The Order of Carmelites of the Most Pure Heart of Mary Province elected two Louisville natives to lead the province during elections June 20.
Carmelite Father William J. Harry was re-elected as prior provincial. He was initially elected to the office late last year to complete the three-year term of Carmelite Father Carl Markelz, who took leave from his office to serve as bursar general of the Carmelite Order.
In his role as prior provincial, Father Harry is the primary authority in the province — serving as its spiritual leader and its representative to the Carmelite General Curia and other ecclesial and civic authorities, a news release from Carmelite Media said.
Carmelite Father Joseph Atcher, a native of Louisville who attended DeSales High School and St. Thomas Seminary, has been elected vice prior provincial.
He has served in Louisville as the pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and as the executive director of the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Lifelong Formation and Education.
The Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary includes about 200 religious who serve in North America, Australia, Canada, France, Peru, Mexico, El Salvador and Italy, according to its website, carmelnet.org.
