Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish is in the care of the Carmelites. The first Carmelite Priory in Wentworthville was established in 1956 when the Carmelites arrived in the parish. Later, in 1961, Prior and Parish Priest Fr. Paul Knüppel O.Carm built the current priory building adjacent to the church. The priory building serves not only as the community house for Wentworthville's Carmelites, but also as the parish offices.
The Carmelites were established in the 12th Century, with no known founder. Rather, the order began as a group of lay hermits who lived on Mount Carmel, on the Israeli coast. Drawn by the spirit of the prophet Elijah, they placed themselves in the care of Mary. They were given a rule by St Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem and became the "Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel", coming together to eat and pray and minister to passing pilgrims. In 1247, Pope Innocent IV changed the Carmelites' hermit way of living into a community life. From that time, the "Whitefriars" grew in number, opening houses in Europe and moving further into a ministry of preaching and spiritual direction.
The first Carmelites in Australia were two lay convicts, John Butler and James Dempsey, who arrived in 1802, transported for their part in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. The first official Carmelite foundation in Australia was made at Gawler, South Australia, in 1881 by the Irish Carmelites.
They took over Sandridge Parish (now the Parish of Port Melbourne
and Middle Park) in Melbourne in 1882, and established a novitiate
in Albert Park in 1928. Since then, they have ministered to parishes
in Brisbane, Port Adelaide, Perth and New Zealand, as well as Wentworthville.
Members of the Carmelite community
may work in parish ministry, as well as other areas such as chaplaincy,
retreat facilitation and education. Some serve in roles within
the order worldwide. The members of the Carmelite community in
Wentworthville are:
Fr. John Powell O.Carm (Prior)
Fr. Anthony Scerri O.Carm
Fr. Michael Brundell O.Carm
Fr. Paul Sireh O.Carm.
The Collection of Carmelite Resources has video, audio, digital presentations,
music, images, e-books, and more to help people learn more about the Carmelite
Order
