What to Do When You Break Your Wrist
Bones of the Upper Limb Poster
The Royal Janitor
by
John Presco
Chapter 7 The Bonebreakers of Iceland
Victoria Bond got sick and ran to the bathroom after hearing Starfish’s plot on how they were going to kill Putin.
“When he shakes my hand, I’m going to grab it real hard. I will bring my left elbow down on his Radius bone – and break it! This will cause a compound fracture that I will push into his chest and heart. I will give you the most loving look before I am shot dead. There will be a lot of blood. I will be covered in blood. Do you think you can handle it?”
Starfish did not go into the bathroom to comfort her husband who was having an out-of-body experience. When she emerged, Victoria was filled in on the paper her parents wrote while at the University of Oregon. A early Viking settlement was found on Iceland. Illustrations in a cave revealed the fighting and hunting techniques of The Bone Crushers as they were named. There were not trees from which to fashion weapons.
“The Wizard wants us to grab Putin’s stool and bring it back to England. How are we going to fit that into the itinerary?” Victoria sheepishly asked, as it was now clear two female agents had a lot of To Do put on their plate. How to get shit our of a ruthless killer, guilty of genocide, and, put his bone into his heart.
“I’m leaving it up to your to envision how this excrement extraction will go. The Wizard suspect Putin has cancer. This would severely weaken his crusade of Europe, he using the LGBT people as an excuse. He gives the impression he is a Superman. Let us give a powerful message……
THIS DICTATOR SHITS AND BLEEDS
Putin’s bodyguards collect his poop on trips abroad and take it back to Russia with them, report says
Jun 10, 2022, 8:19 AM
- Putin’s bodyguards collect his poop when he travels and take it back to Russia, a report says.
- It appears to be an attempt to stop foreign spies from discovering information about his health.
- The claim was made in a report from Russia experts Regis Gente and Mikhail Rubin.
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President Vladimir Putin’s bodyguards collect his poop when he travels abroad, according to a report from two investigative journalists.
The claim was made by Regis Gente, the author of two books on Russia, and Mikhail Rubin, who has covered Russia for 13 years, in a Thursday report for the French news magazine Paris Match.
According to the article, the responsibility for collecting Putin’s feces lies with the Federal Protection Service, the department tasked with protecting Putin and other government officials.
According to Gente and Rubin, each time Putin needs to go, an FSO agent places his excrement in a specialized packet so that it can be returned to Russia in a suitcase.
A privately owned ladder truck parked near City Park in Coeur d’Alene caused many citizens to voice their concerns over the political statement flag attached to the back of it.
Starfish Flight 505
Posted on March 11, 2022 by Royal Rosamond Press
Here’s the Palestinian version from the current Palestine Museum exhibit:
Russian plane leaves U.S. with expelled ‘spies’ – POLITICO
The Royal Janitor
by
John Presco
Copyright 2022
I composed this chapter in my head several days ago and posted on this process.
Chapter – Flight 505
Professor John von John did not want to be dragged into a international incident, but, Starfish made him an offer he could not refuse.
“Do you want to swim with my deep Russian fish? Pack an overnight bag! Pack and extra wig!”
“I don’t wear a wig!”
“Yeah -right!”
When the threesome landed in Washington they were driven to CIA headquarters at Langley where John was fitted with a European suit and a black patch over his left eye. John was happy when a straightjacket was strapped on Starfish, he upset with her that she had made him afraid, once again. When a doctor shot her full of methedrine……
“Don’t do that! She’s crazed enough!”
“Stand back Doctor. We know what we are doing!’
“He’s not a – real Doctor! He is a fraud!” spat Starfish, who was drooling saliva like a rabid dog. That’s when two huge agents grabbed Starfish, brusquely, and led her to the helicopter for Dullas airport. Everyone was getting in character. A guard was assigned to Victoria.
When the helicopter landed next to the Ilyushin Il-96, Starfish was the first on the tarmac. She was kicking and screaming. The Russian spies lined up to board, were, enthralled. When John von John emerged, shouting orders, they knew he was ‘The Evil One’ the super agent for M-16 they had heard so much about.
“That’s him! The guy with the eyepatch!”
A reporter for Russian television moved in for a close-up! The steel-blue madness in Starfish’s eyes- sent chills down your spine!”
“Long live mother Russia! ” Starfish shouted. And a chill overcame the leader of the Russian people.
On cue, John von John came up to Starfish – and slapped her hard across her face! Then, he hit her even harder! There was a gasp from the other spies when they saw a rivulet of blood flow from her mouth, and on to her loin cloth.
“Die – you Imperialist Dog! Die!” Starfish shouted – in Old Russian.
Starfish had full sympathy from her fellow spies. But, when she was lifted on the shoulder of the giant guards, and carried up the steps on their shoulder – like a cross – there was a collective gasp when her gold crucifix dangling from her neck, caught the setting sun!
“Martyr!” a Russian woman whispered. “Martyr!” the forty spies mumbled in concert. The fearless leader in Moscow, who was watching on T.V. said;
“Bring her to me when she arrives. Get her cleaned up. Put some clothes on her. Those bastards must have tortured her, kept her in a dungeon. All she’s wearing it a tattered…….pink loincloth.”
On the plane, the agents lined up to talk to Starfish ‘The Ros Martyr’. Victoria handled the overflow. She was wired knowing the agents couldn’t wait to talk about their TOP SECRET spy missions in the U.S.
The Coeur d’Alene Fire Department was made aware of the truck on Saturday, June 11. According to the fire department, numerous citizens reached out to voice their concerns over the flag.
The flag itself displays the letters “LGBT,” with L representing the Statue of Liberty, G representing guns, B representing beer and T representing former president Donald Trump.
“The Coeur d’Alene Fire Department supports all lawful and peaceful gatherings in our community, as well as an individual’s freedom of speech,” the department said in a press release. “We do not support, promote or represent any form of discrimination.”
The fire department went on to apologize for “the poor reflection that this privately owned fire truck portrayed” and thanked citizens for their concerns and feedback, as it helped them address the situation in a timely manner.
About The Book
A Frighteningly Plausible, Fast-Paced Thriller about a Russian Cyberattack on America and a Plot to Kill President Putin, Involving Fake News and Anonymous Hackers
The CIA has learned that the Kremlin is about to launch a sophisticated propaganda operation aimed at discrediting and disrupting the United States and ultimately restoring Russia to great nation status.The operation revolves around a plot to implicate the United States in the attempted assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The plan was conceived by a Russian billionaire and former FSB officer named Andrei Turov. For years Turov has been developing the infrastructure for a new kind of warfare that exploits weaknesses in western democracies and manipulates public opinion. His organization offers the Kremlin plausible deniability.
But the United States has its own secret weapon: Christopher Niles, a former CIA intelligence officer, who understands Turov’s ambitions and capabilities. It falls to him and his small team–composed of his journalist half-brother Jon, a special forces operative he would trust with his life, and Anna Carpenter, a resourceful US senator with deep roots in the intelligence community–to unravel Turov’s plot and restore truth to a world spiraling into chaos.
The Plot to Kill Putin is a chillingly realistic, timely thriller that delves into the secret corners of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, exploring the shifting world order and the murky realm of US-Russia relations.
Previously published in the hardcover as The Children’s Game.
Starfish
Posted on April 21, 2022 by Royal Rosamond Press
Starfish
A Movie and Series about Miriam Starfish Christling, her upbringing, and her becoming the bodyguard of Victoria Rosemond Bond.
by
John Presco
Copyright 2022
Miriam’s Wardrobe
Posted on March 20, 2018 by Royal Rosamond Press
The Royal Janitor
Serena watched Miriam walk towards her for their meeting. As far as she could tell, all her bodyguard wore was some kind of loin clothe – with sandals! Her long auburn hair covered her breasts.
Exclusive: Aurelia Gliwski by Cheyene Tillier-Daly in ‘Castaway’
“Please! Be seated. And stop staring down at me as if you are going to put me in a big pot and cook me! You’ve been given a nickname, you know……..Tarzarena! Some whisper this after you pass; “There goes Lady Greystoke” Have you seen a Tarzan movie?”
“No. I’ve only seen two movies, Ben Hur, and, PI.”
“Only two? PI? What is that about?”
“It’s about a Kabbalist mathematical genius who finds another dimension. My parents put it on our video machine every Saturday after firing up the generator. We watched Ben Hur every Easter. I can recite PI backwards. Want to hear?”
“No. Not right now. I am still in a daze. I think I spotted another Leprechaun at the frozen yogurt shop. Are they really National Treasures?”
“Yes! You can go to jail for ten years if you molest one.”
“Are there female Leprechauns?”
“No.”
“Do you mind if I ask why you don’t wear a bra, or, a top of some kind? What is odd, you have never exposed a breast, or two. What is your secret?”
“You won’t freak out if I show you?”
“No! Lay it on me!”
Miriam leans forward in her chair, and tries to pull her hair away from her breast.
“Oh my God – What? What am I seeing! Holy fuck!”
“Isn’t that cool. My hair has a mind of its own and wraps around my breast to hold it firm. All women can do this if they grow their hair, and don’t wear a bra. My tits don’t sag a bit. Too bad you didn’t have the parents I had. We went back to Eden – almost. I own two dozen loincloths, because Jesus wore two styles. They are hung on hangers in my closet. I don’t have a panty and sock drawer. Which one do you like the best?”
“I’ve seen enough! No more. Don’t forget you have an appointment to see The Wizard tomorrow.”
Jon Presco
Copyright 2018
Identifying Starfish
Posted on April 15, 2021 by Royal Rosamond Press
The Royal Janitor
After their prolonged meeting with Zachary, he not wanting them to go, Starfish hovered over Victoria gazing deep into her blue-grey eyes. They were supposed to be sleeping, but, they hated their hotel by the airport. There was so much sound and activity. The vibrations of millions of people trying to leave their bodies and go astro-traveling, was….confusing! There was a heavy pall in the air, a thick fog that hindered take-off.
“I am going to teach you Yiddish. This is the only way your third-eye can be opened. You need to see – more clearly. I suspect you are a Kohen, like Zach. His DNA is full of Yiddish words. The Jews used to control the trade on the Silk Road by inventing a Trader Talk. That whole speal was expanding lawyer trade-speak. You may be of Scythian descent like me. I can see my Tocharian ancestors in caves studying Sanskrit and worshiping Buddha in the way of the Indians. You are so Celtic. I love your cherub mouth. I can teach you remote-viewing.”
“It’s 1:32 A.M. We need to sleep. We got a big day ahead of us!”
Starfish took Victoria’s lips between her index finger and thumb, and pinched them as she made the basic vowel sounds of Yiddish.
“You can do it..my precious little baby!”
Most of the day yesterday I wondered why I turned James Bond into a woman, and, then created a angelic bodyguard for her. Later one, while discussing remote viewing on a psychedelic facebook group. I googled the Scythians who I knew smoked cannabis. I found myself, and, my guardian angel. I am Enaree, men who acted like transvestites in order to be in balance with both halves of our sexual nature. Why would they want to do that. I believe they were Doves, a class of priests who could meditate, leave their body, and hover over the great steppes and wilderness along the Silk Trail. They could spot friends and foes, They knew what was being carried in the caravans. This gave them an advantage in TRADING.
I just spent the last two hours of my morning studying the Tocharian, the Khazars, and Ashkenazi. Here is an excellent article that will allow me to identify who the LEVITES were.
Localizing Ashkenazic Jews to Primeval Villages in the Ancient Iranian Lands of Ashkenaz (nih.gov)
Getting on my computer, after deciding I will livestream my revelations about the Kidron Valley, I read this. The Gideon Computer is NOW CURRENT. We are on the brink of war. I took over Herbert Armstrong’s church and radio station KORE that was torn down – after I tried to save it. There was a DOVE under the call letters.
U.S. Imposes Stiff Sanctions on Russia, Blaming It for Major Hacking Operation (msn.com)
“The Biden administration on Thursday announced tough new sanctions on Russia and formally blamed the country’s premier intelligence agency for the sophisticated hacking operation that breached American government agencies and the nation’s largest companies.”
I own a special copyright that protects my letters and sermons that I will broadcast. This is Cyber Warfare. I have three warriors ready to go – counting myself. I am asking Rena to join us. She owned the most beautiful arms. She is a remote viewer who spends much time out of her body due to her extreme abuse. This abuse goes hand in hand. We activate the dark side of many who come in contact with us. I will explain as I go.
The Enaree may be the result of riding in a saddle for prolonged periods, which might have caused prostate cancer.
(16) I Ching Yarrow Stalk Tutorial – YouTube
I Ching divination – Wikipedia
Scythians & Cannabis | Herb Museum
According to Herodotus, the Scythians who pillaged the temple of Aphrodite (see Venus Castina) at Ascelon, and all their descendants after them, were afflicted by the goddess with the “female” sickness: and so the Scythians say that they are afflicted as a consequence of this and also that those who visit Scythian territory see among them the condition of those whom the Scythians call Enarees.[1] Herodotus associates their patron goddess, Argimpasa, with Aphrodite Urania via interpretatio graeca.[citation needed]
Herodotus also mentions some of their religious practices:
There are many diviners among the Scythians, who divine by means of many willow wands as I will show. They bring great bundles of wands, which they lay on the ground and unfasten, and utter their divinations as they lay the rods down one by one; and while still speaking, they gather up the rods once more and place them together again; this manner of divination is hereditary among them. The Enarees, who are hermaphrodites, say that Aphrodite gave them the art of divination, which they practise by means of lime-tree bark. They cut this bark into three portions, and prophesy while they braid and unbraid these in their fingers.[2]
The Greek physician Hippocrates, who speaks about the Enarees in his work On Airs, Waters, Places, theorized that although the inhabitants of Scythia believe the cause of their effeminacy is divine, he believed the cause of their impotency was a result of continuous horseback riding, and it was for this reason they have adopted feminine roles.
Carmelites of Belmont
Posted on October 6, 2020 by Royal Rosamond Press
I am beginning to believe I am the End Time Elijah as prophesized by Herbert Armstrong. To discover the College of Norte Dame de Namur is closing in a sign other such institutions are going to meet the same fate. The AWOL Loon in the White House has thrown Jesus under the bus and is only concerned about saving himself. It is obvious he knows he is going to prison if he is voted out.
John Presco
The End-Time Elijah
Posted on June 14, 2015by Royal Rosamond Press
There are members of my family and ex-friends who choose to believe it is my fault I lost my daughter when she was still a minor, and, I later deserved to lose my grandson six years after he was born out-of-wedlock. Rather then explain to my face why they believe I deserve to be UNBORN from my Family Tree, they have ostracised me, excommunicated me, and made me out to be insane. In no way can I own a religious or spiritual agenda – either! I must be the lowest of the low, the most perverted of the perverts – that is deserved of death. Any monies are objects of value I own – belong to them! I do not deserve to be published, have a best seller, or, a movie made from my story. To do this to me is – prophetic!
The Messiah of the Jews is supposed to be a reviled, sniveling low-life scum that is degraded and abused by the Children of God. He is not the Chefon Jesus, the big strapping Ayran blonde with sexy blue eyes. Am I wearing the coat of many colors? Consider the Art Dynasty I have put forth in our Family History. Do they say, “Thank you!” No, they sold me into slavery – after cutting my hair-a-tage. Look! Over there! Who are those murderers enslaving children – after they destroy the ancient roots of their parents? ISIS is destroying the colorful art of the world and attacking museums.
I am a genealogist of renown. To be severed from my Family Tree by know-nothing morons who own no gifts, is prophetic! They are anointing me! They are crucifying me, the one who came to restore Zion!
The Carmelite Elijah
Posted on June 15, 2015by Royal Rosamond Press
The Carmelite order in Israel, and Rougemont Switzerland resembles the vision of Herbert Armstrong who may not have know of them. I found them by doing my family tree. The Mormons are obsessed by genealogies because they believe you can save the souls of dead relatives – who did not have a chance to convert – but are now saved in the Mormon Family Tree. Jews object to their ancestors being captured this way. This is touching on British Israelism that was the downfall of Armstrong. To be a member of the Order of Rougemont you had to produce a chart to the fifth generation. Many ancestor went on Crusade and were kin to the Knights Templar.
In the cote of arms of Rougemont we see a tower and a red mountain with three lights or stars that Represent the Carmelites of the Priory de Rougemont and the Noble Order of Rougmont. In reviving the teaching of Armstrong, I see the radio tower as ‘The Watchtower of Rougemont – that is watching for ‘The Return of Elijah’ that took place when John the Baptist was born.
If Herbert was alive today we would burning candles late into the knight as he bid me to download all I know. The radio was the high-tech of his day. I am seeking to form a think-tank to counter ISIS on the internet.
Jon the Nazarite
I was named after John the Baptist because I was born three days after the Day of Atonement during an amazing star shower. My mother wanted me to be named JON, but a H was put in this name, and my mother refused to call me JOHN.
When the Nazarite Priests came to name John the Baptist, Elizabeth wanted him to be called JOHN, and Zechariah wanted him to own his name. Here is a spiritual tug-of-war. A priest asked the eight-day old infant what his name is, and the infant asks for a slate to write on. After he scribes his name, he now speaks.
“I am the prophet most high. I am Elijah.”
I bid all Carmelites and Knights of Rougemont to prepare a place for the Holy Grail.
Father John
The Holy Church of the Protector of God in the Glade
https://rosamondpress.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/king-david-museum-in-america/
Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14″And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15″For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb. 16″And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. 17″And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord,” (Luke 1:13-17).
Spiritual Roots
Two great figures in the Bible have inspired Carmelites through their 800-year history. Elijah, the fiery prophet of Carmel, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, have helped the community see how to be contemplative and active; prayerful and prophetic; reflective and apostolic.
Elijah and Mary are human models. Just as many of us wonder about the best way to live our lives, they felt paralyzing fear, faced difficult questions, and were hurt deeply because of choices they made.
Elijah: A Lone Figure
In the Hebrew Bible, Elijah is a solitary figure. On Mount Carmel — where the Carmelite hermits first settled — he challenged his people to choose one God for Israel — Yahweh or Baal. According to the First Book of Kings, chapter 18, Elijah’s sacrifice was consumed by fire, which proved to the people that Yahweh was the true God.
Undertaking God’s work, Elijah started a journey through the desert, but he lost his focus and commitment to the project. Sitting under a bush, he wished to die. But God prodded him to continue his journey to Mount Horeb. There Elijah became aware of God — not with the usual eye-catching signs of fire and earthquake, but rather as a gentle breeze. Elijah was sent back to his people refreshed. From Elijah, Carmelites learn to become aware of the presence of God in the unexpected and to be silent enough to hear God’s whisper.
“God lives in whose presence I stand”, says Elijah, and the Carmelites try to follow, recognizing God in everyone they meet and serve.
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites (sometimes simply Carmel by synecdoche; Latin: Ordo Fratrum Beatissimæ Virginis Mariæ de Monte Carmelo) is a Roman Catholic religious order founded, probably in the 12th century, on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain.[1] Saint Bertold has traditionally been associated with the founding of the order, but few clear records of early Carmelite history have survived and this is likely to be a later extrapolation by hagiographers.[2] There is a very small body of Anglican Carmelites.
The sole biblical account of the birth of John the Baptist comes from the Gospel of Luke. John’s parents, Zechariah or Zachary — a Jewish priest — and Elizabeth, were without children and both were beyond the age of child-bearing. During Zechariah’s rotation to serve in the Temple in Jerusalem, he was chosen by lot to offer incense at the Golden Altar in the Holy Place. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that he and his wife would give birth to a child, and that they should name him John. However, because Zechariah did not believe the message of Gabriel, he was rendered speechless until the time of John’s birth;[2] at that time, his relatives wanted to name the child after his father, and Zechariah wrote, “His name is John” and could speak (Luke 1:5-25; 1:57-66). Following Zechariah’s obedience to the command of God, he was given the gift of prophecy, and foretold the future ministry of John (Luke 1:67-79).
https://rosamondpress.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/protector-knights-of-red-mount/
http://www.carmelitedcj.org/saints/elijah.asp
http://www.carmelites.net/about/spiritual-roots/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmelites
http://ocarm.org/en/content/martyrs-guadalajara-spainjpg
http://www.thecarmel.ca/saint_martyrG.aspx
The sole biblical account of the birth of John the Baptist comes from the Gospel of Luke. John’s parents, Zechariah or Zachary — a Jewish priest — and Elizabeth, were without children and both were beyond the age of child-bearing. During Zechariah’s rotation to serve in the Temple in Jerusalem, he was chosen by lot to offer incense at the Golden Altar in the Holy Place. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that he and his wife would give birth to a child, and that they should name him John. However, because Zechariah did not believe the message of Gabriel, he was rendered speechless until the time of John’s birth;[2] at that time, his relatives wanted to name the child after his father, and Zechariah wrote, “His name is John” and could speak (Luke 1:5-25; 1:57-66). Following Zechariah’s obedience to the command of God, he was given the gift of prophecy, and foretold the future ministry of John (Luke 1:67-79).
You will be called
the prophet of the Most High.
http://www.lifeofchrist.com/life/johnthebaptist/default.asp
1. Matthew 11:13-14) – “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14″And if you care to accept it, he himself is Elijah, who was to come.”
The charism (or spiritual focus) of the Carmelite Order is contemplative prayer. The Order is considered by the Church to be under the special protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and thus has a strong Marian devotion. As in most of the orders dating to medieval times, the First Order is the friars (who are active/contemplative), the Second Order is the nuns (who are cloistered) and the Third Order consists of laypeople who continue to live in the world, and can be married, but participate in the charism of the order by liturgical prayers, apostolates, and contemplative prayer. There are also offshoots such as active Carmelite sisters.
Carmelite tradition traces the origin of the order to a community of hermits on Mount Carmel that succeeded the schools of the prophets in ancient Israel, although there are no certain records of hermits on this mountain before the 1190s. By this date a group of men had gathered at the well of Elijah on Mount Carmel. These men, who had gone to Palestine from Europe either as pilgrims or as crusaders, chose Mount Carmel in part because it was the traditional home of Elijah. The foundation was believed to have been dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The conventual buildings were destroyed several times, but a monastery of Discalced Carmelite friars was built close to the original site under the auspices of Fr. Julius of the Saviour and duly consecrated on 12 June 1836.
Some time between 1209 and 1214 the hermits received a formula vitae “in keeping with their avowed purpose” (Rule Ch. 1) from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and Papal legate St. Albert of Jerusalem. Albert had been responsible for giving a rule to the Humiliati during his long tenure as Bishop of Vercelli, and was well-versed in diplomacy, being sent by Pope Innocent III as Papal Legate to what was known as the Eastern Province. As an experienced prelate he created a document which is both juridically terse and replete with Scriptural allusions, thereby rooting the hermits in the life of the universal Church and their own aspirations.
The original Carmelite Rule of St. Albert addresses a prior whose name is only listed as “B.” When later required to name their founders, the Brothers referred to both Elijah and the Blessed Virgin as early models of the community. Later, under pressure from other European Mendicant orders to be more specific, the name “Saint Bertold” was given, possibly drawn from the oral tradition of the Order.
The rule consisted of sixteen articles, which enjoined strict obedience to their prior, residence in individual cells, constancy in prayer, the hearing of Mass every morning in the oratory of the community, vows of poverty and toil, daily silence from vespers until terce the next morning, abstinence from all forms of meat except in cases of severe illness, and fasting from Holy Cross Day (September 14) until the Easter of the following year.
[edit] History
[edit] Early history
The Rule of St. Albert received the approval of Pope Honorius III in 1226. With the increasing cleavage between the West and the East, however, the Carmelites found it advisable to leave their original home, and in 1238 they settled in Cyprus and Sicily.
In 1242 they were in Aylesford, Kent, England, and two years later in southern France, while by 1245 they were so numerous that they were able to hold their first general chapter at Aylesford, where Saint Simon Stock, then eighty years of age, was chosen general. During his rule of twenty years the order prospered, especially by the establishment of a priory at Paris by Saint Louis in 1259.
[edit] Reforms
Carmelite nuns.
The Carmelite Monks.
Quite early in their history the Carmelites began to develop ministries in keeping with their new status as mendicant religious. This resulted in the production of a letter Ignea Sagitta (Flaming Arrow) by the ruling prior general, Nicholas of Narbonne, who called for a return to a strictly eremitical life. His belief that most friars were ill-suited to an active apostolate was based on a number of scandals. However, the tendentious letter is not found quoted in early extant Carmelite texts, raising the question whether it was ever issued. In any case, Nicholas resigned from office at the General Chapter in Paris in 1271 to pursue the solitary life he favoured. This tension within the charism of the Order remains – the need for solitude and the need to respond to the Church’s apostolic mission.
In the 14th and 15th centuries the Carmelites, like a number of other religious orders, declined and reform became imperative. Shortly before 1433 three priories in Valais, Tuscany, and Mantua were reformed by the preaching of Thomas Conecte of Rennes and formed the Congregation of Mantua, which was declared independent of the rest of the Order with its own special set of Constitutions as ratified by Pope Eugene IV and governed by its own vice prior general. In 1431 or 1432 the same pope sanctioned certain modifications of the Carmelite rule and, in 1459, Pope Pius II left the regulation of fasts to the discretion of the prior general. Blessed John Soreth, who was then prior general and had already established the order of Carmelite nuns in 1452, accordingly sought until his death in 1471 to restore the primitive asceticism.
In 1476, a papal bull cum nulla of Pope Sixtus IV founded the Carmelites of the Third Order, who received a special rule in 1635, which was amended in 1678. The 16th century saw a number of short-lived reforms, but it was not until the second half of the same century that a thorough reformation of the Carmelites in parts of Spain was carried out by Saint Teresa of Ávila, who, together with Saint John of the Cross, established the Discalced Carmelites. Teresa’s foundations, although welcomed by King Philip II of Spain – who was most anxious for all Orders to be reformed according to the principles of the Council of Trent (1545–1563) – did create practical problems at grassroots level. The proliferation of new religious houses in towns that were already struggling to cope was an unwelcome prospect, creating a backlash from local townspeople to nobility and diocesan clergy. Teresa made a point of trying to make her monasteries as self-sufficient as was practicable and restricted the number of nuns per community accordingly.
Out of concern over the advent of Protestantism, the Order was now inspired with a new asceticism and fervour. In 1593, the Discalced Carmelites had their own superior general styled propositus general – the first being Fr. Nicloas Doria. Due to the politics of foundation, the Discalced friars in Italy were canonically erected as a separate juridical entity.
The prior general, Fr. John Baptist Rossi, realized that if reform was going to work, it could not be left to the whims individual provinces. The problems created by Teresa’s movement for those stubbornly rejecting the need for reform had created the fragmentation of the Order in Castile and many committed nuns and friars now belonged to a completely separate Order. Fr. Rossi laid the groundwork for a more systematic programme of reform. The place that offered the best conditions was the Province of Tourraine, which gave its name to the reform. One of its great figures was Br. John of St. Samson. The Congregation of Mantua continued to function in its little corner of Italy throughout this period.
It was only at the end of the 19th century that those following the reform of Tourraine (by this time known as the “strict observance”) and the Mantuan Congregation were formally merged under one set of Constitutions. The friars following Mantua conceded to Tourraine’s Constitutions but insisted that the older form of the habit – namely their own – should be adopted. In a photograph of the period Blessed Titus Brandsma is shown in the habit of Tourraine as a novice; in all subsequent images he wears that of the newly styled Ancient Observance.
[edit] Controversies with other orders
By the middle of the 17th century the Carmelites had reached their zenith. At this period, however, they became involved in controversies with other orders, particularly with the Jesuits. The special objects of attack were the traditional origin of the Carmelites and the source of their scapular. The Sorbonne, represented by Jean Launoy, joined the Jesuits in their polemics against the Carmelites.
Papebroch, the Bollandist editor of the Acta Sanctorum, was answered by the Carmelite Sebastian of St. Paul, who made such serious charges against the orthodoxy of his opponent’s writings that the very existence of the Bollandists was threatened. The peril was averted, however, and in 1696 a decree of Juan Tomás de Rocaberti, archbishop of Valencia and inquisitor-general of the Holy Office, forbade all further controversies between the Carmelites and Jesuits. Two years later, on November 20, 1698, Pope Innocent XII issued a brief which definitely ended the controversy on pain of excommunication, and placed all writings in violation of the brief on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.
[edit] Modern history
The French Revolution, the secularization in Germany, and the repercussions on religious orders following the unification of Italy were heavy blows to the Carmelites.[citation needed] By the last decades of the 19th century, there were approximately 200 Carmelite men throughout the world. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, new leadership and less political interference[who?] allowed a rebirth of the Order. Existing provinces began re-founding provinces that had gone out of existence. The theological preparation of the Carmelites was strengthened, particularly with the foundation of St. Albert’s College in Rome.
A Carmelite nun reading in the cell of her Convent.
By 2001, the membership had increased to approximately 2,100 men in 25 provinces, 700 enclosed nuns in 70 monasteries, and 13 affiliated Congregations and Institutes. In addition, the Third Order of lay Carmelites count 25,000-30,000 members throughout the world. Provinces exist in Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Chile, Hungary, Germany,India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Portugal and the United States. Delegations directly under the Prior General exist in Argentina, France, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, the Lebanon, the Philippines and Portugal.
Carmelite Missions exist in Bolivia, Burkino Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, India, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, Mozambique, Peru, Romania, Tanzania, Trinidad, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
Monasteries of enclosed Carmelite nuns exist in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. Hermit communities of either men or women exist in Brazil, France, Indonesia, Lebanon, Italy and the United States.
The Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara, Spain.
The Discalced Carmelite Order also built the priory of Elijah (1911) at the site of Elijah’s epic contest with the prophets of Ba’al (1 Kings 18:20-40. The monastery is situated about 25 kilometers south of Haifa on the eastern side of the Carmel, and stands on the foundations of a series of earlier monasteries. The site is held sacred by Christians, Jews and Muslims; the name of the area, is el-Muhraqa, an Arabic construction meaning “place of burning”, and is a direct reference to the biblical account.
There are several Carmelite figures who have received significant attention in the 20th century, including Saint Thérèse of Lisieux,[3] one of only four female Doctors of the Church,[4] so named because of her famous teaching on the “way of confidence and love” set forth in her best-selling memoir, “Story of a Soul”;[5] Titus Brandsma, a Dutch scholar and writer who was killed in Dachau Concentration Camp because of his stance against Nazism; and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (née Edith Stein), a Jewish convert to Catholicism who was also imprisoned and died at Auschwitz. Saint Raphael Kalinowski (1835–1907) was the first friar to be sainted in the Order since co-founder Saint John of the Cross. The writings and teachings of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a Carmelite friar of the 17th century, continue as a spiritual classic under the title The Practice of the Presence of God. Other non-religious (i.e., non-vowed monastic) great figures include Saint George Preca, a Maltese priest and Carmelite Tertiary.
[edit] Habit and scapular
Christian Sacramentals
A series of articles on
Scapular
General articles
Saint Simon Stock
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Rosary & Scapular
Sabbatine Privilege
Specific Scapulars
Mount Carmel (Brown)
Fivefold Scapular
Passion (Red)
Passion (Black)
Seven Sorrows of Mary (Black)
The Archangel (Blue/Black)
Good Counsel (White)
Sacred Heart of Jesus (White)
Immaculate Heart of Mary (White)
Immaculate Conception (Blue)
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
The original way of life of the order was changed to conform to that of the mendicant orders on the initiative of St. Simon Stock and at the command of Pope Innocent IV. Their former habit of a mantle with black and white or brown and white stripes—the black or brown stripes representing the scorches the mantle of Elijah received from the fiery chariot as it fell from his shoulders—was discarded and they wore the same habit as the Dominicans, except that the cloak was white. They also borrowed much from the Dominican and Franciscan constitutions. Their distinctive garment was a scapular of two strips of dark cloth, worn on the breast and back, and fastened at the shoulders. Tradition holds that this was given to St. Simon Stock by the Blessed Virgin Mary, who appeared to him and promised that all who wore it with faith and piety and who died clothed in it would be saved.[6][7][8] There arose a sodality of the scapular, which affiliated a large number of laymen with the Carmelites. The order made some grandiose claims, however, contesting the “invention” of the rosary with the Dominicans, terming themselves the brothers of the Virgin, and asserting, on the basis of their traditional association with Elijah, that all the prophets of the Old Testament, as well as the Virgin and the Apostles, had been Carmelites. A miniature version of the Carmelite scapular is popular among Roman Catholics and is one of the most popular devotions in the Church. Wearers usually believe that if they faithfully wear the Carmelite scapular (also called “the brown scapular” or simply “the scapular”) and die in a state of grace, they will be saved from eternal damnation. Catholics who decide to wear the scapular are usually enrolled by a priest, and some choose to enter the Scapular Confraternity. The Lay Carmelites of the Third Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel wear a scapular which is smaller than the shortened scapular worn by some Carmelite religious for sleeping, but still larger than the devotional scapulars.
[edit] Visions and devotions
Sister Marie of St Peter (1816-48) with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity.
Among the various Catholic orders, Carmelite nuns have had a proportionally high ratio of visions of Jesus and Mary and have been responsible for key Catholic devotions.
From the time of her clothing in the Carmelite religious habit (1583) until her death (1607) the life of Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi is said to have had a series of raptures and ecstasies.
First, these raptures sometimes seized upon her whole being with such force as to compel her to rapid motion (e.g. towards some sacred object).
Secondly, she was frequently able, whilst in ecstasy, to carry on working e.g., embroidery, painting, with perfect composure and efficiency.
Thirdly, during these raptures Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi gave utterance to maxims of Divine Love, and to counsels of perfection for souls. These were preserved by her companions, who (unknown to her) wrote them down.
Sister Antónia d’Astónaco, a Carmelite nun from Portugal, reported during her life a private revelation by Saint Michael the Archangel. Based on that revelation, the Archangel Michael had told in an apparition to the devoted Servant of God that he would like to be honored, and God glorified, by the praying of nine special invocations. These nine invocations correspond to invocations to the nine choirs of angels and origins the Chaplet of Saint Michael. This private revelation and prayers were fully approved by Pope Pius IX in 1851.
Sister Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun in Tours France, started the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. She said that in an 1844 vision Jesus told her: “Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God, in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy.”
In the 19th century, another Carmelite nun, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, was instrumental in spreading this devotion[9] throughout France in the 1890s with her many poems and prayers. Eventually Pope Pius XII approved the devotion in 1958 and declared the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus as Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday) for all Catholics. Therese of Lisieux emerged as one of the most popular saints for Catholics in the 20th century, and a statue of her can be found in many European and North American Catholic churches built prior to the Second Vatican Council (after which the number of statues tended to be reduced when churches were built).
Sister Antónia d’Astónaco, a Carmelite nun from Portugal, received a private revelation from St. Michael the Archangel.
In the 20th century, in the last apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal, Sister Lúcia, one of the most famous visionaries of Our Lady, said that the Virgin appeared to her as Our Lady of Mount Carmel (holding the Brown Scapular). Many years after, Lúcia became a Carmelite nun. When Sister Lúcia was asked in an interview why the Blessed Virgin appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel in her last apparition, she replied: “Because Our Lady wants all to wear the Scapular… The reason for this,” she explained, “is that the Scapular is our sign of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary”. When asked if the Brown Scapular is as necessary to the fulfillment of Our Lady’s requests as the Rosary, Sister Lúcia answered: “The Scapular and the Rosary are inseparable”.[10]
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