The Institute of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was founded in Italy by Maria Scrilli known as Sr. Maria Teresa of Jesus. She was born at Montevarchi, Italy on May 15th, 1825 and died on November 14th, 1889.

From childhood, she had a marked tendency toward prayer and was profoundly connected to Carmelite spirituality from her reading of St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi. She also had a great devotion to Our Lady whom she called "my dear mother". The spirit of contemplation, total abandonment to the will of God, and deep union with the Lord were the characteristics of herspiritual life. She felt the irresistible call of the Lord and overcame many obstacles in order to fulfill her desire to become a Carmelite Sister. As soon as she was enlightened about the aim of her vocation, which was that of "leading souls to God", she abandoned herself to God's will. She loved the Blessed Virgin Mary tenderly and to her she dedicated the foundation of her Institute, which officially took place on October 15th, 1854.

With the spiritual daughters who followed her, she shared her contemplative and apostolic ardor which she in the words: "The life of our Institute must be contemplative and active: the one must be of help and not of burden to the other".

During her lifetime she fully realized this ideal which she expressed in a moving page of her Autobiography with these words: "The sense of the divine Presence had become continuous in me. It was a very pleasant union; I could not resign myself to abandon it if I was not persuaded to leave God for God, that is, to leave God in the contemplation of Mary, so as to find Him again in the duties and cares of Martha. Ceasing, thus to enjoy Him, to go and toil for Him, and then to come back to rest in Him".

Originally, the main purpose of the Institute was to educate children from their tender years until adolescence. In time, a new dimension was added to the apostolate, when co-foundress Maria Mosca, known as Sister Maria of Jesus, was inspired to serve the Lord through serving the sick and the elderly. The sisters became known for their warm, generous and compassionate care of those who suffer. In addition to educating children and caring for the sick, the sisters were and are also called to social work and pastoral ministry. In response to the Church's invitation to spread the Kingdom of God among the nations, the Carmelite Sisters have opened houses in Canada, the United States, Poland, India, Brazil, Czech Republic, Philippines and Indonesia in addition to the many houses that continue to operate throughout Italy.