The OCDS
The great family of the Teresian Carmel is present in the world in many ways. Its nucleus is the Order of the Discalced Carmelites, made up of friars, cloistered nuns and seculars (OCDS). It is a single Order with the same charisma. It is nourished by the long historical tradition of Carmel, contained in the Rule of St. Albert and in the doctrine of the Carmelite Doctors of the Church and other saints of the Order.
The Secular Carmelites, together with the Friars and the Nuns, are sons and daughters of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Teresa of Jesus. Therefore, they share with the religious the same charism, each one living it according to his own state of life. It is one family with the same spiritual goods, the same vocation to holiness and the same apostolic mission. The Seculars bring to the Order the richness of their secularity.
The members of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites are faithful of the Church called to live "in the gift of Jesus Christ" through "friendship with the One we know loves us", serving the Church. Under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, according to the inspiration of St. Teresa of Jesus, St. John of the Cross and the biblical tradition of the prophet Elijah, they seek to deepen the Christian commitment received at baptism.
The Virgin Mary is present in a special way, especially as a model of fidelity in listening to the Lord and in her attitude of service to Him and to others. Mary is the one who kept and meditated in her heart the life and actions of her Son" giving an example of contemplation. Mary is an example of apostolic service. And it was she, again, who waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit, persevering in prayer with the apostles, witnessing the prayer of intercession. She is Mother of the Order. The Secular Carmelite enjoys her special protection and cultivates a sincere Marian devotion.
The Prophet Elijah represents the tradition of Carmel and is the inspiration to live in the presence of God, seeking Him in solitude and silence with zeal for the glory of God. The Secular lives the prophetic dimension of Christian life and Carmelite spirituality by promoting God's law of love and truth in the world and especially by becoming the voice of those who cannot by themselves express this love and truth.
The Rule of St. Albert is the original expression of Carmelite spirituality. It was written for lay people who gathered on Mount Carmel to live a life dedicated to the meditation of the Word of God under the protection of the Virgin Mary.
The following of Jesus as members of the Secular Order is expressed through the promise to strive for evangelical perfection in the spirit of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience and the Beatitudes.
The vocation of the Teresian Carmel is a commitment to "live in obeisance to Jesus Christ", "meditating day and night on the law of the Lord and keeping watch in prayer" Faithful to this principle of the Rule, St. Teresa made prayer the foundation and primary exercise of her religious family. Therefore, the lay person is called to ensure that prayer permeates his entire existence, so that he may walk in the presence of the living God (cf. 1 Kgs. 18:14), through the constant exercise of faith, hope and love, so that his whole life may be a prayer, a search for union with God. The goal will be to integrate the experience of God with the experience of life: to be contemplative in prayer and in the fulfillment of one's mission. Therefore, the Layman will commit himself to dedicate time daily to the practice of mental prayer. This is the time to be with God and strengthen the relationship with Him in order to be true witnesses of His presence in the world.
All this lived in Community, which helps to grow spiritually and forms the Secular Carmelite in the study of Our Holy Mother Teresa of Jesus, Our Holy Father John of the Cross, St. Therese of the Child Jesus and other Saints of Carmel.