Our Mission and Vision

St. Elias Province Mission Statement and Vision Statement

St. Elias Province Mission Statement

We, the Carmelite Friars of the North American Province of St. Elias,
are vowed religious who seek union with God
through prayer, fraternity and service to the Church.

We strive to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ.
Our models are the Prophet Elijah and the Virgin Mary,
who listened to and acted on the word of God.

St. Elias Province Vision Statement

The St. Elias Province will be comprised of prayerful communities rooted in the Carmelite Charism.

In our choice of ministries, we will take into account the abilities of the friars and the needs of the Church.

By living our vocation according to our core values, we believe that we will attract new members to walk with us.

Coat of Arms of the Province of St. Elias

The three parts of our shield portray the history, the spirit and the meaning of our Order: the Province’s sphere of activity and its origin.
The left hand portion represents the entire Carmelite Order. The shape of its lower half suggests the Mount of Carmel in Palestine where the Order began.
The lower star represents the Virgin Mother, the Star of the Sea. The upper stars represent our leaders, Elias and Eliseus, the prophets.
The upper part of the right hand portion, with its American eagle imposed upon a fiery wheel signifies that our Province is an American Province dedicated to Elias the Prophet, who ascended to heaven in a fiery chariot.
The lower part of the right hand portion, with Brian Boru’s harp, the official emblem of the Republic of Ireland, and a sunburst behind it, vividly portrays the foundation of our Province by the Province of Ireland after the period of persecution, when the sunburst became the symbol of the resurrected freedom in Irish heraldry.