Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

My Dear Parishioners,

This Tuesday we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the gift of the Brown Scapular.

In the twelfth century, a group of men from Western Europe traveled to the Holy Land during the Crusades. They lived as hermits on Mount Carmel in Israel. This is the same mountain on which Elijah lived and prayed and defeated the false prophets of Baal. There they built a chapel in honor of the Virgin Mary. When Muslim Arabs destroyed the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, and killed many Christians in the Holy Land, the hermits returned to Europe. They called themselves the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel….A Prior General of the Order named St. Simon Stock was praying about Order’s future when he received a vision of the Blessed Mother. She promised to give all of those who wear the Carmelite habit the gift of final perseverance. Since then, the charism of the Carmelites has been contemplative prayer, following in the footsteps of the Blessed Mother (Dawn Marie Beutner: Saints—Becoming an Image of Christ Every Day of the Year).

Our Blessed Mother said to St. Simon Stock: Take this Scapular, it shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger and a pledge of peace. Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.

The Brown Scapular and the Scapular Medal are the miniature versions of the Carmelite habit with all the same privileges.

As St. John Paul II teaches, the Brown Scapular helps us to develop the habit of Christian living: The continuous protection of the Blessed Virgin, not only along the pathways of this life, but also at the moment of passing into the fullness of eternal glory and the awareness that devotion towards Our Lady cannot be limited to the occasional prayer in her honor, but must become a ‘habit’, that is a permanent way of Christian living, made up of prayer and the interior life, frequent recourse to the Sacraments and the concrete exercise of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy (EWTN).

I encourage all to renew their devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and to the wearing of the Brown Scapular. Not because I say so, but because Our Blessed Mother said so.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us!

St. Joseph, Patron of the Church, pray for us!

 

Fr. Michael J Pawelko, Pastor

LITANY OF OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Queen of Heaven, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, vanquisher of Satan, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, most dutiful Daughter, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, most pure Virgin, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, most devoted Spouse, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, most tender Mother, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, perfect model of virtue, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, sure anchor of hope, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, refuge in affliction, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, dispenser of God’s gifts, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, tower of strength against our foes, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our aid in danger, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, road leading to Jesus, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our light in darkness, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our consolation at the hour of death, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, advocate of the most abandoned sinners, pray for us.
For those hardened in vice, With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel.
For those who grieve thy Son,With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel.
For those who neglect to pray,With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel.
For those who are in their agony, With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel.
For those who delay their conversion,With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel.
For those suffering in Purgatory,With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel.
For those who know thee not,.With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, .Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us
V. Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Hope of the Despairing,
R. Intercede for us with thy Divine Son.

Let Us Pray.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, glorious Queen of Angels, channel of God’s tenderest mercy to man, refuge and advocate of sinners, with confidence we prostrate ourselves before thee, beseeching thee to obtain for us our intentions in this novena. In return we solemnly promise to have recourse to thee in all our trials, sufferings and temptations, and we shall do all in our power to induce others to love and reverence thee and to invoke thee in all their needs. We thank thee for the numberless blessings which we have received from thy mercy and powerful intercession. Continue to be our shield in danger, our guide in life, and our consolation at the hour of death. Amen.