Carmelite Missions

Although few in number, the mission outreach of the Carmelite Friars, Saint Elias Province, New York, is quite extensive.

For over sixty years, we have been providing manpower and financial assistance to Africa, specifically to Zimbabwe (formerly, Southern Rhodesia).  More recently, we have been aiding Carmelite Missions in Mozambique, Kenya and the Republic of the Congo.  And within the past thirty years, we have been helping the Carmelite Missions in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Argentina, and Colombia.  Our province has also been providing whatever help we can to the Carmelite Missions in Poland and the Czech Republic.  It is not always possible for us to send Friars on a full-time basis, and so we try to help financially through funds raised mostly in the Mission Cooperative Appeal and with whatever part-time help or administrative help we can provide.

Use of  Funds

The Carmelites of the Province of St. Elias has Missions in Vietnam and Trinidad. Mission funds are used primarily to underwrite formation costs for our friars in those countries. We also send money to other Carmelites for various projects. Recently, we sent funds to help the friars in Zimbabwe rebuild their novitiate house after it was damaged in a fire. We have also sent money to the friars in the Philippines who are organizing disaster relief for those whose lives were affected by the floods.