Feast of St Teresa of Ávila at the Carmel of Jerusalem
On 15 October 2026, our Carmel here in Jerusalem was able to celebrate with joy the feast of our Mother, St Teresa of Ávila, reformer of the Carmelite Order and Doctor of the Catholic Church.
Thanks be to God, the celebration went very well. The Mass was presided over by His Excellency Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, Apostolic Delegate of Pope Leo XIV in Jerusalem, and was attended by several priests and deacons, as well as Mr Alexis Le Cour Grandmaison, Consul General of France in Jerusalem.
Archbishop Giorgio chose the Gospel passage about Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38–42) for this celebration. Our Mother St Teresa also reflects on this passage in her writings, highlighting the complementarity between Martha’s spirit of service and Mary’s attentive listening. He invited us to unite action and prayer, service and listening to the Lord, in harmony, so that we may live our love for Him to the full.
In his homily, he invited us to rediscover what is essential: "not to allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by worries and agitation, even when we sincerely desire to do good, but to learn to listen to the Lord so that we may discern and fulfil His will".
Following Mary’s example, as she chose to sit at Jesus’ feet, we are called to welcome His Word in silence and prayer. Through this humble and trusting listening, enlightened by the Holy Spirit and also lived out in our fraternal sharing, we learn to recognise what God asks of us, here and now.
On this feast of our Mother St Teresa, we continue to cherish her luminous message of hope and abandonment to God, and to share it with joy:
“Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away,
God never changes,
Patience obtains all things;
Whoever has God lacks nothing:
God alone suffices!”
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who came to join us in prayer through their presence, as well as to those who, though far away, united themselves with us in our joy and thanksgiving. May our Mother St Teresa intercede for each one of you and help us to continue along the path of prayer, in trust and peace.
Your Sisters of the Carmel of Jerusalem
We are pleased to share with you the full text of the homily delivered by His Excellency Archbishop Giorgio Lingua: in French!
We also share with you a few photos from the celebration.
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