What are the vows that a Carmelite would take?
“A Carmelite friar takes the same vows as Carmelite nun, which are the same vows of most religious orders in the church: poverty, chastity and obedience.” When you say you live poverty does that mean you’re not allowed to own anything? “Yes, we not allowed to own, for instance, a personal bank account or a car. We keep very few possessions.” “Obedience is to my superior, to my prior, and then to my provincial- the Carmelite priest in charge of all of us in the Western Province. That means for us friars that we are moved around every 3-6 years, generally we stay in one place no more than 6 years, as opposed staying in one place. Now, this is very different from the life of a Carmelite nun, who for example, will live in the same convent for the rest of her life. This is very difficult, especially if you’re doing great work in a parish or a retreat, or a novitiate like here, and low and behold, before you know it, it’s time to move on. However, I find it keeps me growing, from getting use
