Our Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites of Mariam of Jesus Crucified welcomes you to our informational page. As people practicing the Catholic Faith, our community members strive to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ within the Catholic Church, according to the tradition and inspiration of the Carmelite Religious Order.
What is the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order?
Discalced Carmelites Seculars are members of the Carmelite family of the 16th-century reform of St. Teresa of Jesus. Discalced means shoeless. St. Teresa’s followers wore sandals rather than shoes, a practice which distinguished them from Carmelites of the Ancient Observance. These followers are present in the modern world as friars, enclosed nuns and Seculars.
Discalced Carmelite Seculars come from all walks of life, from every level of education and from every type of work. They are Catholic laypersons over the age of 18 (married or unmarried) or ordained diocesan priests or deacons.
There are more than 45,000 Discalced Carmelite Seculars worldwide and more than 6,000 in the United States. They gather in canonically erected communities or recognized study groups under the guidance and leadership of the order.
The following principles of the Rule of Saint Albert, written for the hermits on Mount Carmel in the 13th century, guide Carmelite life today:
What is required of Discalced Carmelite Seculars?
The Secular’s obligations can be summarized by the “6 Ms”:
The McAllen Community of Secular Carmelites meets on the second Sunday of each month at Holy Spirit Parish from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.