| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Abstinence | The practice of refraining from certain foods (especially meat) on appointed days as a form of penance. |
| Active Night | The soul's purification through deliberate ascetic effort in sense and spirit, as described by Saint John of the Cross. |
| Apostolate | The outward works of service and evangelization flowing from contemplative life. |
| Discalced | Literally “without shoes”, i.e., Barefoot; symbolizes poverty, humility, and reform in the Discalced Carmelite tradition. |
| Charism | The particular spiritual gift and orientation given by God to the Carmelite family: contemplative prayer, community, and service. |
| Chapter | Formal community meeting for governance, discernment, and sometimes elections. |
| Chapter of Faults | Traditional communal exercise where members humbly acknowledge faults and receive fraternal correction. |
| Chastity | Evangelical counsel lived as consecrated celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. |
| Choir (Chapel Choir) | Area of the chapel reserved for the community, especially for the Divine Office. |
| Cloister | The enclosed part of a monastery reserved for the community, marked by separation from the world. |
| Cloistered Life | Form of religious life lived within enclosure, focused on prayer and hidden sacrifice. |
| Community Life | Fraternal living in common, sharing goods, prayer, and mission according to the Rule and Constitutions. |
| Compline | Night prayer of the Divine Office, traditionally prayed before “grand silence.” |
| Contemplation | Primarily a gift of God - loving, simple, transforming awareness of His presence beyond discursive thought. |
| Contemplative Outlook | Habit of seeing persons and events with the eyes of faith, recognizing God's presence in all. |
| Constitutions | Official text that applies the Rule to concrete life, detailing norms for Discalced Carmelites. |
| Convent | House of religious, especially nuns, where Carmelite life is lived in community. |
| Dark Night | Profound purification of the soul by God, both in sense and spirit, leading to union with Him. |
| Desert Day | A day set aside for extended silence, solitude, and prayer, recalling the eremitical (Hermit) roots of Carmel. |
| Detachment | Interior freedom from disordered attachments so that the heart may be wholly given to God. |
| Discursive Prayer | Mental prayer that uses reasoning, reflection, and considerations to speak with God and stir the will. |
| Discalced Carmelites | Reformed branch of the Carmelite Order, inspired by Saint Teresa of Jesus and Saint John of the Cross, emphasizing poverty and contemplative life. |
| Ember Days | Traditional days of fasting and prayer marking the seasons, sometimes observed in older Carmelite practice. |
| Enclosure | Canonical separation from the world, especially for monasteries of nuns, safeguarding contemplative life. |
| Evangelical Self-Denial | Voluntary renunciation of comforts and preferences to follow Christ more closely. |
| Examination of Conscience | Daily review of one's thoughts, words, and actions in the light of God's love and commandments with an attempt to discern the sins committed. |
| Fast | Limiting food or other legitimate pleasures as a penitential practice and aid to prayer. |
| Friary | House of friars (male religious) where Carmelite community life and ministry are lived. |
| Grand Silence | Period of strict silence, usually from Compline until morning, fostering recollection and prayer. |
| Habit | Religious garb signifying consecration; in Carmel typically tunic, scapular, mantle, and sometimes sandals. |
| Hermitage | Place of solitude and silence for more intense prayer, recalling the hermits of Mount Carmel. |
| Infused Contemplation | Contemplation given directly by God, beyond human effort, often described as mystical prayer. |
| Interior Castle | Image used by Saint Teresa of Jesus to describe the soul's journey through “mansions” toward union with God.
First Mansion - Awakening Desire Second Mansion - Spiritual Struggle Third Mansion - Ordered Virtue Fourth Mansion - Infused Prayer Fifth Mansion - Transforming Union Sixth Mansion - Purifying Trials Seventh Mansion - Mystical Marriage |
| Lauds | Morning prayer of the Divine Office, praising God at the start of the day. |
| Lay Carmelite / Secular Order (OCDS) | Lay faithful who share in the spirituality and mission of the Discalced Carmelites while living in the world. |
| Lectio Divina | Prayerful reading of Scripture involving reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation. |
| Divine Office | Official prayer of the Church, prayed throughout the day; central to Carmelite community prayer. |
| Living Flame of Love | Title of a work by Saint John of the Cross describing the soul inflamed with God's love in deep union. |
| Mantle | Outer cloak of the Carmelite habit, symbolizing Mary's protection and the prophet Elijah's mantle. |
| Meditation | Structured mental prayer using Scripture or mysteries to reflect, stir love, and converse with God. |
| Mental Prayer | Interior, personal prayer of the heart and mind, central to Carmelite tradition. |
| Mission | Service and apostolic work flowing from contemplative life, especially preaching and spiritual accompaniment. |
| Monastery | House of enclosed nuns or monks dedicated primarily to prayer and contemplation. |
| Mystical Theology | Theology arising from and reflecting on deep experiential knowledge of God in contemplation. |
| Novitiate | Initial period of more intense formation in religious life before first profession. |
| Obedience | Evangelical counsel of submitting one's will to God through legitimate superiors and the Rule. |
| Office (Divine Office) | Another term for the Divine Office, prayed daily by the community. |
| Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCD) | Canonical name of the reformed Carmelite Order founded by Saint Teresa of Jesus. |
| Passive Night | Purification of the soul primarily by God's action, often experienced as darkness or aridity. |
| Poverty | Evangelical counsel of living without personal ownership, trusting in God's providence. |
| Prayer of Quiet | Stage of prayer where the will is lovingly absorbed in God, with reduced discursive activity. |
| Prayer of Union | Deeper stage of contemplative prayer where the soul is united to God in a more stable way. |
| Practice of the Presence of God | Habit of recalling and loving God in the midst of daily tasks. |
| Prior / Prioress | Local superior of a Carmelite community of friars (Prior) or nuns (Prioress). |
| Professed Religious | Member who has made vows according to the Rule and Constitutions. |
| Profession (Solemn Profession) | Definitive vows by which a religious is fully incorporated into the Order. |
| Puritas Cordis | “Purity of heart”; interior simplicity and freedom from sin and duplicity, disposing the soul for contemplation. |
| Recreation | Community time of relaxed conversation, fostering fraternity and balance in cloistered life. |
| Reform of Carmel | Renewal of the Order led by Saint Teresa of Jesus, giving rise to the Discalced branch. |
| Retreat | Period of withdrawal from ordinary activities for more intense prayer and reflection. |
| Rule of Saint Albert | Foundational Carmelite rule given by Saint Albert of Jerusalem, emphasizing allegiance to Christ and life of prayer. (link) |
| Sandals | Simple footwear of Discalced Carmelites, symbolizing poverty and simplicity. |
| Scapular | Part of the Carmelite habit; also a devotional sign of Mary's protection for the faithful. |
| Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS) | Lay and diocesan members sharing the spirituality and mission of the Discalced Carmelites, aka, Third Order of the Discalced Carmelites. |
| Silence | Chosen quiet that protects recollection and fosters listening to God. |
| Solitude | Being alone with God, interiorly or exteriorly, in order to deepen prayer. |
| Spiritual Canticle | Poem and commentary by Saint John of the Cross describing the soul's loving dialogue with God. |
| Spiritual Direction | Accompaniment by a wise guide to discern God's action and respond faithfully. |
| Spiritual Marriage | Highest stage of union with God described by Saint Teresa, marked by stable, mutual love. |
| Teresa of Jesus (Saint Teresa of Avila) | Foundress of the Discalced Carmelites and major teacher of Carmelite prayer. |
| Teresian Carmel | Carmel shaped by the reform and teaching of Saint Teresa of Jesus. |
| Third Order | Older term for lay members associated with a religious order; in Carmel, now the Secular Order. (see Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites) |
| Vacare Deo | Latin for “to make space for God”; disposition of openness and availability to His presence. |
| Vespers | Evening prayer of the Divine Office, giving thanks and praise at day's end. |