New Prior Provincial

Congratulations to Fr Antony Lester who has been elected new Prior Provincial of the Carmelites.

From Carmelite News:

British Province Friars elect new Provincial and Council

The Friars of the British Province of Carmelites have elected Fr. Antony (Tony) Lester as their new Prior Provincial, and four brothers to serve as his Council. They will take up their new positions from the second stage of the Provincial Chapter in May.

The four friars elected to serve as the Provincial's Council are: Fr. Kevin Melody; Fr. Damian Cassidy; Fr. Francis Kemsley; and Brother Paul Jenkins, who joins the Council for the first time.

The elections took place on 26th and 27th February 2014 at Aylesford Priory, the Carmelite Order's historic community in Kent, as part of a special assembly of the Whitefriars held every three years. The assembly was presided over by the Prior General of the whole Carmelite Order, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral.

The Prior Provincial is the senior brother of the Carmelite Order in Britain. Father Tony has previously served two terms in the post, between 2002 and 2008. He will succeed Fr. Wilfrid McGreal who hands over the role after the Carmelite Provincial Chapter in May.

Fr. Tony is currently Catholic Chaplain to the University of York.

Spring newsletter

Later this week many of our supporters will be receiving their copy of The Carmelite News through the front door. However, as a member of our Facebook group, you can read it a week earlier!

Carmelite News is available to view via a system called Page Tiger. You do not need special software for the online magazine and you will be able to print all, or part of it, if you wish to do so.

Our spring issue can be accessed, via this link: http://view.pagetiger.com/CarmeliteNews-Spring2014/issue1/?ptit=037049426BB86674F27F

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Thoughts from our Chaplain - A friend is more than a brother!

I read an interesting article in KarmelImpuls, a three monthly magazine issued by the Belgian Discalced Carmelites. The article is written by Iny Driessen and goes under the title of “Judas, friend”, explaining that we usually describe him as the traitor, but that the last name that Jesus gave to Judas was friend. She goes on to explain what friend means in the bible.

God calls Abraham and Moses friends, because “they walk with the Lord”, i.e. to live with him and dedicate oneself to him.  Proverbs tells us in 18:24 “There are friends who lead one to ruin, others are closer than a brother.” Especially Ecclesiasticus has plenty to say about friendship. Read in particular 6: 5-17, e.g. “A faithful friend is a sure shelter, whoever finds one has found a rare treasure. A faithful friend is something beyond price, there is no measuring his worth”.

I like especially the words of Blessed Titus Brandsma, who wrote in his prison cell before a picture of Jesus: “Dear Lord, when looking up to Thee, I see Thy loving eyes on me; Love overflows my humble heart, Knowing what faithful friend Thou art.” In John 15:15 Jesus himself tells his disciples “I shall not call you servants anymore, because a servant does not know his master’s business. I call you friends, because I have made know to you everything I have learnt from my Father. He says that to each one of us too!

Fr Piet Wijngaard, O.Carm.