History

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"It is its mission, according to the will of God, to heed and preserve the glory of God.” (from the hymn of the Feast of Carmel)

We Sisters of Mary of Mount Carmel are a branch of the Carmelite Order. Mount Carmel is a mountain in Palestine to which pilgrims withdrew in the 12th century AD. They strove to live in the presence of God like the prophet Elijah and called themselves ”Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel”. St. Albert of Jerusalem wrote their first Rule (1206-1214).

When the Saracens invaded Palestine, these hermits were driven out of the country and came to Europe, where they were accepted as mendicant friars.

In the 16th century St. Teresa of Avila founded the Teresian branch of the Carmelite Order. She and St. John of the Cross deepened the spirituality of the Carmelite Order through their lives and their teachings. Rooted in this tradition, we draw from the same sources.

On February 26, 1861 Sr. Theresia Böck celebrated her first profession, with which the life of the community in Linz began. In the following years women from Riedau and Eferding who were already living in Carmelite spirituality joined the Linz community. They called themselves "Sisters of the Third Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel".

In 1885 the community received state and Church validation. In 1906 the sisters were affiliated with the Third Order of Carmel by decree.

Bishop Rudigier of Linz encouraged the sisters to be attentive to the needs of the time, thus leading them into social care work. We have been active in Austria since 1961, in Germany since 1920, and in Uganda since 2002.

In 1961 we chose the name "Sisters of Mary of Mount Carmel".

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