The Carmelite way is one of prayer, community, and apostolic works. It's a balanced way of life that leads you closer to Christ while in service to his Church. What does the Carmelite way of life have to offer a world torn by terror and impoverished materially and spiritually? Life is so complex, a mix of sorrows, joys, sacrifices and gifts. The Carmelite life does not falsify this complexity. Recognizing our own sinfulness we fast and open ourselves to God's healing love. Recognizing the incompleteness of the Kingdom of God in the world, we strive to reach out in prayer and service to all people. In all this we find inestimable joy, the joy of Mary who witnessed the joy of the redemption of the world in the sacrifice of her son. As a Carmelite, you will walk a tested and true path of peace. You will walk in union with your brothers and in fidelity to Christ and the witness of Elijah and Mary. You will be living out your baptismal call to be "salt of the earth and leaven of the world," bearing witness to a gift hardly heeded or understood. The only thing the Carmelite way of life can offer is the only thing Christianity has to offer and indeed the only thing God has to offer: Christ. But we should not want anything else, for in Him all our longings are fulfilled. I have accumulated a large amount of educational debt. Can I still become a Carmelite or do I have to spend years paying off my loans? We recognize the inevitability of educational debt in today's society. We also recognize that the education you've received will likely aid in your future ministry and can thus aid the work of the Order. We thus have no problem assuming your educational debt, should you become a professed Carmelite. Unfortunately, we do have limited resources, so cannot take on other kinds of debt (credit card and others). These will have to be taken care of before you apply to the Order. Fear not, though. If you have a vocation to religious life, God will send the means to make it possible. Do contact us-we've dealt with other young men in your situation. How do I know if the Carmelite way of life is the right one for me? The first question to ask yourself is "do I feel drawn to that way of life, do I find it attractive"? God often works in our lives by giving us desires for beautiful things. If what we desire is good and true, the desire is likely of God. Prayer and discernment are necessary to discern the quality of a desire to see if it is of God. One good test as a beginning is to investigate the eight characteristics of Carmelite spirituality and see whether some of them resonate with you.