← [[session-10-f1b|Session 10: OCDS Members' Responsibilities to the Community and the Order]] | [[formation-I-b-handbook|Table of Contents]] | [[session-12-f1b|Session 12: Rites of Admission and Ritual]] → # Session 11: The Promise in the Spirit of the Evangelical Counsels and the Beatitudes Instructions for Council and Formators: After the first stage of formation, the candidate makes a personal promise and commits himself or herself before God and the local community (fraternity) to follow the Constitutions of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites for three years. During this new state, the Secular Carmelite lives in accord with the Constitutions in a spirit of fidelity to the prescribed daily program of liturgical and contemplative prayer, in faithful participation in the meetings of the community, in formation, and in ongoing discernment. He or she does this with a view to making a life-long commitment at the end of three years (Ritual, 7-8). The Rite of the First Promise may be celebrated during a Eucharistic Liturgy, during the common recitation of the Morning or Evening Prayer of the Church, or in the context of a Liturgy of the Word (Ritual, 7). This Ritual has been officially approved by the Holy See and it is the only text authorized for the liturgical ceremonies of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. The prayers of the officiating minister who presides, and the formulas of acceptance and of commitment must be kept whole and unchanged (Ritual, 3-4). The Formation Director will meet with the candidates who have been approved for the Promise to prepare them for the Ritual, including the particular rites that will be used, the formulas of acceptance and of commitment, and the annual renewal of the Promise. Required Reading: Ritual for the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order, sections applicable to the ceremony to be used. Essential Points to Discuss: • The making of the Promise confers membership in the Secular Order and establishes spiritual and juridical ties with the Discalced Carmelites. By the promise of obedience, Secular Carmelites pledge themselves to cooperate with the legitimate Superiors of the Order and the governing council of the community, and to obey them, within the limits of the OCDS Constitutions (Ritual, Instruction of the Superior General). • Rites of Admission to the First Promise during the celebration of the Eucharist/Divine Office/Liturgy of the Word, according to the rite that will be used. Special emphasis should be given to the formula of the Promise itself. • When making the First Promise, the candidate’s given name is retained, to which the candidate may add a title of devotion (in those provinces where this is allowed). The Formation Director should help candidates understand the purpose and meaning of this title of devotion, and when and how it is used. • Candidates should understand when it is appropriate to publicly use the OCDS designation. (Refer to provincial policy or best practices, according to what is used in the local province.) • Review the formula for the Renewal of the Promise and when and how it is to be made (Ritual 84). 26 Recommended Meditative Reading: The Promise: I _____, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in response to God’s call, sincerely promise to the Superiors of the Order of the Teresian Carmel and to you my brothers and sisters, to tend toward evangelical perfection in the spirit of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, obedience, and of the Beatitudes, according to the Constitutions of the Secular Order of the Discalced Carmelites, for three years. I confidently entrust this, my Promise, to the Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Carmel. 27 Bibliography (includes required and optional materials) Rule of St Albert OCDS Constitutions, Casa Generalizia Carmelitani Scalzi, 2003. Amendments: Fraternal Communion, 24a – 24e; Concerning Saint Joseph, 31a, January 7, 2014. OCDS Local Statutes Ritual for the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order, Datum Romae, 1990 – (2017 English translation). The Collected Works of St Teresa of Avila: The Book of her Life, Volume One, ICS Publications, Washington, D.C. 1987. The Collected Letters of St Teresa of Avila, Volumes One and Two, ICS Publications, Washington, D.C. 1987 The Collected Works of St Teresa of Avila: The Foundations, Volume Three. ICS Publications, Washington, D.C. 1985. St. Teresa of Avila, The Book of her Foundation: A Study Guide, ICS Publications, Washington, D.C. 2011. The Collected Works of St John of the Cross: The Dark Night, ICS Publications 1991 revised edition. Deeney, Aloysius, OCD, Welcome to the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. ICS Publications, Washington, D.C. 2009. Website: http://ocd4ocds.blogspot.com/. Rohrbach, Peter-Thomas, Journey to Carith: The Sources and Story of the Discalced Carmelites. 1966. Reprint. Washington, DC. ICS Publications, 2005. Payne, Steven, OCD, The Carmelite Tradition: Spirituality in History, Liturgical Press, 2011. St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, The Collected Works of Edith Stein: The Hidden Life. ICS Publications, 1992. O’Keefe, Mark, O.S.B., In Context: Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and Their World, ICS Publications, Washington D.C., 2020. Ignea Sagitta – The Flaming Arrow, by Nicolas the Frenchman, from the Adrian Staring edition, ISBN 9781497397224 The Book of the Institution of the First Monks is included in The Ten Books of the Way of Life and Great Deeds of the Carmelites, British Province of Carmelites. http://www.carmelite.org/sap. https://stjudeshrine.co.uk/ten-books-on-the-way-of-life-and-great-deeds-of-the-carmelites General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, USCCB, 2006 revised edition. https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/general-instruction-on-the-liturgy-of-the-hours28 01.24 1-24-2024Bibliography Korves, Elizabeth, OCDS, “A Touch of OCDS History” (article). Alford, Gerald, OCDS, “The Evangelical Councils.” This may be found here as three separate articles, http://www.thereseocds.org Formation Tab → Formation Materials → Formation 1, “Chastity This Only One Kind of Love” “Promise to be Poor” “Existential Obedience.” Cannistra, Saverio, OCD, “Characteristics and duties of the local Council. Letter to OCDS Communities” Rome 6th March, 2019, http://www.carmelitaniscalzi.com/en/documents/ocds/2019_letter-to-the-secular-carmelocds/. Debastiani, Alzinir, OCD, “The Promise and Vows in the Secular Order of the Discalced Carmelites.” Rome, 2016. Available from Lulu press https://www.lulu.com/ “Pastoral Care of the Secular Order” 2006, http://www.carmelitaniscalzi.com/en/documents/ocds/pastoral-care_ocds_en/). --- **Source:** Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, *Formation I Year B: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life* (US National Formation Program, 2024).