From the 'Little Catechism of Prayer' by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen...

"The Contemplative life is a form of the Christian life in which we endeavor to live not only FOR God, but also WITH God. It is not restricted to religious, but can be lived perfectly in the world. This life is wholly centered on the quest for divine intimacy, to attain which it calls for repeated spiritual exercises throughout the day.
Prayer occupies the first place in the contemplative life. Practically, the contemplative life is the life of prayer. Hence, contemplative Orders devote much time to prayer.
Carmelites give themselves to many pious exercises: they make mental prayer twice daily, assist at Holy Mass, recited the Divine Office, and apply themselves to the Presence of God throughout they day."

Whispers in the wind.....

"If Carmel has anything to say to a contemporary world, it is about prayer," writes
Carmelite Father John Welch in The Carmelite Way.

The first group of hermits set a Carmelite tradition of being attentive to God. They carried the Scriptures not in books, but in their minds and hearts. This tradition challenges us to be men of prayer in everything we do.

Like the prophet Elijah, we try to be alert to the God who whispers in the wind. Like Mary, we try to have complete trust in the love of God, who comes to us through contemplation.

We don't prescribe or follow any one way of praying. Rather, we are listeners for the voice of the one who made us and who continually calls to us.