NATIONAL FORMATION PROGRAM

All Formation Books now available to ship from ICS Publications!

The specific guidelines for OCDS formation are approved by the Order of Discalced Carmelites for use by OCDS communities in the United States.

The program consists of a formation handbook for OCDS formators and a complete six-year set of formation class modules for OCDS members in Carmelite formation.

Due to the nature of these documents, all sales are non-returnable and non-refundable. Orders must be paid via credit card at the time of order.

These products are priced for their cost and are never eligible for ICS discounts. 

  • OCDS Formation Handbook | Purchase | PDF

  • OCDS Aspirancy Year: A Journey in Carmel | Purchase | PDF

  • OCDS Formation I, Year A: The Way of Perfection | Purchase | PDF

  • OCDS Formation I, Year B: History & Charism | Purchase | PDF

  • OCDS Formation II, Year A: The Ascent of Mount Carmel | Purchase | PDF

  • OCDS Formation II, Year B: The Interior Castle | Purchase | PDF

  • OCDS Formation II, Year C: Story of a Soul | Purchase | PDF

Click on book covers to order individual titles | ORDER ALL FORMATION BOOKS HERE

Click on book covers to order individual titles

ORDER ALL FORMATION BOOKS HERE

IMPLEMENTATION INSTRUCTIONS

FORMATION BOOK CORRECTIONS

THIS ONLY APPLIES TO THE FORMER LULU PRESS VERSIONS AND OLDER ELECTRONIC VERSION

We are aware that there are some corrections that need to be made to the current Formation Handbooks; that issue is being addressed. However, one error in particular is proving to be very problematic and that is the title of the required book for Formation I - Year A: "The Way of Perfection." On page 6 of the Formation Manual, it states that "The Way of Perfection" can be found in Volume ONE of the Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila. This is incorrect: it is actually in Volume TWO. Orders have been placed with ICS for Volume One with the result that there are disappointed customers asking for a refund since "The Way of Perfection" is not in that volume; this is causing problems (time, effort, energy) with ICS, as you can imagine. Formation Directors: please make sure to alert members of this error and instruct them to purchase Volume TWO of the Collected Works when studying "The Way of Perfection."       

If you are using a handbook prior to March 2024, you will not have the corrections that were found following the initial printing by Lulu.   

OCDS LEGISLATION & RATIO

OTHER RESOURCES

Welcome to Carmel by Fr. Michael Griffin, published in 1990, was written before the current OCDS Constitutions. As a result, some content, including the article “Spiritual Preparation for Being Received into the Order,” (page 69) is outdated. The information in this article is based on the Rule of Life, which is no longer in use, rather than the OCDS Constitutions. Communities should refer to Fr. Aloysius Deeney’s book, Welcome to the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites whose articles are aligned with the current OCDS Constitutions. Excerpts from Fr. Deeney’s book are also included in the new National Formation Program.