A lay Carmelite is someone who is not a priest or nun, but he or she wants to commit, in a special way, to the Carmelite Order. The formal name of the order is “Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.” This order looks to the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Elisha as their spiritual fathers. There have been many Carmelite saints, including John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Thérèse of Lisieux, Elizabeth of the Trinity, Teresa of the Andes, and Edith Stein. John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux are also Doctors of the Church. The last time that Mary appeared at Fátima, she was dressed as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Lúcia, one of the shepherd children, later said the Blessed Mother appeared this way “because Our Lady wants all to wear the Scapular. ... The reason for this is that the Scapular is our sign of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” Lúcia later became a Carmelite nun. Carmelites follow the Gospel and take on a deeply Marian character for an evangelical life, looking to the Blessed Mother as an ideal example of prayer, love, and contemplation. The Blessed Virgin marvels at God’s love (Luke 1:46-55), ponders the Lord in her heart (Luke 2:19), asks us to obey Jesus (John 2:5), and looks out for the wellbeing of others – especially those who are spiritually and materially impoverished. (Luke 1:39-56, John 2:1-11). READ MORE