Traditional Carmelite Tertiary Resources + History

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In this post, I’m sharing resources and books for the beginner Carmelite Tertiary or for those who want to live this life simply at home.

A Carmelite’s life is one of contemplation. And a contemplative life means a life of constant recollection of the presence of God and a life of close union with Him.

Before I dive in, I want to briefly mention that this post is in no way to share any spiritual advice or direction — I leave that to the professionals. Please seek any advice from your spiritual director or priest.

Carmelite resources for the traditional tertiary

My search for resources to live the life of Carmelite at home (in the midst of my duties as a wife and homeschooling mother) has really taken many years. When I began my search, I could not find good solid resources — and by that, I mean pre-modernism or pre-Vatican II.

Now, if you have access to a traditional Carmelite order, this may not be a problem for you. However, we do not have anything like this locally and I pray that it may be God’s Will for us someday.

But through the grace of God, over the years I’ve been able to find a wealth of resources and am sharing them through a series of blog posts to aid in your search for a deeper spiritual life.

In future posts, I will share more spiritual reading books for the contemplative, but here, I’m just sharing some basic resources to guide as a Lay Carmelite.

History of the Carmelites + What are Carmelite Tertiaries?

The Carmelite Order is the oldest religious order in the Catholic Church, with a rich spiritual tradition rooted in contemplative prayer, solitude, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The following is a brief history of the order and spirituality of Carmelites.

The Carmelite Order traces its roots to a group of hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land (Palestine). These hermits lived a solitary life of prayer and contemplation, led by the prophet Elijah, who dwelled on Mount Carmel and is seen as the spiritual father of the order.

Around 1206–1214 (1208?), they received a Rule from St. Albert of Jerusalem. This “Rule of St. Albert” emphasized poverty, silence, manual labor, and continuous prayer.

Due to increasing instability in the Holy Land, the hermits fled to Europe. While in Europe, they faced challenges adapting to urban life and the growing suspicion of new religious movements.

In 1247, Pope Innocent IV revised the Rule to allow them to live in a community life rather than strictly as hermits. This marked their transformation from hermits to mendicant friars, like the Franciscans and Dominicans. The order was officially recognized by the Church and began to grow.

Carmelite Spirituality & Marian Devotion

The Carmelites became known for their deep Marian devotion, eventually taking the title “Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.”

In 1251, the Brown Scapular was given to St. Simon Stock, an English Carmelite, by the Virgin Mary  as a sign of her special protection.

The Carmelite Reform

By the 16th century, some within the order felt it had strayed from its contemplative roots.

St. Teresa of Jesus or commonly known “of Avila” (1515–1582), a Spanish mystic, along with St. John of the Cross (1542–1591), led a reform movement to return to a stricter, more austere life of prayer.

This movement created a reformed branch known as the Discalced Carmelites (“discalced” means barefoot, symbolizing poverty and humility). The Discalced Carmelites emphasize contemplative prayer, solitude, silence, and enclosure for nuns.

The older branch became known as the Ancient Observance, and both branches continue to exist today.

Carmelite Tertiaries

The Carmelite Third Order, also known as Carmelite Tertiaries or Lay Carmelites, is a branch of the Carmelite family made up of lay men and women who live in the world while sharing in the spirituality, prayer life, and mission of the Carmelite Order.

It was formally established in the late 13th century, following the pattern of other mendicant orders like the Franciscans and Dominicans, which offered laypeople a way to live out the charism of the order without taking religious vows.

Lay Carmelites commit to a life of contemplative prayer, simplicity, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, adapting the Carmelite Rule to their state in life while deepening their union with God in the midst of family and daily responsibilities.

Resources for the Carmelite Tertiary

The resources that I’m sharing here are helpful aids in beginning to understand the life of a Carmelite Tertiary. It is not a complete list of Carmelite spirituality, but the basics for getting started.

I will continue to share more resources in future posts.

Related: Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Divine Intimacy)

Manual of the Third Secular Order of Our Blessed Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Teresa of Jesus

I originally found a copy of the manual online for purchase, but at the time of writing this post, it has become out of print. It is available as a PDF on Internet Archive and I sent it to Humble Heart Press to print with tape binding. This version has an imprimatur of 1950.

It contains all of the duties of the Lay Carmelite and has the rituals/ceremonials for advancement as a Tertiary.

VADE-MECUM of the Carmelite Tertiaries of Carmel by Brother Paul of the Cross, T.O.C.D

This little booklet contains an abbreviated guide of the daily, weekly, and monthly duties of the Carmelite Tertiary. It also contains a very helpful study on the vocation and the spirit of the Third Order of Carmel.

In addition, there’s a wonderful bibliography for Carmelite Tertiaries, and the excellent work by Bossuet, “A Short and Simple Way to Practice the Prayer of Faith and of the Simple Presence of God.”

When they are available in print, you can usually obtain these from the Sister of Carmel. Here is where to purchase the VADE-MECUM.

I’ve also found it as a PDF uploaded by the SSPX (1951 edition).

Little Catechism of the Life of Prayer

Written by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., this little booklet is a great resource to aid as an instruction in prayer in the contemplative life.

“This ‘little catechism’ is, in fact, an exposition of the Teresian idea and method of mental prayer, an idea and method too little known, and yet whose beneficent influence has been verified so many times.” (Taken from Fr. Gabriel’s preface)

Originally published in 1943, it has had many editions printed. And I think the latest edition is the eleventh printing?

I have not found an older copy, but these reprints seem to be pretty solid. Consult with a priest if you have any questions or doubts.

This little book can be purchased here. And I am not sure of the source of this site, but Ihave found it available to read on this website.

The Carmelite Directory of the Spiritual Life

This book is an incredibly helpful resource for Carmelites and I’m going to share from the product description to help emphasize the beauty of this work…

“One of the modern masterworks of Carmelite Spirituality, The ‘Spiritual Directory’ is the most comprehensive accumulation of the spiritual traditions, experiences and practices of the Carmelite Order.

“Drawing heavily on the spiritual lives and works of many Carmelite Saints (Mary Magdelene De Pazzi, Michael of St. Augustine, John of St. Sampson, Father Dominic of St. Albert, Father Maurus of the Child Jesus, Father Michael de la Fuente, as well as Theresa of Jesus, and John of the Cross), the Directory was prepared as a tool for preparing and training novices in the Order, but more than a practical training manual, it captures the essence of living the Carmelite way of life and stands alone as a unique work in understanding Carmelite Spirituality. If one wants to know what it means to be ‘Carmelite’ this is the place to begin.” — Taken from the description.

You can find a reprint of this book here.

The Instruction of Novices is also very good to have as a reference book.

Thesaurus Fidelium

This prayer book is subtitled: a manual for those who desire to lead prayerful lives in the world.

It is full of beautiful advice and prayers taken from the writings of saints and spiritual masters like St. Teresa of Avila, Blessed Louis Blosius, St. Augustine, and many more.

It is full of instructions to help at the various stages of prayer and challenges that one faces in living an interior life.

I have an original printing from 1914, but it has been reprinted by various publishers over the years and is also available on internet archive.

And here is one of the reprinted versions.

Practice of the Presence of God

This book is helpful in developing an awareness of the Presence of God. It is a collection of the teachings through conversations and letters of Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Carmelite.

This book is available for purchase at a variety of places online. Here is one option. And it is also available as a PDF on Internet Archive (1895 edition).