Provincial Council Goals  

To Focus on Vocations | New vocations to Carmel are the foundation of our Provincial future; therefore, we commit ourselves to:

• Continuing pro-active vocation efforts in Peru, Mexico and El Salvador, while establishing new ministries in these areas.
• Energizing a vocation campaign in the United States and Canada with an expanded vocation team. We will initiate a comprehensive study of our current vocation and formation efforts to better understand and respond more effectively to our current reality.
• Organizing a new media campaign to maximize the potential of digital and social media. All of our provincial communication efforts will keep in mind the priority of reaching potential vocations.
• Establishing a new prayer campaign for provincial vocations to involve the men of the Province, Carmelite Nuns and Sisters, Lay Carmelites, members of the Society of the Little Flower, and those served in our parishes, high schools, retreat centers, and various ministries throughout the Province.
• Initiating a summer program for high school youth from our various ministries to promote the Carmelite charism and future potential vocations.

To Enhance the Fraternal Integration of All Carmelites of Our Province | As the men of the PCM Province minister in the United States, Canada, Peru, Mexico, and El Salvador, we will work toward the integration of all the national groupings that form our provincial identity.  Therefore, we commit ourselves to:

• Expanding bi-lingual communication in English and Spanish within our Province.
• Continuing language studies and international experiences within our Province for all our men, particularly those in initial formation, to promote greater cultural and linguistic understanding.
• Encouraging the participation of Carmelites from every part of our Province in Provincial chapters, commissions, and the Provincial Council, etc.
• Providing pastoral internship experiences in the United States and Canada for our Latin American men in formation, and in Peru, Mexico, and El Salvador for our U.S. and Canadian brothers.
• Providing future ministerial assignments in the United States and Canada for our Latin American men and in Peru, Mexico, and El Salvador for our U.S. and Canadian brothers.

To Revitalize our Community Life | We recognize that the aging of the Province, the low numbers of U.S. and Canadian vocations, the Provincial withdrawals from many of our ministries, the impact of the sexual abuse crisis, and the diversity of ages and cultural backgrounds of the men of the Province have all impacted our communal reality.  Therefore, we commit ourselves to:

• Nurturing the basic principles of our Carmelite brotherhood – a life of personal and communal prayer, fidelity to the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and a commitment to community life.
• Supporting the role of the Prior in promoting community meals, community meetings, days of reflection, the annual creation of a community life plan, and end-of-life issues.
• Utilizing our communications media to promote basic information and deeper understanding among the brothers so we can know one another better and remain connected.
• Embracing a model of servant leadership with a true spirit of collaboration and open communication with the men of the Province, while promoting Christian forgiveness, reconciliation, and basic kindness to one another.
• Accompanying the sick, aged, and dying members of our Province, and all those in times of personal crisis, so that no brother walks alone.
• Opening our communities to share our own call to Carmel with potential vocation inquirers.
• Animating communal gatherings of our men at local, regional, and provincial levels.

To Advance Ecological Stewardship | We are very much aware of a number of critical global environmental issues, most importantly the immediate impact of climate change, and the disparity of resource consumption among the family of nations.  Therefore, we commit ourselves to:

• Educating the men of our Province on matters related to climate change and its causes.
• Initiating a communal discussion of these pressing environmental issues in each of our local communities by first challenging our men to read and discuss Pope Francis’ pastoral letter, Laudato Si.
• Determining the carbon footprint of institutions and properties owned or administered by the Province, with the goal of reducing the provincial carbon footprint toward net-zero emissions, thus reducing consumption of fossil fuel-based energy and moving toward sustainable energy.
• Partnering with Catholic Energies, Carmelite NGO, and other Carmelite entitites in achieving these goals.
• Encouraging our membership to make small but concrete individual steps toward protecting the environment.

To Promote Carmelite Spirituality | The life of every Carmelite is at the service of our Carmelite charism.  This charism, first embodied in the 800 year old Rule of St. Albert, has been developed and advanced through the centuries.  Our Carmelite spirituality expressed through the writings of various Carmelite saints and Doctors of the Church, is a great gift to the universal Church.  Therefore, we commit ourselves to: 

• Developing the Carmelite Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary Endowed Chair and Centers for Carmelite Studies at the Catholic University of America.
• Participating on the Center for Carmelite Studies Advisory Board to ensure the appropriate direction of the Center for which it was established.
• Inviting Carmelites throughout the world to come to the Center for Carmelite Studies at the Catholic University of America.
• Encouraging the men of the Province to participate in programs offered by various Carmelite entities.
• Developing the Instituto de las Americas.
• Launching a new website for the Carmelitana Collection at Whitefriars Hall.