Carmelite Tradition
Mount Carmel Catholic College owes a great deal to the Discalced Carmelites, as the College is blessed to be located on their land. With a beautiful natural environment, the College is a wonderful representation of “God’s Garden”, which is what the name “Mount Carmel” means.
Beyond the land, the Carmelites have imbued the College with its special gift of 800 years of history that has shaped its charism; the three interlocking dimensions of prayer, community and service.These dimensions help our College community to contribute to the common good of our local area, but also the personal development of the students spiritual life, with a devotion to Mary, and engagement in social issues based on peace and justice.
This adds to our uniqueness as a dual charism College.
The three dimensions of Charism
Prayer - St Teresa of Avila says that prayer is “nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God” and this is at the very core of Carmelite spirituality. We encourage students, staff and parents to engage in prayer as
- Contemplation helps us to connect to God
- It gives us time to ponder the mystery and wonder of life
- It helps us to search for the meaning
Community - Coming together with one another and with Christ is at the heart of a Carmelite community. Being inspired by the words of St John of the Cross “where there is no love, pour love in, and you will draw love out.” Carmelites are inspired to put these words into action and be
- Open and welcoming
- Willing to sharing ourselves and our belongings with others
Service - Depending on the needs of the community, a Carmelite will respond, continually following in the footsteps of Jesus. St Therese of Lisieux, whose relics visited the College in January 2020, says that “without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing.” So a Carmelite needs to have love at the heart of their actions when
- They serve the needs of others
- Their actions bring Christ to others
- They are being a living sign of God's presence
