The Foundation of the
Secular Carmelites of the Mother of God, Hong Kong

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The Secular Order of the Teresian Carmel – Mother of God Fraternity traces its origins to the late 1940s in Hong Kong. Following the Second World War, two Portuguese women, with the approval of Bishop Enrico Valtorta and the guidance of a spiritual director, became the first members to receive the Carmelite habit. Several Chinese and Portuguese women later joined the community. However, over time, the fraternity gradually declined as members either passed away, grew elderly, or became ill, and following the death of its spiritual director in 1979, the community became inactive.

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A renewal began in the 1980s when the Carmelite Monastery invited Fr. Brosnan, SJ, to serve as spiritual director. With the approval of his Jesuit superiors and Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung, Bishop of Hong Kong, the community was re-established. Eight lay faithful held their first meeting on 25 February 1987, and the first aspirants entered the novitiate on 15 August that same year. After completing the required canonical procedures, the fraternity was officially erected on 15 October 1989.

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In 1994, in keeping with the Holy See's preference for devotional rather than geographical titles, the fraternity adopted the name Teresian Secular Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In 2010, it assumed its present title: The Secular Order of the Teresian Carmel – Mother of God Fraternity.

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As of 31 December 2025, the fraternity comprises 35 members. Under the spiritual guidance of Fr. Philip Tay, OCD, from Malaysia, the community continues to flourish through regular formation, monthly gatherings, annual retreats, and the ongoing discernment of new vocations.

For vocation enquiries, please email: ocdshk@gmail.com