Silence & Solitude

Chapter 10 of the Carmelite Rule says that a Carmelite is to stay in or near their cell, always watchful in prayer, unless doing some physical work. They lived in separate cells or huts and observed vows of silence, seclusion, and abstinence.

The Carmelites, formally known as the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, were to hear Mass every morning in the oratory of the community, take vows of poverty and toil, and maintain daily silence from vespers until terce the next morning.

Even meals are to be taken in silence while they listen to a reading from a spiritual book.

From Elijah, Carmelites learn to listen for the voice of God in the unexpected and in silence. We seek to allow the Word of God to shape our minds and our hearts - ours is a way of life in which the Word of God is cherished in silence.

For souls aspiring to contemplation, both silence and solitude are a necessity. The early Carmelites went into the solitude of the desert to focus their lives exclusively on God. They viewed Elijah as the father of monasticism, and from that time they sought God's presence in solitude and lived on Mount Carmel.

“Solitude is not an empty space, a void; it is an encounter with the God who loves us…”

Solitude walks hand in hand with silence.

Carmelite spirituality proposes silence and solitude as necessary pre-requisites for prayer and contemplation. Silence refers not only to external noise but also to the stilling of one’s internal noises. 

Silence is the condition for listening attentively to the still small voice of God. Solitude provides the ambience where one may be alone so as to focus more attentively on the Beloved. Solitude then is not primarily separation or isolation from others, but a place of privileged encounter with the Beloved.

Each Carmelite from solitude, pilgrims to the encounter with the Lord every morning, and we can sing with the psalmist: "O God, you are my God-- for you I long!

Carmelite nuns embrace a life of silence and solitude to foster an atmosphere conducive to recollection and prayer. As God's sweetness is tasted in the silence, a desire for solitude naturally arises.