British Province of the Carmelites

The Carmelite Order is one of the Church’s ancient religious communities, founded in the Holy Land some 800 years ago. Today the Carmelite Family is made up of friars, nuns, sisters, hermits and lay people, who form praying communities at the service of all God’s people (visit www.carmelite.org for more details). Carmelites have a particular devotion to Mary the Mother of God, and the final apparition of Our Lady to Saint Bernadette took place on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Although individual Carmelites have taken part in the Catholic Association pilgrimage over a number of years, the British Province of Carmelites formally came under the umbrella of the Catholic Association for its pilgrimage during the jubilee year 2008, marking the 150th anniversary of the apparitions at the Grotto.

The Pilgrimage Director for the Carmelites is Johan Bergström-Allen, a lay member of the Order and former councillor of the Lourdes Hospitalité and the C.A. Hospitalité. He can also be contacted on:

Mr. Johan Bergström-Allen, T.O.C., Carmelite Projects & Publications Office, More House, Heslington, York, YO10 5DX. Office tel: 01904 411521

The Carmelites are currently coming to Lourdes under the leadership of the Prior Provincial, Fr. Wilfrid McGreal, O.Carm.

For more information on the Carmelites please click here for their dedicated Lourdes website.

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