Founded in 1860

The Holy Spirit inspires in the Church bold responses according to the historical moment lived by the people and society.

In the XIX century, the political and social context of Spain led to a tragic breakdown of the prevailing hierarchy of values; beliefs were re-examined, and principles and institutions restructured.

With this background, the Holy Spirit placed in the hearts of some men and women who had a great desire to respond to the Church of their time; Modern religious congregations, including the Carmelite Missionaries, were born thus.

From the spirit of Francisco Palau y Quer, a Spanish Carmelite priest, born in 1811, sprung forth the Congregation of the Carmelite Missionaries. Francisco Palau, prophet and mystic of the XIX century, was a man of communion, deeply contemplative and extraordinarily active. “Communion” was his key to understanding and assimilating the first and only commandment of Jesus: Love God, love of neighbour. Palau made this as the sole object of his mission. It is in the search and in the encounter, in silence and in the struggle, in solitude and in commitment, in humility and in inner freedom, where he found the answer to that existential and incisive question that marked his search, his gestures, his decisions... his whole life: My love is one and is called CHURCH.

This charismatic experience, a gift to the Church, has been the channel through which he has trodden the vocational journey of the Carmelite Missionaries, which, since 1860 until today, drinks from this source to nourish the gift of fraternity and to share life, service and mission generously... in a word, the Gospel of Jesus.

What was conceived in Ibiza and born in Ciudadela, Menorca (Spain) has now become a presence in 39 countries in the five continents. And we, 1,630 sisters, plunge ourselves in all areas where we live, and we share that love of communion, enriched by so many sisters and lay people, and which we want to offer today, alive and dynamic, to the new generations. To achieve this, we receive the strength of communion with the Lord in prayer and we share in community life the axes of our existence and mission.

The Virgin Mary is for us, drinking from the spirituality of Carmel, our Sister and Mother who accompanies us in the faithful following of her Son, Jesus.

Our present General Superior is Sr. Cecilia Andrés Fernández, who was elected in 2006 for the sexenium 2006-2012. We are determined to take up the task “To be born anew”, from an integral reorganization that will bring us to revitalize our charismatic response to the world of today.

The CARMELITE MISSIONARY presence IN THE WORLD

In the African Continent where we are present since 1969

Ecuatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria, D.R. of Congo, Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania,

In America, since 1910

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republica, Venezuela.

In Asia, since 1954

India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea.

In Europe, since 1860

Spain, France, England, Italy, Polond, Portugal, Romania.

In Oceania, since 2004

Australia