Carmelites

The Carmelite Order is responsible for our parish. There are three Carmelites in the community, Fathers Laurie Timms who is Parish Priest, Jerome Watt who is his associate and Frank Shortis who is Prior of the Community.

The latest Carmelite news is that the Pope is going to canonise a Carmelite brother on Sunday 26 April 2009.

He is Blessed Nuno Alvares. He was born in Portugal in 1360 and had a rather unusual career. He married a lady named Eleonora d’Alvis who lived only a few years after their marriage.

Nuno was a professional soldier and a very good one. He rose to the rank of supreme commander and led a successful fight for the independence of Portugal. To this day the Portuguese regard him as a national hero.

When he retired from the Army Nuno, who had always been a devout Catholic and a soldier of integrity, joined the Carmelite community in Lisbon as a brother. He kept a very low profile and before long few knew the real identity of the simple prayerful man who opened the door to them.

Nuno has waited a long time to be canonised. We hope Australia’s Mary MacKillop doesn’t have to wait as long.

It is rather fitting that the soldier Nuno will now always be remembered in the Church on the day after Anzac day. Perhaps we could say a prayer to him to take care of our soldiers and hasten peace in those places which long for it.

Frank Shortis, O. Carm

19 April 2009

The Carmelite Order accepted responsibility for our parish when it was created in 1937 and named it Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

For the past seventy years we have enjoyed the presence and ministry of many priests and brothers of the Order. Parish priests have usually been here for six years; others for varying lengths of time. They have celebrated our Masses and sacraments and some have been involved in ministries and tasks not directly connected to the parish.

There are three Carmelites at Mount Carmel at present, Father Laurie Timms, who is our parish priest, Father Jerome Watt, who is associate pastor, and Father Frank Shortis, who is prior of the community.

Like all pastors, Laurie is often involved in meetings in the parish, at the school and even outside the parish. Jerome frequently helps out with Masses and confessions at St Stephen’s Cathedral. Frank is chaplain to the Lay Carmelites and the Brisbane Archdiocese Council of Parents and Friends.