Greetings from the Lay Carmelite Office. I hope the summer is going well for you and your communities! I felt it was time to relay a bit of information and reminders to you, your council, and members.


I recently returned from a trip to Washington DC to tour the site of our 2025 Convocation - Catholic University of America. It is a lovely campus with plenty of space and accommodations for us.

There will be some changes for this Convocation, which I think will be very convenient for us all. As an example, a feature that we all will enjoy is that the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is adjacent to the campus. Very easy walking distance. The Convocation planning committee is working on holding a Mass or two at the Basilica for our event. More details on that later...

Additionally, meals will be included for our time on campus in the University's new dining hall. We have never offered meals before as they were just too expensive for us coming from a hotel. The dining hall is run like a "food court" where there are different stations for a great variety of foods, including vegetarian/vegan options, a grill, a deli, a salad bar, etc., all available to each attendee by using a pre-paid meal card. There will be inside and outside seating for our meals as well.

I hope this has sparked your interest and that many Lay Carmelites will keep this opportunity in mind as the next two years go by. MUCH more in the way of details going forward. As a reminder the date for this Convocation is June 27-29, 2025 and the general theme of our time together will be "The Carmelite Family: A Timeless Tapestry."