Traditional Carmelite

Carmelite Spirituality for those with a devotion to the Extraordinary Form

Carmelite Books and Resources

Topics

 

Carmelite History and Spirituality

History of the Teresian Reform

Carmelite Charism and Spirituality

  • I Want to See God: A Practical Synthesis of Carmelite Spirituality (Vol I)   
    Bl. Marie-Eugène, OCD (1953)
  • I Am a Daughter of the Church: A Practical Synthesis of Carmelite Spirituality (Vol II)   
    Bl. Marie-Eugène, OCD (1955)
  • Carmelite Spirituality  🔗
    Also available in print as Carmelite Spirituality Teresian Tradition   
    Paul-Marie of the Cross, O.C.D., Translated by Kathryn Sullivan, RSCJ, Edited by Steven Payne, O.C.D. Carmelite Spirituality in the Teresian Tradition, first published in English in 1959, provides a concise and inspiring overview of Carmel’s spiritual heritage from a Teresian perspective. Renowned Discalced Carmelite author Paul-Marie of the Cross identifies the principal texts, themes, figures, and teachings of Carmel: Elijah and Mary, the Rule of St. Albert and the Book of the Institution of the First Monks, the Carmelite understanding of contemplation and the degrees of prayer, the message of Saints Teresa, John of the Cross, and Thérèse of Lisieux.
  • Divine Intimacy   
    Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. (1964). This Book of Meditations is a classic and is steeped in Carmelite spirituality. For every day it offers two meditations, arranged according to the liturgical season (1962 Missal), that enable the soul to enter the conscious presence of God and to reflect on the theme of the day. These are followed by a Colloquy that helps the person at prayer to start a friendly conversation with God where acts of praise and love, petition and thanksgiving are made, together with good resolutions for the future. Here we are at the very heart of prayer, which is a heart-to-heart encounter in faith with the living God.

Prayer and Spiritual Exercises

The Brown Scapular

Carmelite Saints

St. Teresa of Avila

Descriptions by Fr. Kevin in ‘Way of Perfection for the Laity’, pp. 156-159

St. John of the Cross

St. Therésè of Lisieux, the Little Flower

  • Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux 
    Translated by John Clark, O.C.D. (1997). There are many Public Domain versions of this book; however, they are all based on versions of the manuscripts first published in 1898 which were a highly edited version of the original. I highly recommend you read and study this translation of the book.
  • Collected Little Flower Works 📄
    Rev. Albert H. Dolan, O. Carm. (1949). A compilation of eight popular books, written by one of the earliest and most passionate devotees of Little Thérèse, Father Dolan was able to gather stories from “repeated visits to Lisieux” and “lengthy interviews with the Saint’s living sisters and with all persons who had been connected with her”.

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

St. Teresa Margaret Redi

St. Teresa of Jesus of the Andes

  • God is All Joy: The Life of St. Teresa of the Andes
    Jennifer Moorcroft (2009)
  • God, the Joy of My Life: A Biography of Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes    
    Michael D. Griffin (1995)
  • St. Teresa of the Andes Miniseries (3-DVD set)
    From the Amazon.com description: A beautiful, epic mini-series produced in Chile that tells the story of the inspiring life of the new young Carmelite saint who lived in the 20th century, died at the age of just 19 years old, and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1993. St. Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, known officially as “St. Teresa of the Andes”, grew up in a close-knit, upper middle class Catholic family in Santiago, Chile, was very popular with her friends and relatives, entered Carmel at age 19, and died before her 20th birthday. So what is it about this young, modern American saint that caused the Church to recognize her heroic virtue and sanctity at such a young age? Though she was a Carmelite for less than a year, she possessed a refreshing sanctity and message that will resonate with all lovers of Christ, especially with the youth of today. That inspiring story of Chile’s first saint, and America’s newest and youngest saint, is revealed in this definitive film on St. Teresa of the Andes. This DVD includes the following language tracks: Spanish with English subtitles.
    Watch Excerpt on YouTube

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection

  • Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life 📖
    From CCEL.org – Brother Lawrence is one of the most admired and imitated sons of the Catholic church. He worked for a time as a soldier before entering the Discalced Carmelite Prior in Paris. Lawrence was uneducated, and so had to enter the monastery as a layman. He worked in the kitchens and as a cobbler there for the remainder of his life. Lawrence is known for his devotion and ability to bring God into every aspect of his life. For Brother Lawrence, “common business,” no matter how mundane or routine, was the medium of God’s love. The issue was not the sacredness or worldly status of the task but the motivation behind it. “It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God.”
  • Lawrence of the Resurrection 🔗
    Very Rev. Camilo Maccise, OCD; Superior General

Carmelite Third Order

Scripture and Liturgical Prayer

Holy Scripture & Scripture Commentary

Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Divine Office

Post-Vatican II Carmelite Resources (Novus Ordo)

DISCLAIMER:

St. Teresa of Avila states in many of her writings[1] that it is a “most common temptation of beginners” to “help others and kindle their fervour with its own”, and “in order to profit their neighbours, talk freely and without restraint”. I do not claim nor mean to imply that any of this will be of any use to anyone’s soul; and some of these spiritual disciplines could even be damaging without the guidance of a good and holy spiritual director.

This compilation of books and essays contains sources from both Discalced and Ancient Order Carmelite spirituality. This website has no official approval or recognition by either the Order of Discalced Carmelites (O.C.D.) or the Order of Carmelites (O.Carm.).

The contents of this site have not been reviews or approved by any member of clergy. However, the webmaster has tried to keep personal commentary to a minimum and only share from resources that contain ‘Nihil Obstats’ and ‘Impramaturs’. The ‘Nihil Obstat’ and ‘Imprimatur’ are official declarations made by ecclesiastical authority that a publication is free of doctrinal or moral error.[2] Attempts have been made to document all primary sources of any content provided, and any undocumented use of content or perceived plagiarism is not intended.

All books provided in their entirety via PDF are assumed to be in the public domain due to their publishing date as well as their ‘Out of Print’ status. If anyone has written proof that any selections are not PUBLIC DOMAIN, please notify me at traditionalcarmelite (@at) gmail.com. Those selections will no longer be made available on this website. Please do not take any of these reproductions and sell them for profit in any way. Any documents that were previously unavailable online and were converted to digital form for distribution on this site are shared for the good of souls alone. They are being provided free of charge in perpetuity.

There are no affiliate links on any of the external links where books may be purchased, and the webmaster receives no monetary incentive from products purchased through these links. All dates listed with book author names are dates of the original publication and/or the ‘Nihil Obstat’ and ‘Imprimatur’ date.

—
[1]Interior Castle, The Fifth Mansions, ch. iii,1; The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel, ch. vii, 16; Way of Perfection,ch. xli, 8. ↩

[2]More on the authority behind these two declarations can be found in Canon Law (Cann. 822 – 832) and Instruction on Some Aspects of the Use of Social Communication in Promoting the Doctrine of the Faith created by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1992, Joseph Card. Ratzinger,Prefect).↩

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