean Sea or the hills of Galilee, promoting prayer and reflection. Perhaps most important, it was the traditional location of the well of Elijah, the fiery prophet whose actions on behalf of Yahweh are recalled in the Book of Kings of the Bible.

Although the Carmelites lack a single founder and date of foundation, it is certain that the foundation took place before 1214 as Albert of Vercelli, the patriarch of Jerusalem and author of a formula vitae (way of life) for the hermits to live by, was assassinated in September of that year. Nor is it known for certain the origins of the men settling on Mount Carmel. Perhaps some were crusaders who gave up fighting in favor of a more reflective life. Others were possibly pilgrims from Europe.

Beginning in 1230 many of the Carmelites on Mount Carmel began returning to their home countries in Europe. This was the beginning of the mendicant movement in the Church— a rejection of large monasteries with political power in favor of beggars who worked among the people. The Carmelites, unable to support their eremitical lifestyle as they had in the Holy Land, became one of the mendicant orders with some modifications to their foundational document, Albert’s formula vitae.

With the adaptation of the mendicant life, the Carmelite Order grew rapidly in many parts of Europe. Its two inspirational figures were the Prophet Elijah as well as Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Both figure large in the spirituality and actions of the Order even to this day.

In 1454, the decree or bull Cum nulla of Pope Nicholas V authorized the reception of women into the Carmelite Order. Already women had been associating themselves to the Order in varying decrees. This began to formalize the structure, making it possible for what would eventually become enclosed monasteries under the now largely disused rubric, the “Second Order.” It also allowed for lay people to associate with the Order through confraternities and associations as well as lay communities, most often non-residential, grouped together as “Third Order.”