Carmelites

Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary
of Mount Carmel

Ordo Fratrum Beatissimæ Virginis Mariæ de Monte Carmelo (Latin)
Coat of arms of the order
Abbreviation	OCarm
Formation	Late 12th century
Founders	Early hermits of Mount Carmel
Founded at	Mount Carmel
Type	Mendicant order of pontifical right
Legal status	Institute of Consecrated Life
Membership (2022)	2,041 members (includes 1,303 priests)[1]
Motto	Zelo zelatus sum pro Domino Deo exercituum (Latin for 'With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts')
General Headquarters	Curia Generalizia dei Carmelitani Via Giovanni Lanza, 138, 00184 Rome, Italy
Prior General	Mícéal O'Neill, OCarm
Patron saints	Our Lady of Mount Carmel Elijah
Parent organization	Catholic Church
Website	ocarm.org

The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (Latin: Ordo Fratrum Beatissimæ Virginis Mariæ de Monte Carmelo; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Roman Catholic Church for both men and women. Historical records about its origin remain uncertain; it was probably founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel in the Crusader States.^{[2] [3]}