Marlon (far left) relaxing with other Carmelite students during the tour of Avila

July 26th I arrived in Madrid, 12 hours later than planned and unfortunately without my luggage—that somehow went a different direction, during the process of changing flights between Chicago, Paris and Madrid. The weather and a technical problem with the plane caused much of the interruption, so even before I left the country, this pilgrimage had proved to be an interesting experience.

	Marlon at the first Carmelite foundation in Castile

I arrived in the diocesan seminary exhausted and famished from a long flight and time change. With my somewhat broken Spanish, I managed to survive my first night in Spain. The next day, I met up with the others and we visited the Encarnacion Monastery, the monastery in which Teresa first entered as a nun. The monastery is beautifully maintained and preserved.

We stayed in Avila and other neighboring places for the first five days. One of the many highlights was the excursion to Segovia. The town of Segovia was surrounded by farm lands, milk cows, livestock, flowers, majestic mountains and castles. It is where the tomb of John of the Cross is. The place has the atmosphere of an extraordinary spiritual environment. We spent a day of personal prayer, inspirational talk, and Holy Eucharist there.

On the last day in July, we arrived in Salamanca. We stayed here for the next five days, at the Carmelite College of San Andres, which is walking distance to the University John of the Cross had attended. Salamanca is a culturally diverse place. Some of the buildings looked old outside but mostly modernly renovated inside, to cater to the young people studying in the University. Restaurants, small shops, and bars surround the university. The entire downtown area is full of tourists and young university students alike. I felt at home when I found McDonald’s just outside the plaza because after a few days in the unfamiliar places and long days of walking, visiting church after church and monastery after monastery, I needed a break. I treated myself to a visit to the “Golden Arch” with one Big Mac and a Coke.

The Carmelites from the College treated us like royalty. It reminded me of a passage in the bible, “Get up and eat else the journey will be too long for you!” (1Kings 19:7) The food, wines and café con leche were overflowing. I felt like I was in heaven. One day they served roast pig and biggest shrimp I ever had in my life! The cuisine served daily was unbelievable.

Marlon (left) with other Carmelite students outside the Carmelite College of San Andres

The culture of Spain was expressed throughout our stay by way of the conferences, the pilgrimages, Eucharist, prayers and lectio divina. This gave us a taste of the internationality of the Order. Nepomuk Johannes, a student in first vows from the Upper German Province, said, “Experiencing other cultures and meeting new friends are the gifts we receive from a trip like this.” The feature of the ten-day pilgrimage was the talk presented by Prior General, Very Reverend Joseph Chalmers, O.Carm., entitled: “The Relevance of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross for Carmelite Spirituality Today.” He challenged all of us by stating that we are responsible as Carmelites of today to keep the tradition and spirituality alive and to continually develop it over time. The Prior General strongly reiterated that being a Carmelite is beyond Teresa and John of the Cross; they developed the Carmelite tradition but it certainly did not begin with them. He added, “The source of the spirituality is the Gospel, which is the supreme law for all religious, followed by the Rule and Constitutions and the figures of Elijah and Our Lady. Teresa and John were formed and nurtured in this spiritual tradition.” Carmelites today must take the challenge that was inspired by their footsteps.

The gathering helped the participants see the importance of the fraternity. The Prior General believes that “Fraternity is the testing ground of continuous transformation within us.” Members of our Order needed each other to live the Charism. And, that is one of the beauties of going to this gathering because our lives, faith and vocation are being enriched in so many different ways. Ten days of faith and personal sharing through lectio divina, the Holy Eucharist, Lauds, Vespers and meals together strengthened our lives tas young Carmelites. It was an experience of friendships, camaraderie, fraternity, culture, study and prayer that will live for a lifetime.

Everyone left Spain and went back to their own countries bursting with memories from the historical past, the present friendships and the inspired vision of future leadership of the Carmelite Order.