Carmelian Education: WISDOM in the light of FAITH lived in LOVE

Name: ______________________ Yr. & Course___________

Instructor: ____________________ Score: ____ Date: _______

Concept # 1- Introduction to Carmelite Models to the

World
Carmelian
Experience

We live in a beautiful world but at the same time it is wracked with problems. Every day
we are faced with awful news- rampant poverty, our world being destroyed by consumerism and
climate change, political corruption in many countries, trafficking in human beings, child
abduction, murder and of course terrorism. In many countries the Church has suffered
tremendously with a number of cases of clerical sexual abuse. These have brought shame on the
whole Church and priests and religious especially feel this shame. There are also problems in
community living and in our apostolates. Perhaps, community life or the Order are not what we
thought when we joined. They do not always respond to our hopes. Perhaps, we believe that the
Church is going the wrong way. However, in the midst of all these depressing problems, we are
bearers of a profound hope that comes from our spirituality. We are being invited into the Kingdom
of God but in order to enter, we must change. We are on a journey of transformation.
We Carmelites, like all Christians, are called to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ. The first
Carmelites went to live in the land of the Lord, where Jesus lived, died and rose again. They were
very aware that they were following in the footsteps of the crucified Christ. Yes, he is the risen
glorified Lord but he first was crucified. So, death and darkness are an important part of the
Christian life. They do not have the last word but they nevertheless exist.
As we know, the heart of the Carmelite charism is contemplation, which is a process of
purification and transformation by means of which we grow in our relationship with God so that
we will see with God’s eyes and love with God’s heart. We are invited onto a journey of
transformation that brings us into the mystery of God. This is the basis for our hope despite, and
perhaps because of all that is happening around us.

Carmelites and the Future

 We, as members of the Church, are to carry on the mission of Christ.

 Like the innkeeper in the story of the Good Samaritan, we continue our work while keeping
an eye on the horizon waiting for the Master’s return.
 People in our Western societies no longer count themselves as Christians.
- In some societies, the number of non-Christians and those who are actively opposed to
the Catholic Church is growing.
 - Children are being brought up with no sense of God.
- God does not enter into the thought of a number of people and is being excluded from
many areas of human life.
- Religion is slowly being relegated to the private sphere as a personal hobby so long as
it does not interfere with anyone else.
- Abortion is often presented as a human right.

A. Creative Fidelity
 In the midst of our changing world, the primary challenge for us as individuals is
unchanging.
 We are called to be constantly faithful to the charism that God has given to us in trust for
the Church and the world.
 Time change and so we must change our way of living and presenting the charism so that
it can be an effective vehicle of evangelization in a new era.
 We do not change the charism but we can and do change the way it is presented. We add
to it and enrich it by how we live it in our own day.
 God speaks to us in many ways. One of these ways is though the cultural changes that our
world is undergoing at present.
 We cannot claim to be faithful to God if we do not ponder the Scriptures. We cannot claim
to be faithful if we do not listen to what God is saying to us from the heart of the world.
 A new kind of evangelization is required for a new situation. We must seek to understand
what is going on and why and then respond the best way we can.
 In the eyes of most people Carmel stands for prayer, contemplation, and interior life.
 Carmelites do many things, and that is one of their strengths, but in all these different
apostolic works they are expected to express their spirituality.
 Like them, we are most faithful to God when we are faithful to the vocation that has been
given us.
 To do God’s work means to do what God really wants of us.
 The fundamental thrust of our lives has to do with the contemplative aspect of our charism.
This does not mean that we all must become hermits but that we must be contemplatives
in the midst of the different activities in which we are involved.
 Our prophetic and apostolic activity will naturally flow from our contemplative life.
 We cannot be contemplatives if we do not spend time alone with God.
 Contemplation is a process whereby God purifies and transforms our hearts so that we
become like God.
 This process requires our consent to the action of God in our lives and a recognition that
God works often in a very human way.
 The whole thrust of our spiritual tradition is about this process in which God transforms
our selfishness into pure love.
 God will use all the ordinary events of daily life to reveal to us who and what we are. This
is a very painful process and therefore it is much easier to forget about prayer and immerse
ourselves in working for God while forgetting to do God’s work.
 Are we faithful but also creative? Are faithful to God and yet creative so that we can
proclaim the Good news in a way that people in our own culture can actually hear it?
 Carmelian
Dialogue
Activity: Fifteen (15) minutes.
Instruction(s): Write a one page summary and another page for reflection based on the given
topics. Cite concrete examples as much as you can.
 Carmelian Education: WISDOM in the light of FAITH lived in LOVE
Name: ______________________ Yr. & Course___________
Instructor: ____________________ Score: ____ Date: _______

Concept # 2- The Life and Works of Saint Elijah

Carmelian
Feast Day: July 20
Experience

BIOS

Also Known as: Prophet Elijah

Place of Origin: Tishbe in Transjordania
Birth: 9th century before Christ in the Northern kingdom of Israel
Father: Sobac

LIFE AND WORKS

Elijah was a prophet in Israel. The Carmelite Order considers him one of the
Founder Saints. He appears in the Old Testament. According to the Bible, Elijah
raised the dead and miraculously demonstrated that Yahweh, and not Baal is the
true God.

Traditionally, Jews await his return as the harbinger of the Messiah. Christians
believe that Elijah and Moses appeared during the Transfiguration of Jesus.

His name (Hebrew Eliyyáhu); also Elias in Greek, Ilia in Bulgarian has been
translated as "Yah is God", "whose God is the Lord", "God the Lord", "the strong
Lord", "God of the Lord", "my God is the Lord", "the Lord is my God", and "my
God is Yahweh". He is sometimes known as "The Tishbite", being from the town
of Tishbe.

Elijah as first introduced in 1 Kings 17:1 delivering a message from God to Ahab,
king of Israel in the first half of the ninth century BC.

Having delivered his message to Ahab of an impending doom, he withdrew, at

the command of God, to a hiding-place by the brook Karith beyond Jordan where
he was fed by the birds particularly ravens. When the brook dried up, God sent
him to a widow in Zarephath, a city of Sidon, from whose scanty storage he was
miraculously provided from for two years. When the widow's young son died,
Elijah raised him from the dead.

During these two years, a famine prevailed in the land.

At the close of this period of retirement and preparation for his work, Elijah met
Obadiah, one of Ahab's officers whom he sent out to seek for pasturage for the
cattle. Elijah advised him to tell his master that he was there. The king met Elijah
and reproached him as the "troubler of Israel". It was then proposed that sacrifices
be publicly offered, to determine whether Baal or the Israelite God was the true
God. The condition was that whoever provides fire first, Yahweh or Baal, would
be considered as the one true God. This was done in Mount Carmel; and the result
was a miracle as God sent His fire, consuming the altar and convincing those
watching that Baal was false and the Israelite God YHWH was the one true God.
The prophets of Baal were then put to death by his order.

Queen Jezebel, the wife of the King, was enraged at the fate of her priests of Baal
and threatened to put Elijah to death. To Beersheba, Elijah fled in alarm. He went
alone into the wilderness and sat in despondency under a juniper tree. As he slept,
an angel touched him and said, "Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for
thee." He woke up and found a piece of cake and a crust of water. After eating, he
went on his way and journed for forty days to Horeb, where he took residence in
a cave. Here God appeared to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" In
answer to Elijah's despondent words God manifested to him his glory, and then
directed him to return to Damascus to anoint Hazael as king over the Syrians, Jehu
as king over Israel, and Elisha to be his replacement as prophet.

Six years after, he warned Ahab and Jezebel of their violent deaths. And, four years
after, he warned Ahaziah, who had succeeded his father Ahab, of his approaching
death. During these intervals he withdrew to some quiet retreat. His interview
with Ahaziah's messengers on the way to Ekron, and the account of the destruction
of his captains with their fifties, suggest the idea that he may have been in retreat
at this time on Mount Carmel. The Carmelites have a tradition that they were
founded by Elijah at this time.

MELONS BECOME STONES

When the prophet Elijah lived on Mount Carmel, he was in the habit of leaving his
cave every so often to walk in the mountain to pray to God. He never carried food
with him, fully trusting in God’s providence.

One day, he found himself passing through a field of delicious melons. Feeling
hungry and thirsty after a long walk and the arduous climb of the mountain, he
wished to savor the taste of melons. It so happened that the farmer was there,
tilling the land. Elijah respectfully approached the farmer and asked that out of
the mercy of God, he be allowed to have one of the melons. But the farmer was a
selfish proprietor and replied mockingly, “These are not melons but loose stones!

Shocked by the farmer’s greed, the prophet pronounced a curse on the field, “Yes,
you are right! From now onwards your melons are stones!” The curse was so
powerful that immediately the fruits were transformed into tiny oval stones
scattered on the ground. If you go to Mount Carmel today, you will find that
scattered along the ground of the mountain are oval stones that were believed to
be the melons of the farmer. Let us always remember, selfishness is not good as it
will lead to greater evil.

ELIJAH RIDES THE CHARIOT OF FIRE

After sometime, Elijah became aware that God was calling him. God wants Elisha
to be his successor. In harmony with Elijah’s action in appointing Elisha years
earlier, the time for Elijah to transfer the mantle of this prophetic office to Elisha
arrived. And so, he went down to Gilgal, where there was a school of the Carmelite
prophets, and where his successor Elisha lived. Elisha was saddened by the
thought of his master leaving him and refused to be parted from him. The two
went on and came to Bethel and Jericho, and then crossed the Jordan, the waters
of which were divided when struck with Elijah's mantle.

Before leaving, Elijah said, “Ask what I should do for you before I am taken from
you." Elisha asked for "two parts in Elijah’s spirit," the inheritance of a first born
son.

Arriving at the borders of Gilead, which Elijah had left many years before, they
were suddenly separated by a chariot pulled by horses of fire, and so "Elijah went
up by a whirlwind into heaven."
 PRAYER

O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,

You alone are God.
Your servant Elijah lived in your presence,
and acted on your Word.
Help us to drink from the well of his wisdom.
Shelter us in Cherith, and lead us to Carmel,
luring our hearts away from all false gods.
Open our eyes to the needs of those suffering.
Open our mouths to speak comfort and justice.
Open our hearts to your voice in the silence.
Send angels to strengthen us.
Send the rain of your grace to quench our thirst.
Let us break bread with the starving
and bring life to places of death and despair.
Send us as prophets to herald your Gospel.
Allow us to rise to you in paradise.
Those who met your Son Jesus saw in him the spirit of Elijah.
May Elijah lead us to your son.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
 Carmelian
Dialogue
Activity: Fifteen (15) minutes.
Instruction(s): Answer the following guide questions.

1. Elijah is the messenger of God as he delivered God’s voice to King Ahab though
it will mean his death. Do we have the courage displayed by Elijah for the
proclamation of God’s word?
2. The Prophet depended on God’s providence. Did you experience this
providence of God in your life, at home or among your friends? Give concrete
examples.
3. What are the lessons we can gleam from the wondrous things Elijah did?
4. Elijah is said to return again to prepare the path of the Lord. Have we
encountered people like him who introduced us back to God? Who are they?

BIBLIOGRAPHY: E. Magennis, The Life and Times of Elias, the Prophet of Carmel,
Dublin 1925. Louis Saggi, O.Carm., Saints of Carmel, Rome, Italy, pp. 83-107.
 Carmelian Education: WISDOM in the light of FAITH lived in LOVE
Name: ______________________ Yr. & Course___________
Instructor: ____________________ Score: ____ Date: _______

Concept # 3- The Life and Works of Saint Elisha

Carmelian
Feast Day: June 14 Experience
BIOS

Also known as: Eliseus, Al-Yasa, Prophet Elisha

Father: Shaphat of Abel-meholah
Name Meaning: God is salvation

LIFE AND WORKS

Elisha was the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah; he became the attendant and
disciple of Elijah. The Carmelites considers Prophet Elisha as Saint. Elisha on his
way from Sinai to Damascus, Elijah found Elisha "plowing with twelve yoke of
oxen". Elisha delayed only long enough to kill the yoke of oxen, whose flesh he
boiled with the very wood of his plough. Elijah went over to him, threw his mantle
over Elisha's shoulders, and at once adopted him as a son, investing him with the
prophetic office. Elisha accepted this call about four years before the death of
Israel's King Ahab. For the next seven or eight years Elisha became Elijah's close
attendant until Elijah was taken up into heaven.

After he had shared this farewell repast with his father, mother, and friends, the
newly chosen Prophet "followed Elijah and ministered to him". He went with his
master from Gilgal to Bethel, to Jericho, and to the eastern side of the Jordan, the
waters of which, touched by the mantle, divided, so as to permit both to pass over
on dry ground. Elisha then beheld Elijah in a fiery chariot taken up by a whirlwind
into heaven. By means of the mantle let fall from Elijah, Elisha miraculously
recrossed the Jordan, and so won from the prophets at Jericho the recognition that
"the spirit of Elijah rested upon Elisha".

MIRACLES OF ELISHA

He won the gratitude of the people of Jericho for healing with salt its barren
ground and its waters. Elisha also knew how to strike with salutary fear the
adorers of the calf in Bethel, for forty-two little boys, probably encouraged to mock
the Prophet, on being cursed in the name of the Lord, were torn by "two bears out
of the forest".

Before he settled in Samaria, the Prophet passed some time on Mount Carmel.
When the armies of Judah, Israel and Edom, then allied against Mesa, the Moabite
king, were being tortured by drought in the Idumæan desert, Elisha consented to
intervene. His double prediction regarding relief from drought and victory over
the Moabites was fulfilled on the following morning.
That Elisha inherited the wonder-working power of Elijah is shown throughout
the whole course of his life. To relieve the widow importuned by a hard creditor,
Elisha so multiplied a little oil as to enable her, not only to pay her indebtedness,
but to provide for her family needs. To reward the rich lady of Sunam for her
hospitality, he obtained for her from God, at first the birth of a son, and
subsequently the resurrection of her child. To nourish the sons of the prophets
pressed by famine, Elisha changed into wholesome food the pottage made from
poisonous gourds. By the cure of Naaman, who was afflicted with leprosy, Elisha,
little impressed by the possessions of the Syrian general, whilst willing to free King
Joram from his perplexity, principally intended to show "that there is a prophet in
Israel". Naaman, at first reluctant, obeyed the Prophet, and washed seven times
in the Jordan. Finding his flesh "restored like the flesh of a little child", the general
was so impressed by this evidence of God's power, and by the disinterestedness
of His Prophet, as to express his deep conviction that "there is no other God in all
the earth, but only in Israel". It is to this Christ referred when He said: "And there
were many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet: and none of them
was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian". In punishing the avarice of his servant
Gehazi, in saving "not once nor twice" King Joram from the ambuscades planned
by Benadad, in ordering the ancients to shut the door against the messenger of
Israel's ungrateful king, in bewildering with a strange blindness the soldiers of the
Syrian king, in making the iron swim to relieve from embarrassment a son of a
prophet, in confidently predicting the sudden flight of the enemy and the
consequent cessation of the famine, in unmasking the treachery of Hazael, Elisha
proved himself the Divinely appointed Prophet of the one true God, Whose
knowledge and power he was privileged to share.

After Elijah's departure, Elisha returned to Jericho, and there healed the spring of
water by casting salt into it. We next find him at Bethel, where, with the sternness
of his master, he curses the youths who have come out and ridiculed him as a
prophet of God: "Go up, thou bald head." The youths mockingly tell Elisha to
follow his master in a chariot to heaven, and make fun of his appearance. Elisha
then pronounces a curse upon them, pleading God for retribution. The judgment
is said to have at once taken effect: two she-bears come out of the woods and kill
42 of the youths.

Elisha is next encountered in Scripture when he predicts a fall of rain when the
army of Jehoram was faint from thirst. Other miracles Elisha accomplishes include
multiplying the poor widow's cruse of oil, restoring to life the son of the woman
of Shunem, and multiplying the twenty loaves of new barley into a sufficient
supply for a hundred men.

Elisha then journeyed to Damascus and anointed Hazael king over Syria;
thereafter he directs one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu, the son of
Jehoshaphat, king of Israel, instead of Ahab. Mindful of the order given to Elijah,
Elisha delegated a son of one of the prophets to quietly anoint Jehu King of Israel,
and to commission him to cut off the house of Ahab. The death of Joram, pierced
by an arrow from Jehu's bow, the ignominious end of Jezabel, the slaughter of
Ahab's seventy sons, proved how faithfully executed was the Divine command.
After predicting to Joas his victory over the Syrians at Aphec, as well as three other
subsequent victories, ever bold before kings, ever kindly towards the lowly,
"Elisha died, and they buried him".

While Elisha lies on his death-bed in his own house. Joash, the grandson of Jehu,
comes to mourn over his approaching departure, and utters the same words as
those of Elisha when Elijah was taken away, indicating his value to him: "My
father, my father! the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof."

The very touch of his corpse served to resuscitate a dead man. "In his life he did
great wonders, and in death he wrought miracles"
 PRAYER

O God,
Protector and redeemer of humankind
whose glories have been proclaimed
through the wonders accomplished by your chosen prophets,
you have bestowed the spirit of Elijah on your prophet Elisha;
in your kindness grant us too
an increase of the gifts of the Holy Spirit
so that, living as prophets,
we will bear constant witness to your abiding presence and providence.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Carmelian
Dialogue
Activity: Fifteen (15) minutes.

Instruction(s): Answer the following guide questions.

1. Elisha was a good servant of Elijah and to him is given the power to become a
Prophet. Are you a good follower of Jesus? For you, what is a prophet?
2. Among the many miracles of Elisha what do you like best? What lessons can
you get from the miracles of Elisha?
3. What are many gifts of Elisha? Are these gifts bringing people back to God?
4. What kind of follower was Prophet Elisha to Prophet Elijah? As a leader what
can we gleam as his important characteristics and values?

BIBLIOGRAPHY: J. Hastings, The Greater Men and Women of the Bible, Edinburgh
1914. Louis Saggi, O.Carm., Saints of Carmel, Rome, Italy, pp. 108-115.
 Carmelian Education: WISDOM in the light of FAITH lived in LOVE
Name: ______________________ Yr. & Course___________
Instructor: ____________________ Score: ____ Date: _______

Concept # 4- The Life and Works of Saint Albert of Jerusalem

Carmelian
Feast Day: September 17 Experience

BIOS

Also known as: Albert Avogadro

Born: Parma, Italy 1149
Died: Acre, Palestine 1215

LIFE AND WORKS

He was a Patriarch of Jerusalem and patron of the Carmelite Order. He was an

outstanding ecclesiastical figure in the era in which the Holy See faced opposition
from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa I, by serving as a mediator in the dispute
between the Emperor and Pope Clement III. Albert was made an imperial prince,
a sign of favor from Barbarossa.

Albert was born in Castel Gualteri, Parma, Italy, about 1149, to a noble family. He
became a Canon Regular of the Holy Cross at the Holy Cross Abbey in Mortara
and was elected their prior in 1180. In 1184 he was appointed as the bishop of
Bobbio, Italy, and soon after he was named to the See of Vercelli in 1185. It was
during this period of service as the bishop of Vercelli that he served as mediator
between the pope and emperor.

In 1205, Albert was appointed the patriarch of Jerusalem, a post established in 1099
when Jerusalem became a Latin kingdom in the control of Christian crusaders.
Jerusalem, however, was no longer in Christian hands, as the Saracens recaptured
the city in 1187. The Christians needed a patriarch, but the position was open not
only to persecution but to martyrdom at the hands of the Muslims. Albert accepted
and he proved himself not only diplomatic but winning in his ways. The Muslims
of the area respected him for his sanctity and his intelligence.

MEDIATOR OF PEACE

As a patriarch, Albert received missions of extraordinary trust from the pope

during that time. He was made a mediator of peace between the kings of Cyprus
and that of Jerusalem, between the king of Armenia and the Count of Tripoli,
between this noble and the Templars, between the king of Armenia and the same
Templars, between the king of Cyprus and his constable. In the ecclesiastical
forum he opposed the archdeacon of Antioch, whom he substituted with another
person; he opposed the Count of Tripoli, who held the patriarch of Antioch as a
prisoner; he deposed the intruded Greek patriarch and saw to the election of a new
Latin patriarch; he annulled the invalid choice of the archbishop of Nicosia in
Cyprus and effected the election of another prelate; he arranged an exchange of
prisoners with the Sultan of Egypt and sent legates to the Sultan of Damascus to
work for peace in the Holy Land. Because of the Muslim presence in Jerusalem,
Albert took up residence in Acre (now called Akko), a northern port. There he
became involved in a concern that assured his place in religious history.
Overlooking the city and bay of Acre is the holy mountain called Carmel.

HERMITS’ PLEA

At the time, a group of holy hermits lived on Mount Carmel in separate caves and
cells. Albert was supposedly approached by Brocard, who was the prior or
superior of the group of hermits. In 1209, the hermits asked Albert to draw up a
rule of life for them, a rule that would constitute the beginning of the Carmelite
Order. Albert's rule regulating the monastic life of these men included severe fasts,
a perpetual abstinence from meat, silence, and seclusions. Pope Innocent IV
mitigated the rule in 1254, allowing that it was too rigorous. Albert mediated the
dispute among various groups in Palestine and conducted Church affairs. He was
called to the General Council of the Lateran in 1215 but was assassinated before
leaving Acre, Palestine. A madman that he had discharged from a local hospital
stabbed him during the procession on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

PRAYER

For Carmelites:

Saint Albert,
you have given us a Rule of Life
according to the Gospel
to guide us on our journey
towards perfect love.
 Help us always to keep watch
at our prayers, to live in
allegience to Jesus Christ,
and to serve him
faithfully until death.
Through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.

For Non-Carmelites:

Saint Albert,
help me to live according to the Gospel.
and to be faithful to Jesus Christ,
Help me to follow my own vocation,
to keep praying and reflecting on God’s Word,
until one day I may enjoy the
eternal life of glory with Him.
Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Carmelian
Dialogue
Activity: Fifteen (15) minutes.
Instruction(s): Answer the following guide questions.

1. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Albert Avogadro, was considerate to his

parishioners, he even gave a guide of living for the hermits of Mount Carmel,
how considerate and listening are we to the request of others, especially those
who are poor in need?
2. If given the chance to lead, what advise will you give to others so that their
community or family will better improve?

BIBLIOGRAPHY: J. Hastings, The Greater Men and Women of the Bible, Edinburgh
1914. Louis Saggi, O.Carm., Saints of Carmel, Rome, Italy, pp. 108-115.
 Carmelian Education: WISDOM in the light of FAITH lived in LOVE
Name: ______________________ Yr. & Course___________
Instructor: ____________________ Score: ____ Date: _______

Concept # 5- The Life and Works of Saint Simon Stock

Feast Day: May 16 Carmelian
Experience

BIOS

Also known as: Simon Anglus

Born: 1165 in Aylesford, County Kent, England
Died: 16 May 1265 in the Carmelite monastery at Bordeaux, France of natural
causes while on a visit; skull transferred to the Carmelite friary in Aylesford,
England in 1951

LIFE AND WORKS

Legend says that at age twelve he began to live as a hermit in a hollow oak tree;
the name Stock is believed derived from the old English for tree trunk. Itinerant
preacher. Pilgrim to the Holy Land, but left when invading Muslims chased out
Christians. Joined the Carmelite Order soon after its arrival in England.

He Lived and studied for several years in Rome and Mount Carmel and was
elected sixth general of the Carmelites in 1247 around age 82. He helped the Order
spread through England, southern and Western Europe. Founded houses in
Cambridge, England in 1248, Oxford in 1253, Paris and Bologna in 1260.

Simon Stock revised the Rule of the Order to make them mendicant friars instead
of hermits. In the year 1241, the Baron de Grey of England was returning from the
Crusades in Palestine: he brought back with him a group of Latin religious from
the holy mountain of Carmel. Upon arrival, the baron generously presented the
monks with a manor house in the town of Aylesford. Ten years later, in the very
place, there occurred the now famous apparitions of Our Lady to St. Simon Stock.
While Simon was going his daily chores of overseeing the manor house as he was
elected the Prior of the place, a Prior is a kind of caretaker and father to the other
brothers under his care. That morning, Simon was humming a hymn dearly
beloved to his heart. The hymn goes:

“O Bright Flower of Carmel,

Vine filled with Blossoms.
Splendor of Heaven
Childbearing yet Virgin.
Nothing compares to You.
Mother so tender,
Pure and untouched,
On Carmel's children
Your favors give.
Our Star of the Sea.

Strong stem of Jesse,

Who bore one bright flower,
 Be ever near us
And guard us each hour,
who serve you here.
Purest of lilies,
That flowers among thorns,
Bring help to the true heart
That in weakness turns and trusts in you.

Strongest of armour,
We trust in thy might:
Under your mantle,
Hard press'd in the fight,
we call to you.
Our way uncertain,
Surrounded by foes,
Unfailing counsel
You give to those who turn to you.

O sweet Mother
Who in Carmel reigns,
Share with your servants
That gladness you gained and now enjoy.
Hail, Gate of Heaven,
With glory now crowned,
Bring us to safety
Where thy Son is found, true joy to see. Amen. ”

After the hymn, suddenly, the room was filled with light and cloud. The cloud
seemed to occupy one place and on top of it the Lady sat holding a handsome baby
boy, she was looking tenderly on Simon. The Lady was dressed in brown with a
white mantle which served as kind of cape. On her hand was a brown cloth which
she said should be worn over the shoulders of her followers. As the Holy Virgin
handed to Simon the brown woolen Scapular She spoke these words: "This shall
be the privilege for you and all Carmelites, that anyone dying in this habit shall be
saved." Mary required therefore that all Carmelites and all those who will wear
the scapular to live out in practice the following of his son. The scapular is a bond
that seal this agreement.

Many Catholics are invested in the Brown Scapular at the time of their First Holy
Communion; in the case of converts the vesting concurs with their Profession of
Faith. When a person is enrolled in the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular and
vested in that tiny habit of brown wool, the priest says to him: "Receive this blessed
Scapular and ask the most holy Virgin that, by Her merits, it may be worn with no
stain of sin and may protect you from all harm and bring you into everlasting life."

Today, there are different groups who wear the brown scapular including
ordinary people. Most numerous are the Third Order Carmelites. They are
classified into Regulars who are priests and religious; and Secular who are laymen
and laywomen who wear the scapular as a sign of agreement with Mother Mary
to observe until death by following her virtues and living her humility in their
lives. They strive to learn from the Carmelite teachings and study the Scripture.
Other groups become members of the Confraternity of Brown Scapular. They
follow Mary’s example of devotion to God in everything they do. Even the youth
are inspired by Mary’s promise of protection and they too wear it. The investiture
of the scapular and the enrolment is done only once.

One of the greatest mysteries of our time is that the majority of Catholics either
ignore, or have entirely forgotten this Heavenly promise of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. Our Lady of Mount Carmel which further says: "Wear the Scapular
devoutly and perseveringly. It is my garment. To be clothed in it means you are
continually thinking of Me, and I in turn am always thinking of you and helping
you to secure eternal life."
 PRAYER

Father,
You called Saint Simon Stock to serve you
in the brotherhood of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Through his prayers,
help us like him to live in your presence
and to work for man’s salvation.
Grant this through our Lord, Jesus Christ
who lives and reigns with You,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
 Carmelian
Dialogue
Activity: Fifteen (15) minutes.
Instruction(s): Answer the following guide questions.

1. What is the significance of the promise of Mary to Simon Stock and what should
we do to be worthy of such a promise? What are our obligations to Mary?
2. We call Mary, Mother so tender, can you associate your mother with Mary? In
what manner? Give concrete examples.
3. How is Simon Stock as a Prior different from other leaders in our society today?
 Carmelian Education: WISDOM in the light of FAITH lived in LOVE
Name: ______________________ Yr. & Course___________
Instructor: ____________________ Score: ____ Date: _______

Concept # 6- The Life and Works of Saint Angelus of Sicily

Carmelian
Feast Day: May 5
Experience

BIOS

Also known as: Angelo or Angelus of Jerusalem

Born: 1145 in Jerusalem
Died: stabbed to death in 1220 in Leocata, Sicily; relics transferred to the Carmelite
church at Leocata
Representation: Carmelite with a knife in his head; Carmelite with a
sword in his breast, holding a book, palm, and three crowns;
Carmelite with an angel bringing him three crowns; Carmelite
with lilies and roses falling from his mouth; lily
LIFE AND WORKS

Angelus was born in Jerusalem in 1145; died in Sicily, 1220, of Jewish parents, was
one of the early friar-hermits of Mount Carmel. He is considered the first Martyr
Saint of the Order and remarkably of Palestinian descent being born in the holy
land.

His mother, however, converted to Christianity and Angelus and his twin brother,
John, were baptized when she converted. His parents died while he was young,
and he and his brother entered the Carmelite Order at the age of 18. At the time,
both already spoke Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. Around his twenty-sixth year,
Angelus was ordained in Jerusalem and he traveled through Palestine preaching
and performing miraculous cures. So many, in fact, that he became famous.
Seeking to avoid his fame, Angelus withdrew to a hermitage on Mount Carmel,
until he was instructed by Christ in a vision to leave Mount Carmel for Italy to
preach against the Albigensians, Bulgars and other heresies.

In Sicily, he was commissioned to obtain the approval of Pope Honorius III for the
rule written by Saint Albert in 1206 for the use of the new friars. Angelus travelled
to Rome and shortly thereafter went back to Sicily (Palermo and Messina) to
preach.

HIS STAND FOR TRUTH

He went to Leocata, Sicily, and his fame as a miracle-worker caused crowds to

come to him. He wanted to convert a vicious and scandalous knight named Count
Berenger whose incest with his sister he had denounced. He had converted the
count's sister from this scandalous life and this caused the soldier to get enraged
and had him killed in front of the Church of St. James. In front of the people, he
was hanged and shot with arrows. Many miracles were worked at Angelus'
intercession after his death, especially in Leocata and Palermo.

Saint Angelus is depicted in art as a Carmelite with a knife in his head. He may
also be shown (1) with a sword in his breast, holding a book, palm (symbol of
martyrdom), and three crowns; (2) as an angel brings him three crowns; (3) with
lilies and roses falling from his mouth as symbols of his eloquence; or (4) tied to a
tree and shot with arrows. He is venerated in Leocata, Sicily.
GREAT PREACHER AND PROPHET

It is reported, that while Dominic and Francis were still at Rome, Angelus, of the
Order of the Carmelites, who was afterwards martyred in Sicily, was also there;
that, preaching in the Church of St. John Lateran, where the two others were
among the hearers, he foretold that they would become two great pillars of the
Church; that when the sermon was finished, they foretold to one another what
would happen to each of them, and even that Francis would receive the stigmata;
then the three together cured a man afflicted with leprosy, and passed
a day and a night together in prayer and conversing on holy subjects.

A HUMBLE SERVANT OF GOD

His acta states that he sought to avoid fame, and when he was becoming known
for his miracles, he withdrew from society to a hermitage. He remained a hermit
until he received a vision from God instructing him to leave for Italy. Pope
Honorius II canonized Angelus as a martyr. His feast day in the Roman Catholic
Church is celebrated on the 5th of May.
 PRAYER

God our Father,

strength of the faithful and crown of martyrs
by your grace Saint Angelus was called from Carmel
to triumph victorious over the torments of martyrdom.
By his prayers grant us
that faithfully following his example,
we may bear witness
to your presence and goodness until death.
Grant this through our Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Carmelian
Dialogue
Activity: Fifteen (15) minutes.

Instruction(s): Answer the following guide questions.

1. Why was Angelus killed? How did he show his stand against evil?
2. How did he meet Francis of Assisi and Dominic?
3. To avoid fame and honor, what did he do?
4. What are his good qualities worthy of emulation.
 Carmelian Education: WISDOM in the light of FAITH lived in LOVE
Name: ______________________ Yr. & Course___________
Instructor: ____________________ Score: ____ Date: _______

Concept # 7- The Life and Works of Saint Albert of Trapani

Carmelian
Feast: August 7
Experience

BIOS

Born: 1250, City of Trapani in Sicily

Died: 7 August 1307
Parents: Benedict degli Abati and Joan Palizi
Symbols: Lily, book
Patronage: Trapani; Carmelite Order; Carmelite schools
Canonized: 31 May 1476 by Pope Sixtus IV
Memorial: 7 August

LIFE AND WORKS

Albert was born after twenty-six years of sterile marriage between Benedict degli
Abati and Joan Palizi, both of whom promised to consecrate him to the Lord. While
the boy was still of tender age, his father thought of arranging an honourable
marriage for him; but his mother was able to make her husband keep their vow.

After Albert had joined the Carmelites of Trapani, he spent his period of formation
growing in virtue and was ordained a priest. In 1257, he became the Superior of
the Sicilian Carmelite Province and worked as a good preacher and administrator.

APOSTOLATE IN MESSINA

His superiors sent him to Messina to live his Carmelite life with the people. At his
arrival, Messina was torn by a political war and a siege. In 1301, the city was under
siege and was blocked by Duke Robert of Calabria.

Due to this, no food supply reached the people who were already suffering from
the war. Responding to the cry of the people for help, Albert celebrated Mass. As
he finished, three ships loaded with grain ran the blockade, the besiegers never
noticed its passing.

Though the ships were huge they seemed to vanish in thin air and arrived safely
to feed the people. And so the city was saved from starvation.

Another miracle, not long after, was when the Duke himself lifted the siege of the
city.

Albert was a famous preacher in various places in the island, and for a certain time
was provincial superior of the Carmelites in Sicily.

A characteristic of Albert’s ministry was healing. He restored the sight of a blind

lad who then became a Carmelite. Some women were also cured of abscesses of
the breast, and others were cured of fever. A Jew with epilepsy was converted after
the saint’s intervention. Legends also recount spiritual healings, particularly on
his work as an exorcist.

DEDICATED PREACHER

St. Albert is often portrayed with an open book in his hand, or with the child Jesus
in his arms. This is not by accident, for these are both iconographical attributes
which indicate a preacher of the Gospel, which is precisely what Albert was.

In order to be authentic proclaimers, it is necessary to have encountered Jesus, and

this is possible primarily through the hearing of the Word. It was his familiarity
with the Scripture, cultivated in lectio divina with purity of heart and openness to
the transforming action of the Holy Spirit that made St Albert capable of
proclaiming the Gospel.

People could say the same of him as they say of Jesus: “They were astonished by
his teaching, because he taught them as one with authority and not like the
scribes.”

It is also an attested fact that the Infant Jesus used to appear to him and rest in his
arms.

ANGELS SING AT HIS DEATH

Albert died in Messina on 7 August 1307. On his death another miracle took place.
Heaven itself, as told, wished to decide the controversy that arose between the
clergy and the people on the kind of Mass to be celebrated on that occasion. Two
angels appeared and intoned the Os Justi (The mouth of the just man). Os Justi, is
the entrance antiphon (hymn) for the Mass of Confessors. When the mass was
about to be finished another angel appeared and sang the closing prayer.

INFLUENCE TO THE CARMELITES AND THE PEOPLE

The presence of Albert in the convent of Trapani on August 8, 1280, April 4 and
October 8, 1289, is attested by several parchments of the same convent, now in the
Fardelliana library of the same city. Here is also found a parchment dated 10 May
1296, from which his office as provincial superior is ascertained. Albert was among
the first Carmelite saints venerated by the Order, of which he was later considered
a patron and protector. Already in 1346 there was a chapel dedicated to him, in
the convent of Palermo.
In 1623 one of the gates of the city of Messina was dedicated to him. He is the
patron of Trapani, Erice, Palermo and Revere (Mantua). St. Albert appears
frequently in the legends and popular traditions of Sicily.

Agrigento vaunted a well, the water of which Albert had purified; Corleone, the
receptacle in which he preserved absinthe; Petralia Soprana, a stone on which he
rested. The first chapel erected to him was claimed to have been at Piazza
Armerina.

PRAYER

Lord God,
You made Saint Albert of Trapani
a model of purity and prayer,
and a devoted servant of Our Lady.
 May we practice these same virtues
And so be worthy always
To share the banquet of your grace.
We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ,
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God for ever and ever. Amen.

Carmelian
Dialogue
Activity: Fifteen (15) minutes.

Instruction(s): Answer the following guide questions.

1. How did God answer the prayers of St. Albert of Trapani so that he would be
able to help the hungry people?
2. What was the value that Albert showed, which the angels identified when he
was about to be buried? How did he show this in his life?
3. What is the relevance of the appearance of Jesus in St. Albert’s arms?
4. When we read the Bible out of love, do we experience Jesus resting in our arms?
5. What are his miracles that give honor to God?
 Carmelian Education: WISDOM in the light of FAITH lived in LOVE
Name: ______________________ Yr. & Course___________
Instructor: ____________________ Score: ____ Date: _______

Concept # 8- The Life and Works of Saint Peter Thomas, Bishop

Carmelian
Feast Day: January 8
Experience

BIOS

Also known as: Pedro Tomas

Born: 1305 in southern Perigord, France
Died: 1366 at Famagosta, Cyprus from wounds received in a military action in
Alexandria, Egypt in 1365
Beatified: 1608 (cult confirmed)

LIFE AND WORKS

Born about 1305, in southern Perigord in France, Peter Thomas entered the
Carmelite Order when he was 21. He was chosen by the Order as its procurator
general to the Papal Court at Avignon in 1345.

After being made bishop of Patti and Lipari in 1354, he was entrusted with many
papal missions to promote peace and unity with the Eastern Churches. He was
transferred to the see of Corone in the Peloponnesus in 1359 and made Papal
Legate for the East. In 1363, he was appointed Archbishop of Crete and in 1364
Latin Patriarch of Constantinople. He won a reputation as an apostle of Church
unity before he died at Famagosta in Cyprus in 1366.

He is considered the second great bishop of Carmel, the first being Andrew
Corsini. Unlike St. Andrew Corsini, he was of humble parentage and very poor,
but with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. He made every sacrifice, even
depriving himself of necessaries, to obtain his education, and soon was able to
instruct himself and teach others, so that the Carmelite Fathers engaged him for
their classes, and the young students were the first to avail of his extraordinary
genius. Soon he begged for admission, and the Professor became a monk at
twenty.

He was sent to the University of Paris and was there at the same time as Andrew
Corsini. The French Peter Thomas and Italian Andrew Corsini were apt to hold
together amid the multitudes there. Peter Thomas was among the first teachers of
Bologna. His sanctity was soon recognized as being equal to his learning, and he
was given the highest offices in the Order. His life may be summarized in three
words: Mary, Union of the Greeks, and Jerusalem. “Mary,” for his devotion to Our
Lady, his treatises on her Immaculate Conception, his visions, his inexpressible
love for her; “Union of the Greeks,” for it was his special mission and for that he
was sent to Constantinople by the Sovereign Pontiff; and “Jerusalem,” for the Holy
City was his Patriarchal See.
MARY’S APPEARANCE TO PETER

Clement VI had for him a marked affection, and called him to Avignon to be
Doctor of Theology for the Papal Court. It was while there, on the eve of Pentecost,
1351, that he had a vision of Our Lady which hung as a bow of promise over the
awful years so soon to follow. Even then the sinister shadow was cast upon the
Mountain, and the great heart of Peter Thomas was rent with anguish. Prostrate,
he prayed and pleaded with Mary his Queen and his Mother, to protect her Order,
and she appeared to him in glory saying: “Peter, fear not, the Order of Carmel will
endure unto the end of the world; Elias has obtained this from my Son.”

We read that promise with joy and devotion, and in view of what followed, it was
a vision of hope almost necessary to uphold the “Brothers of Our Lady” from
despair, as pestilence, heresy, and, worst of all, schism, were to walk abroad and
threaten the existence of Carmel on every side.

A MODEL BISHOP

When he was appointed Bishop of Patti and Archbishop of Candia. He was

charged by Pope Innocent VI with no less than fourteen important embassies. He
was sent to the Court of Louis, King of Pouille, to Emperor Charles IV, and to John
VI, Emperor of Constantinople. This city he reconciled to the See of Rome. In 1356,
he was sent as Legate to the East and Examiner on questions of faith.

In 1360 he anointed Peter I of Lusignan, King of Cyprus and Jerusalem, and the
following year, he was saddened by the pestilence that attacked the Isle of Cyprus.
The population were in consternation at the horrors they witnessed; death
everywhere and in a horrible form. Peter multiplied his efforts and his devotion
during the pest has become a tradition emulated by the Carmelites in the Order.
He was everywhere and everything; consoler, physician, father to the sick, to the
dying, and to those who wept and could not die, for death was easier than life
amid such scenes. His history would require a large volume, and through all his
embassies, missions and legations, we see the humble servant of Our Lady, the
Saint, moving obdurate hearts, inspiring heroic deeds, advancing the interests of
the Holy See, and shrinking from the honors that were thrust upon him.

In the midst of the splendor of the times and with his rank as Bishop and Legate,
he lived simply like his Brethren; went on foot when possible, lived in his own
Monasteries whenever he could, though his presence was claimed as an honor by
Kings and Princes.
THE SECOND APPEARANCE OF MARY

He looked forward with joy to the feast so dear to him, and, just as she did later to
St. Andrew Corsini, so did Our Lady appear to Peter Thomas to prepare and warn
him of his coming end, on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. As the hour
approached, he commanded his brothers to lay him on the ground with a sack and
a cord about his neck, that he might beg pardon from all the Religious gathered
about him. He then tried to say the Canonical Hours which he had never missed
since his entrance into the religious life, but his strength failed. His Confessor
finished them with him, and a little after, he died, on January 6, 1366, as Our Lady
had predicted.

He was buried where he died, in the Church of the Carmelites at Famagusta. He

is especially invoked against pestilence and epidemics. In the allocution
pronounced by Benedict XIV in 1744, at the General Chapter of the Carmelites, the
illustrious Pontiff affirmed that his native city of Bologna was under great
obligation to Peter Thomas, the ornament of Carmel (Carmelitanum alumnum et
ornamentum) because it was owing to his care that peace was established between
Pope Urban V and Viscount Barnabas, and also because he was the first to have
theology taught in the Academy of Bologna, already so famous for its learning.

A GOOD DIPLOMAT

The career of St Peter Thomas presents us with a curious combination of a religious

vocation and a life spent in diplomacy. Born in 1305, of humble parentage, at the
hamlet of Salles in the south-west of France, he at an early age came into contact
with the Carmelites, and his abilities led them gladly to admit him into their
noviceship at Condom. In 1342 he was made procurator general of the order. This
appointment led to his taking up his abode in Avignon, then the residence of the
popes, and also indicated that in spite of high spiritual ideals he was known to be
pre-eminently a man of affairs.

His remarkable eloquence became known, and he was asked to deliver the funeral
oration of Clement VI. It may be said that from that time forth, although he always
retained the simplicity of a friar, his life was entirely spent in difficult negotiations
as the representative of the Holy See. To describe the political complications in
which he was called upon to intervene would take much space. It must suffice to
say that he was sent as papal legate to negotiate with Genoa, Milan and Venice; in
1354 he was consecrated bishop and represented the pope at Milan when the
Emperor Charles IV was crowned king of Italy.

Thence he proceeded to Serbia, and afterwards was charged with a mission to

smooth the difficulties between Venice and Hungary; going on to Constantinople
he was instructed to make another effort to reconcile the Byzantine church with
the West.

THE POPE’S TRUSTEE

What is most surprising in our days is that Pope Innocent VI and Pope Urban V
seem to have placed Peter Thomas virtually in command of expeditions which
were distinctly military in character.

He was sent to Constantinople in 1359 with a large contingent of troops and

contributions in money, himself holding the title of "Universal Legate to the
Eastern Church"; and when in 1365 an expeditionary force was sent to attack
Alexandria, again the legate had virtual direction of the enterprise. The expedition
ended disastrously. In the assault the legate was more than once wounded with
arrows, and when he died a holy death at Cyprus three months later (January 6,
1366) it was stated that these wounds had caused, or at least accelerated his end
and so he was hailed as a martyr.

LIVING EXAMPLE OF POVERTY

It is probable that among the reasons which led to the many diplomatic missions
of St Peter Thomas we must reckon the economy effected for the papal exchequer
at a time when it was very much depleted, for he dispensed with all unnecessary
pomp and state. As far as he was concerned, he travelled in the poorest way and
willingly faced the great hardship which such expeditions entailed even on the
most illustrious. We must also not forget that though his biographers wrote in a
tone of rather indiscriminating panegyric, they nevertheless agreed on his desire
to evangelize the poor, his spirit of prayer, and the confidence which his holiness
inspired in others.

A decree issued by the Holy See in 1608 authorized the celebration of St Peter
Thomas’ feast among the Carmelites as that of a bishop and martyr.
 PRAYER

Lord,
You inspired in your bishop Saint Peter Thomas
an intense desire
to promote Peace and Christian Unity
Following his example
may we live steadfast
in the faith and work perseveringly for peace.
We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your son
who lives and reigns with you, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
 Carmelian
Dialogue
Activity: Fifteen (15) minutes.
Instruction(s): Answer the following guide questions.

1. How did St. Peter Thomas exercise his authority as a Bishop?

2. What was his method in reconciling Christians and Muslims?
3. Have you been a peacemaker like St. Peter Thomas? Please elaborate.
 Carmelian Education: WISDOM in the light of FAITH lived in LOVE
Name: ______________________ Yr. & Course___________
Instructor: ____________________ Score: ____ Date: _______

Concept # 9- The Life and Works of Saint Andrew Corsini, Bishop

Carmelian
Experience

Feast Day: 9 January (Carmelite Order), 4 February (Florence & Fiesole)

BIOS

Also known as: Andrea Corsini, Andres Corsino; Apostle of Florence

Born: 1302 at Florence, Italy
Died: 6 January 1374 at Fiesole, Italy; relics at Florence, Italy
Name Meaning: strong, manly
Beatified: 1374
Canonized: 29 April 1629 by Pope Urban VIII
Patronage: Civil disorder, riot
Representation: Holding a cross, with a wolf and lamb at his feet, and floating
above a battlefield on a cloud or a white palfrey

LIFE AND WORKS

He was born in Florence in 1302 to the illustrious Corsini family. Wild and
dissolute in youth, he was startled by the words of his mother about what had
happened to her before his birth and becoming a Carmelite monk in his native city,
began a life of great mortification. He studied in Paris and Avignon.

A WILD AND ILL-TEMPERED YOUTH

The devout, Florentine Corsini family gave life to a wayward, bad tempered
youth, Andrew, though he was the fruit of his parents' prayers and was
consecrated by vow to God before his birth. He spent his money on vice and
carousing with evil friends.

One day his grieving mother, Peregrina, told Andrew of her deepest fears. Just
before his birth, she had dreamed that she was giving birth to a wolf and Andrew
realized that he was indeed living like a wild animal. She also revealed that he was
dedicated to God's service under the protection of the Blessed Virgin while he was
still in her womb. He hurried to a church to pray--and became a new man while
praying at Our Lady's altar. He was so touched by God that he resolved never to
return to his father's house but rather to embrace the religious life.

HIS LIFE AS A CARMELITE

Andrew decided to join the Carmelites of Fiesole near Florence in 1318. He became
utterly devoted to his new life and never departed from the first fervor of his
conversion. He strenuously labored to subdue his passions by extreme
humiliations, obedience to even the last person in the house, by silence and prayer.
His superiors employed him in the meanest offices, often in washing the dishes in
the scullery.

The progress he made in his studies was great, particularly of the Holy Scriptures
and in theology. In 1328 he was ordained a priest, but to prevent the music and
feast, which his family had prepared according to custom for the day on which he
was to say his first Mass, he privately withdrew to a little hermitage seven miles
away where he secretly offered his first fruits to God with wonderful recollection
and devotion.

On his return, Andrew became the Apostle of Florence. He was regarded as a

prophet and a thaumaturgus or a worker of miracles. Called to the nearby
Episcopal See of Fiesole, he fled, but was discovered by a child, and compelled to
accept the honor. He redoubled his austerities as a bishop, was lavish in his care
for the poor, and was sought everywhere as a peacemaker, notably in Bologna
where he was sent as Papal Legate to heal the breach between the nobility and the
people.

RELUCTANT AND HUMBLE BISHOP

After preaching and ministering for a time in Florence, he studied in Paris for three
years and completed his studies in Avignon under the direction of his uncle, a
Cardinal.

In 1332, Father Corsini was chosen prior of his own monastery in Florence, whose
church, situated in the artisan area of the town, was subsequently enriched by the
Masaccio's paintings of the life of Saint Peter.

God honored his extraordinary virtue with the gifts of prophecy and miracles,
including the conversion of his cousin, John Corsini, an infamous gambler,
through the cure of an ulcer on his neck.

The former ruffian was elected bishop of Fiesole in 1349. Believing himself
unworthy of the office, Corsini ran away and hid in the charterhouse of Enna, but
he was discovered by a child about the time they were ready to give up and elect
another. He was forced to accept the bishopric to which he was consecrated in
1360.
MODEL FOR DIALOGUE AMONG OPPONENTS

As bishop he demonstrated a special talent for reconciling opponents. For this

reason Pope Urban V sent him to Bologna, where the nobility and the common
people were quarrelling violently. Although both sides initially insulted Corsini,
in the end he won them over and restored peace. As a Corsini, he was linked with
the nobility, while his life of poverty as a friar made him acceptable to the common
folk.

As bishop he added to his extraordinary penances and set the example of a prelate
of a most noble house living according to the austerity of the religious rule he had
professed. To his hair shirt he added an iron girdle. Daily he prayed the seven
penitential Psalms and the litany of the saints while using the discipline upon
himself. His bed was vine-branches strewn on the floor.

LOVING FATHER AND MIRACLE WORKER TO THE POOR

Additionally, he was father of the poor. His tenderness with the poor was
incredible, and he had a particular regard for the bashful among them--those who
were ashamed to make their needs known. These he sought out diligently and
assisted with all possible secrecy. He kept a list of the poor and furnished them all
with allowances.

Because Andrew had been born into a rich family, he felt that it was a good practice
to wash the feet of poor men every Thursday in memory of Our Lord's action at
the Last Supper. When one man tried to excuse himself because his feet were
covered with ulcers, the saint insisted upon washing them anyway. As he poured
water into the man’s feet, the ulcers were washed away, blood oozed out but as
soon as Andrew dried it with the towel, the man was jubilant for he beheld new
skin as of a child had replaced the diseased skin. His wounds were completely
healed.

HE PREDICTS HIS DEATH

In 1372, while he had been celebrating the midnight Mass of Christmas, the Blessed
Virgin appeared to him and told him he would leave this world on the feast of the
Epiphany, to meet God. It came to pass, and he died on that day.

Andrew became ill with a high fever while singing the High Mass on Christmas
Eve in 1372. A few days later the 71-year-old died and was immediately declared
a saint by the people of Florence. His tomb in the Franciscan friars' church in
Florence was the site of miracles. In 1737 a chapel was built in his honor in Saint
John Lateran in Rome by Pope Clement XII, who was a member of the Corsini
family

Miracles were so multiplied at his death that Pope Eugene IV permitted a public
cult immediately, although it was only in 1629 that Urban VIII canonized him. His
feast is kept on 4 February.

In the early eighteenth century, Pope Clement XII, born Lorenzo Corsini, erected
in the Roman Basilica of St. John Lateran a magnificent chapel dedicated to his
14th century kinsman.

PRAYER

God, our Father,

You reveal that those who work for peace
will be called your children.
Through the prayers of Saint Andrew Corsini,
who excelled as a peacemaker,
help us to work without ceasing
for that justice which brings true and lasting peace.
 We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ,
Who lives and reigns with you, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Carmelian
Dialogue
Activity: Fifteen (15) minutes.
Instructions: Answer the following guide questions.

1. What made the young Andrew change his attitude and lifestyle?
2. What kind of priest was he and as a Bishop what were his good characteristics?
3. What were the wonders that Andrew Corsini did? How did he accomplish such
feat?
4. How did he help the poor? What kind of friend was he to them?
5. Is Andrew Corsini loved by his friends and kinsmen (relatives)? How did they
show this?
6. How can we imitate the good values of Andrew Corsini?