The Story of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

During the middle ages, at the time of the crusades when the Christian nations of Europe were engaged in a prolonged and fierce war with the Saracens for control of the Holy Land, the French, the English, the German crusaders flew the banners of their kings and queens when they went to war. In the course of that dark history, some of the European pilgrims and crusaders who were perhaps disgusted with the bloodshed and the hostilities that were going on in the Holy Land, found their way to a beautiful mountain not far from Jerusalem, and lived there as hermits devoting themselves to solitude and prayer day and night. The name of the mountain is Mount Carmel and it is well known as the biblical place where the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal took place (1 Kings 8). They lived an eremitical life in the tradition of Elijah and in a spiritual manner they were “fighting” for peace in the world and for living a life in true imitation of the life of Jesus Christ, a life of Humility, Detachment and Unconditional Love for others. In the 12th century, they agreed to establish themselves as a community of hermits and adopted a rule of life written by St. Albert, the Patriarch of Jerusalem at that time. They had chosen to fly the banner of the Mother of Jesus as their source of inspiration and their protector, and built a chapel and monastery on Mt. Carmel and dedicated it to the Virgin Mary. It was from that time on that the hermits on Mount Carmel became known as Carmelites and they called their patroness the Virgin Mary the Lady of Mount Carmel.

Not long after the founding of the Carmelites, the Saracens took control of Holy Land forcing some of the Carmelites to return to Europe. Those who remained behind eventually perished in the hands of the Saracens. The Carmelites of Europe continued to teach the practice of the Carmelite Spirituality in their respective homelands and despite the difficulties and the persecutions that they suffered, they flourished. It was during this period according to Carmelite tradition that the scapular – a small piece of rough wool cloth – was given in a vision by the Virgin Mary to the monastic Simon Stock, living in England in the 13th century. On July 16, 1251, he prayed to Mary that his order could be saved from its oppression. She appeared with the scapular in hand, and told him: “Take, beloved son this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant.”

And so the Carmelites are now found all over the world, praying constantly and in solitude, making Jesus the center of their lives, and invoking the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel for all people. When Carmelites celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16 it is to remember the history and founding of the Order and to thank the Virgin Mary, the Queen Beauty of Carmel, the Star of the Sea for her confraternity with the whole Order of Carmelites and with every Carmelite Friar, Nun and Lay Brother and Sister.