By Darlene Tvrdy
Special to the Herald
Katherine Catugal and Vicki Richards made their first promise with the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites May 3 during a ceremony at the Carmelite monastery chapel on the grounds of St. Stephen Diocesan Center in Kaneohe. The first promise is a three-year commitment to pursue personal holiness through Carmelite spirituality and to care for others with prayer and good works.
Carmelite Father Thomas Reeves of San Jose, California, was the ceremony’s celebrant at the monastery, Carmel of the Holy Trinity, which is where Discalced Carmelite nuns live in a cloistered community. (“Discalced” means “without shoes.”)
The Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS), commonly known as Secular Carmelites, is a branch and an integral part of the Carmelite order. The seculars are lay Catholics, men and women, married and single, from all walks of life, who integrate the Carmelite spirituality into their daily lives in order to seek God and share him with others through prayer and apostolate.
The Discalced Carmelite Secular Group of Hawaii is also known as the Flos Carmeli and St. Joseph Group. The group meets monthly at the Carmelite monastery chapel at St. Stephen Diocesan Center.
For more information about the Discalced Carmelite Seculars, contact Darlene Tvrdy, OCDS, Hawaii Discalced Carmelite Secular Group leader, at ocdshawaii@gmail.com or (808) 254-6677.
Above: Vicki Richards, left, and Katherine Catugal made their first promise with the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites May 3 at the Carmelite monastery chapel at St. Stephen Diocesan Center in Kaneohe. Carmelite Father Thomas Reeves of San Jose, California, was the celebrant. (Courtesy Darlene Tvrdy)