We, the Order of the Discalced Carmelites, embrace the
religious life in friendship and service of Jesus Christ, in imitation
of and under the patronage of the Virgin Mary, whose life of faith,
simplicity and intimate union with Jesus and his mission, constitute
for us the interior model. Our vocation aspires to union with God
by the way of contemplation and apostolic zeal indissolubly united,
and to the formation of a fraternal community as a sign of
communion in the world. Prayer, which is a life of prayer and a
prayer of life, is nourished by listening to the Word of God and the
liturgy and with “the joys and hopes, sorrows and anxieties” of the
Church and of humanity. It is a way of life of faith, hope and love.
Ours is a religious family in the church that prays and teaches others
how to pray. This is what our Foundress St. Teresa of Jesus has
done through her life and writings. She is the fountain of our
Spiritual Charism.