Discalced Carmelites
Discalced Carmelite Order
The Carmelite Order was founded on Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land (Israel) in the year 1209 AD. The members of the Order migrated to Europe in the middle 13th century, living in monasteries rather than as hermits as on Mt. Carmel.
During the latter part of the 16th century, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross engaged in a reform of the Carmelite Order in Spain and brought about the establishment of the Discalced Carmelites as a separate branch of the Carmelite Order. Discalced, meaning barefoot, was a sign of reform. The ministry of the Discalced Carmelites flows from their life of prayer and is oriented toward leading others to intimacy with God.
