Carmelite Charism

The charism of the Carmelite Order is God’s gift given originally to those nameless hermits who gathered together on Mount Carmel, beside the well of Elijah, at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries.

The Carmelite Order has no known founder but sprang from the desire of those first hermits to follow Christ together with a pure heart and a good conscience. They asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem, St Albert, to write for them a rule of life (c.1206-1214) which laid down certain guidelines based on the previous way of life of the hermits.

The Carmelite Order, rooted in the traditions of the early hermits on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, is guided by a rich spiritual heritage centred on prayer, community, and service.

The Carmelites officially arrived in Australia on 16 April 1881, when five Irish Carmelite missionaries—Joseph Butler, Ignatius Carr, Patrick Shaffrey, Brocard Leybourne, and Hilarion Byrne—landed in Port Adelaide aboard the SS Liguria.

Whitefriars College

The Carmelite Order of Priests and Brothers responded to a strong demand from local Catholic families in the Donvale area of Victoria who sought an educational institution grounded in our Catholic Faith and the Carmelite Charism.

In response, Whitefriars College was founded in 1961 as a Catholic secondary school for boys. The College welcomed its first students, 32 Year 7 boys, on 14 February 1961 under the leadership of its founding principal, Fr Frank Shortis O.Carm. Fr Shortis guided the College through its formative years and served as Principal for 12 years, helping establish the Carmelite values and traditions that continue to shape the College today.