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‘If you don’t believe in God, the life of a Carmelite nun is nonsense, and I was willing to take the chance.’
The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, or simply Carmelites, is a Roman Catholic religious order that dates back to the 12th century. Founded by hermit monks at Mount Carmel in modern Israel, the order then spread to Europe, and subsequently around the world. Part of a video series on the intersection of food and spirituality by the Italian-born, London-based filmmaker Matan Rochlitz, this short documentary provides a rare look inside a Carmelite monastery in the UK. There, monks and nuns live a simple life centred on worship, and earn a living by producing roughly half a million communion wafers a month. At just two minutes, the film offers both a glimpse at a singularly spiritual craft and a brief meditation on the psychology of religious devotion. For more from Rochlitz’s series, watch this short video on the simple diet of a Jain ascetic.
Director: Matan Rochlitz
video
Values and beliefs
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Meaning and the good life
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Stories and literature
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Food and drink
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Spirituality
Through rituals of prayer, a monk cultivates a quietly radical concept of freedom
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History
From Afghanistan to Virginia – the Muslims who fought in the American Civil War
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Family life
The stream-of-consciousness thoughts and memories that emerge while cooking a meal
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Bioethics
Is it ethical to have a second child so that your first might live?
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Meaning and the good life
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