The Third Orders of Carmel in the Captaincy of Minas Gerais during the 18th and 19th centuries

Entering the Community life

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze the admission process of the Third Order of Carmel in Vila Rica and Mariana. The process was extremely scrupulous, split into stages in which the candidates were evaluated by the management board. Among them was the novitiate, a preparatory stage involving all levels of devotion, prayers, practices and the knowledge of the Order itself. Only at the end of that evaluative process the novices were acknowledged as Tertiary Brothers of the Order of Carmel.