Where is the Order based? The Order began on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land about 1200 A.D. The international headquarters is now located in Rome, Italy. The Prior General and his Councilors and support staff live there. Also in Rome is Collegio Sant' Alberto, our International House of Studies. This is located a few blocks from the Vatican. The Order is divided into "provinces" each under the leadership of a "Prior Provincial" and his Council. There are about 40 Provinces throughout the world including North America, Europe, Africa, South America, and the Asian rim. About ten years ago, we re-established the Carmelites in France. They had fled or been killed during the French Revolution in 1789! From bits of documents available, we know that 34 Carmelite priests died as direct victims of the revolution. Frs. Martien Pannetier, Michel Barrot, Jean Baptiste Bedouin, and Firmin Vigneron were guillotined, probably because of support for the revolution. The rest died of malnutrition and sickness while confined to prison ships. So it took awhile to get back to France but we are there now. We recently founded missions in Vietnam and Trinidad. Currently, men are being trained in Rome to return to their homeland of Romania. We're currently working to establish missions in several areas of Africa, including the Congo, Bukino Faso, and Uganda. Does the Order have a certain habit you wear today? What does it look like? Our habit looks somewhat like the Franciscan habit. It consists of a brown tunic with a scapular and capuce (hood). On special occasions (and when we are buried ... which I guess can also be considered a "special occasion"), we wear a white cloak (that is why we are sometimes called "Whitefriars"). We wear the habit sometimes when we are going to celebrate Mass and give talks at a retreat. Some wear the habit a lot more frequently -- for dinner, to teach in, for prayer, etc. It is a matter of personal preference. What are the requirements for joining? You have to have completed high school, show potential for leadership, and show an interest in living the Carmelite lifestyle. In very simple terms, the Carmelite lifestyle means a few things: that we do not get married and focus our energy and love on one person as a married person must and should. Carmelites are called to focus their love and energy on developing relationships with anyone we might meet (this is the vow of chastity); that we do not own anything. We take a radical view that what we have comes from God as a gift and that we are merely stewards of God's creation (this is the vow of poverty). that we do not do what we want necessarily but we do what is good for the group (this is the vow of obedience) Are Carmelites cloistered? Actually there are several branches of Carmelites. While most Carmelite men are not cloistered there are a few hermit groups. However, there are several groups of Carmelite nuns that live a cloistered life and their work tends to be something that can be brought into the cloister (painting, computer data entry, making vestments, writing books, etc). There are also Carmelite sisters who are not cloistered. They might work in hospitals, daycare centers, schools, etc. where they are out among other people. Why would someone join this Order today? Carmelites are dedicated, interesting, happy, and holy people who do a lot of great things. Men join because they want to live and work with these guys. The Carmelites have a rich tradition of spiritual guides-some of the best in the Church! To be a Carmelite is to be a part of a something bigger than yourself. And the Carmelite life leads you into the heart of God -- people like Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, Andrew Corsini, and Edith Stein!