On August 26th, Discalced Carmelites and the community of Apostoli Viae celebrate the Feast of the Transverberation (or Transpierecing of the Heart) of St. Teresa of Avila, Virgin, Doctor, and Reformer of the Carmelite Order.
The term transverberation comes from the Latin transverberare which means to pierce through. In mystical theology, it is also known by the Italian word ferita (wound) o...
St. Mary of Jesus Crucified - August 25
As we anticipate the feast of the Transverberation of St. Teresa of Jesus, considering the life of St. Mary of Jesus Crucified may our hearts be open to consider the possibility of allowing Him full access to our hearts. He is the Lord Who loves us! Despite many sufferings, the Lord worked in her life in many ways. Interestingly, she died on the fea...
Summary:
Fr. Jean-Baptiste Duverneuil (b. 1737 at Limoges), in religion Fr. Leonard, Fr. Michel-Louis Brulard (b. 1758 at Chartres), and Fr. Jacques Gagnot (b. 1753 at Frolois), in religion Fr. Hubert of Saint Claude, were among a group of 64 Martyrs beatified October 1, 1995, victims of the French Revolution who came from 14 French dioceses and from various religious Orders. In their loyalt...
Although in the United States, this Holy Day of Obligation has been abrogated (suspended) this year (2026), many parishes are having Masses in honor of Our Mother. May you enjoy these Masses devoted to our Mother, honoring Her on this special feast day! It has been celebrated for 1,500 years, and was officially called the Assumption by between 682 and 705. The Church declared it a dogma in 1...
This Saint of Carmel began life in a Jewish Family, as she tells us in the book she wrote about it called Life in a Jewish Family. It is a book worth reading to help anyone watching family members drift away from faith, to atheism, and then in the search for real truth, come to believe in our God, Who is Love and Truth. She lived from 1891 to 1942, making many contributions to the field of Ph...
Summary:
Albert degli Abbati was born at Trapani, Sicily, in the thirteenth century, and entered the Carmelite Order as a youth. He became renowned as a fervent preacher of the Gospel and a worker of miracles. He was Provincial of Sicily in 1296, and died at Messina, probably in 1307, with a reputation for purity and prayer.
History:
Albert degli Abati was born around 1240 in Trapani, ...
Summary:
John Soreth was born in Caen, Normandy, and entered Carmel as a young man. He took a doctorate of theology in Paris and served as regent of studies and provincial of his province. He was prior general from 1451 until his death in 1471 at Angers. He restored observance within the Order and promoted its reform, wrote a famous commentary on the Rule, issued new Constitutions in 1462, a...
Summary:
Born in Bolsward (the Netherlands) in 1881, St. Titus Brandsma joined the Carmelite Order as a young man. Ordained a priest in 1905, he earned a doctorate in philosophy in Rome. He then taught in various schools in the Netherlands and was named professor of philosophy as Rector Magnificus. He was noted for his constant availability to everyone. He was a professional journalist, and ...
Summary:
In one single memorial, we remember our sisters who were martyred in the Spanish Civil War, which lasted from 1936 to 1939. Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia (born at Tarazona on Dec. 30, 1877), Teresa of the Child Jesus and of St. John of the Cross (born at Mochales on March 5, 1890), and Maria Angeles of St. Joseph (born at Getafe on March 6, 1905), Discalced Carmelite nuns of the...
This amazing Saint, although not a Carmelite saint, inspired St. Teresa of Avila and many others down through the centuries. As the Church teaches, we always look at Scripture to form our understanding. In particular, we look to Scripture to help us with the life of those living with Jesus, remembering that sometimes those who are very important are also very humble, such as St. Joseph and ou...
