By Joseph Tek Choon Yee
A Journey of Churches, A Glimpse of Carmel
My family has been on the move quite a bit over the years, sort of our “stations of the cross” around Malaysia, you could say. From Petaling Jaya to USJ, Klang, Shah Alam and Putra Heights; then over to Sandakan, and now (at least for now) settled in Kota Kinabalu.
Being Catholics, our journey from churches and parishes has been just as varied. We’ve knelt at St Francis Xavier and St Ignatius in PJ, prayed at Chapel Kurnia Kristus and St Thomas More in USJ, and worshipped at St Mary and St Joseph in Sandakan, where I like to joke that Joseph met his Mary at the two churches carrying our names! These days in KK, we find ourselves between St Simon Likas and Sacred Heart Cathedral, though lately we’ve been drawn to the quiet beauty of the daily morning Mass at the Carmelite Monastery.
In the quiet hush of dawn, the monastery stands as an oasis of peace, gentleness and sacred calm. What has piqued my curiosity may be the serenity the sisters radiate or perhaps it’s the mystery behind those cloistered walls.
I found myself doing a bit of “desktop pilgrimage” to better understand the origins of the Carmelite monastery and the story of the Carmelite community. This is what I discovered.
This piece is written especially with non-Catholics friends in mind. My aim is not to present a theological treatise, but to offer a little window into the Catholic faith as a living, breathing community, a family other than the laity, are also made up of the clergy, priests and religious, each serving in their own distinct and meaningful way. Through a closer look at who they are, what they do, and the purpose behind the various religious orders, I aim to deepen understanding and appreciation for the Church’s rich diversity.
Catholic Family on Life’s Pilgrimage
To outsiders, the Catholic Church may seem like a grand, ancient institution full of tradition, ritual, and formal titles. But at its core, it is a family, united by people who give their lives to God in different ways. Priests celebrate the sacraments, deacons serve in charity, and laypeople live their faith in the world as parents, teachers, farmers, or doctors.
Then there are the religious: men and women who vow poverty, chastity and obedience, shaping communities of prayer or service. Some, like the Carmelites, choose silence and contemplative prayer; others, like the Franciscans or Sisters of Charity, work among the poor, bringing Christ’s compassion to the margins.
Why so many religious orders? Because human needs are vast, and God’s love is endlessly creative. Each order is born from a unique charism, a spiritual gift for the good of the Church and the world. Some embody simplicity and poverty; others focus on prayer, teaching, healing, or care for the vulnerable. Each reveals a different ‘face’ of the Church, forming a living mosaic of faith, diverse in mission, yet united in purpose. It is a faith both ancient and ever new, answering the world’s needs not with uniformity, but with the richness of many callings, all rooted in the same divine love.
Clergy, Priest and Religious Explained
In the Catholic Church, the terms clergy, priest, and religious are often used, but they do not mean the same thing. Clergy refers broadly to ordained ministers, deacons, priests, and bishops, who serve through the sacrament of Holy Orders. Priests are the most familiar, celebrating Mass, administering sacraments, and shepherding parishes.
Alongside them are the religious: men and women who take vows and live in communities shaped by prayer and service. These include brothers, sisters, and nuns, and sometimes priests or friars, like Jesuits or Franciscans, who combine priestly duties with the charism of their order. For clarity, pastors usually refer to non-Catholic ministers, not Catholic priests, though all are shepherds of souls in their own way.
Now that we have untangled the terms, let us step quietly into the Carmelites. Cloistered and enclosed, they rarely leave except for medical needs or specialreasons, because their vocation is silence, prayer, and union with God, less escape than offering, interceding for the Church and the world without ceasing.
It’s worth noting that the Carmelite family in Kota Kinabalu has two branches with nearly identical initials: OCD (Discalced Carmelites) and OCDS (Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites). Do not worry, no therapy session required! This OCD is all about Carmel, not the common acronym for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. OCD refers to nuns and friars who live in vowed religious communities dedicated to prayer. OCDS members, on the other hand, are laypeople, teachers, professionals, parents, who live in the world but embrace the Carmelite spirit of prayer and service in daily life.
Together, they form one Carmelite family, some rooted in cloisters, others in city streets, but all walking the same path of prayer and love.
Carmelite Monastery in Kota Kinabalu
Perched quietly along Jalan Kancil and up Jalan Bukit Carmelite, the monastery is striking in its simplicity, humble yet serene, a gentle refuge tucked away from bustling Kota Kinabalu, perfectly suited for prayer and contemplation.
The Carmelite monastery carries the full name Carmelite Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Thérèse of the Child Jesus. And yes, it is a mouthful – but every word tells a story.
The first part, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, points back to the very roots of the Carmelite Order. The Carmelites trace their spiritual origin to hermits who, in the 12th century, gathered on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. There they lived in prayer and simplicity under the patronage of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, whom they honor as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. To this day, she is considered the guiding star and protector of the Carmelite family worldwide.
The second part honours St Thérèse of the Child Jesus, also known as the Little Flower. She was a young French Carmelite nun who lived only 24 short years (1873–1897) but whose “little way” of trust and love became a giant legacy in the Church. She once said she wanted to spend her heaven “doing good on earth”, and judging by her popularity, she has kept rather busy.
By uniting these two names, the monastery in Kota Kinabalu situates itself firmly in the Carmelite tradition, rooted in Mary’s quiet strength and inspired by Thérèse’s joyful simplicity. It is both a link to the ancient well-spring on Mount Carmel and a witness to a saint whose down-to-earth wisdom still speaks to hearts today.
The Inspiring Saints
In the Catholic faith, saints are not “superheroes,” but ordinary people who lived extraordinary love for God and others. They serve as examples and companions on the journey of faith, showing that holiness can be lived in daily life. Catholics honour them, not worship them, seeking inspiration and intercession.
In my humble discernment, the Carmelites seem to hold three saints especially close to heart, two Theresas, radiant like twin flames of divine love and reform, and a John whose profound poetry of the dark night leads the soul gently toward the light of spiritual dawn.
Their feast days are celebrated with particular devotion, St Thérèse of Lisieux on Oct 1 and St Teresa of Ávila on Oct 15 – both Carmelites, both nuns, both Doctors of the Church and both women of fire, though one burned quietly and the other blazed. Alongside them stands their great companion, St John of the Cross, his feast day on Dec 14, the poet-mystic who sang of God in the language of night and flame.
St Thérèse of Lisieux, the young French Carmelite known as the Little Flower, offered the Church her “little way”, a simple path of trust in God and doing small things with great love. She taught that by entrusting our burdens to God like a child and seeing every small act of love as eternally fruitful, we live the vocation of love itself. Beloved worldwide, she is patron of the Carmelite Monastery in Kota Kinabalu and the universal patron of missions. Fittingly, the monastery sits on Jalan Kancil, “Mouse Deer Road”, a humble address for the saint of smallness.
If Thérèse was a flower, Teresa of Ávila was fire. Born in 1515 Spain, she reformed a lax Carmelite Order with determination and wit, restoring its focus on prayer, silence and poverty. Her reform birthed the Discalced Carmelites, shoeless as a sign of humility. Teresa founded many monasteries and authored classics like The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection. Named a Doctor of the Church, she is both mother and reformer to Carmelites, keeping prayer at the heart of their vocation.
Alongside her stood St John of the Cross, Spanish priest, poet and mystic. Together, they renewed Carmel’s spirit of silence and simplicity. John’s writings, including The Dark Night of the Soul and The Ascent of Mount Carmel, describe the soul’s journey through darkness to divine union. He taught that the quietest, most hidden path often leads most surely to God, a truth felt deeply in every Carmelite monastery.
These three saints compose a ‘holy trinity’ of Carmelite inspiration. They embody the Carmelite heart: Thérèse’s small love, Teresa’s reforming fire and John’s contemplative silence.
(Read Part 2 of the Carmelite story as they dealt with the difficulties and trials brought on by World War II in the upcoming issue.)
