Order of the Discalced Sisters
of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel

First founded by St. Teresa of Jesus in 1562, the Discalced Carmelite Nuns constitute the First Order of the Teresian Reform in the Teresian Carmelite tradition. As members of a religious institute of strictly contemplative life following the desire of our Holy Mother, St. Teresa of Jesus, the nuns bear witness to the absolute primacy of God by consecrating their entire lives to prayer, silence, sacrifice, detachment and loving communion with Him. Their vocation is rooted in the Teresian charism of contemplation, for they are "called to contemplation, as much in prayer as in life" (Constitutions, n. 10). The contemplation of the living God is both the reason for their existence and the source from which every aspect of their life flows.

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To foster this vocation, the nuns embrace papal enclosure, silence, solitude, and a simple way of life, creating an environment conducive to continual prayer and union with God. Their daily rhythm is centred on the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours, mental prayer, spiritual reading, and manual work, through which they support the monastery by producing altar breads, embroidery, icons, and other handcrafted items. Each monastery is a "little college of Christ," where the nuns live in joyful fraternity according to the spirit of St. Teresa.

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Though hidden from the world, the Carmelite nuns still fulfil a profoundly apostolic mission. Their contemplative witness and constant intercession sustain the Church, participating in Christ's saving work for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.