Carmelite Conversations

Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS. reflects on the rich young man in the Gospels (Mark 10:17-31; Mt 19: 16-30; & Lk 18:18-30) to examine our journey in Carmel through our formation and the Temporary and Definitive Promises we make.

Chapter 4 of Called to Carmel, Called to Community: Reflections on the Carmelite Rule, Secular Constitutions, and Statutes by Tim Bete, OCDS. This chapter covers Witnesses to the Experience of God (Constitutions, 17 to 23).
In Called to Carmel, Called to Community, Tim Bete shares his reflections on the Carmelite Rule, OCDS Constitutions, and Provincial Statutes. The book brings the governing documents to life and connects them to the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and other Carmelite Saints. Through practical examples, Bete emphasizes the power of Secular Carmelite communities and how the community helps form us in holiness. If you are called to Carmel, you are called to community!

The book is divided into 11 chapters, perfect for community formation classes or individual reading. It is excellent supplementary reading for Formation I, Year B: History & Charism (in the United States), and for visitors to your community. At the end of each chapter, there are reflection questions.

Find the book on Amazon in paperback and e-book formats
https://www.timbete.net/carmel-book

Resources from the book, including the Rule, Constitutions, and Statutes from many Provinces
https://www.timbete.net/carmel

Contact Tim:
https://www.timbete.net/contact

Chapter 3 of Called to Carmel, Called to Community: Reflections on the Carmelite Rule, Secular Constitutions, and Statutes by Tim Bete, OCDS. This chapter covers Following Jesus in the Teresian Secular Carmel (Constitutions, 10 to 16).

In Called to Carmel, Called to Community, Tim Bete shares his reflections on the Carmelite Rule, OCDS Constitutions, and Provincial Statutes. The book brings the governing documents to life and connects them to the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and other Carmelite Saints. Through practical examples, Bete emphasizes the power of Secular Carmelite communities and how the community helps form us in holiness. If you are called to Carmel, you are called to community!

The book is divided into 11 chapters, perfect for community formation classes or individual reading. It is excellent supplementary reading for Formation I, Year B: History & Charism (in the United States), and for visitors to your community. At the end of each chapter, there are reflection questions.

Find the book on Amazon in paperback and e-book formats
https://www.timbete.net/carmel-book

Resources from the book, including the Rule, Constitutions, and Statutes from many Provinces
https://www.timbete.net/carmel

Contact Tim:
https://www.timbete.net/contact

In this episode, Tim Bete, OCDS, interviews Vivien Foster, OCDS, about her experience attending the 2026 OCDS World Encounter in Ávila, Spain, what she learned, and the opportunities presented at the Encounter. The meeting asked a fundamental question: What does it mean to be Carmelites in today’s world? How can a spirituality rooted in prayer, contemplation, silence, and interiority become a living witness in a world that is increasingly busy, distracted, and fragmented?

 

Vivien's report on the 2026 OCDS World Encounter:

https://mountcarmelmagazine.com/2026/08/02/ocds-world-meeting-2026-blog-from-avila/

 

Get an email update when the January 2027 issue of Mount Carmel is published, with more about the World Encounter:  

https://mountcarmelmagazine.com/e-mail-updates/

Chapter 2 of Called to Carmel, Called to Community: Reflections on the Carmelite Rule, Secular Constitutions, and Statutes by Tim Bete, OCDS. This chapter covers Our Identity, Values, and Commitment (Constitutions, 1 to 9).

In Called to Carmel, Called to Community, Tim Bete shares his reflections on the Carmelite Rule, OCDS Constitutions, and Provincial Statutes. The book brings the governing documents to life and connects them to the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and other Carmelite Saints. Through practical examples, Bete emphasizes the power of Secular Carmelite communities and how the community helps form us in holiness. If you are called to Carmel, you are called to community!

The book is divided into 11 chapters, perfect for community formation classes or individual reading. It is excellent supplementary reading for Formation I, Year B: History & Charism (in the United States), and for visitors to your community. At the end of each chapter, there are reflection questions.

Find the book on Amazon in paperback and e-book formats
https://www.timbete.net/carmel-book

Resources from the book, including the Rule, Constitutions, and Statutes from many Provinces
https://www.timbete.net/carmel

Contact Tim:
https://www.timbete.net/contact