Final day of the Novena to Our Lady of Mt Carmel

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel!

Day 8 of our Novena to Our Lady of Mt Carmel which will conclude on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mt Carmel on July 16th. We are offering up our intentions for the protection and growth of the Traditional Roman Rite all over the world.

O most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendour of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity.

(Mention your intentions here)

O Star of the Sea, help me and show me in this that thou art my Mother. O holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth, I humbly beseech thee, from the bottom of my heart, to help me in this necessity; there are none that can withstand thy power. O show me in this that thou art my Mother!

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Sweet Mother, I place this cause in thy hands.
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in thy hands.
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in thy hands.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be three times in Thanksgiving…

The statue above is from Our Lady of Mt Carmel Shrine in East Harlem, NY. There are only three images of the Blessed Virgin that have been coronated by Pontifical Authority: the above Our of Lady of Mount Carmel on 115th Street in New York, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.

Above is from Midnight Traditional Solemn Mass last night at the Pontifical Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mt Carmel in East Harlem.

At Lourdes in 1858, Our Lady chose to make her last apparition on the Feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel. At Fatima, on 10/13/17, it is as Our Lady of Mt Carmel that Our Blessed Mother appeared when she said farewell to the three children.

The Feast of Our Lady of Carmel is grandly celebrated in various places in Italy. In Rome, a statue of Our Lady of Carmel -- Madonna del Carmine -- is dressed in beautiful clothes and precious jewels given by the faithful, and then processed from the Church of Sant'Agata in Trastevere to the Basilica of San Crisogono, where it will remain for eight days, when it is processed back again. Food, music, traditional markets, and fireworks are all part of the celebrations.

In Avigliano, Potenza, Basilicata, in 1694, the people appealed to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel when they were suffering from both famine and earth tremors. They ran to the mountains and prayed there for 40 days, pleading with Our Lady that they would honor her if she would intercede for them. When no one died and no houses were destroyed by the great earthquake that came, they renamed their local mountain "Mt. Carmine" (Carmel), built a chapel in her honor, and bought a beautiful wooden statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to adorn it. Every year on the eve of this feast, they crown the statue and lay a mantle fixed with treasures over its shoulders. Then, on the 16th, the statue is processed from Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli to the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Carmine almost 6 1/2 miles away. The statue remains there for two months, being returned on the second Sunday in September.

Not far away from Avigliano is Viggianello, whose people honor Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on the third Sunday of August. Everyone wears their traditional clothing, but the women wear cirii on their heads -- conical shaped structures decorated with wheat and ribbons. The men carry on their shoulders a great wooden structure -- la meta -- that is shaped and decorated in the same way, but with the addition of farm animals. All the while, bagpipers, accordionists, and tambourine players make music while people dance a tarantella called the "sickle dance."

In Palmi, Calabria, a miracle took place that was officially recognized by the Vatican: on October 31, 1894, a statue of Our Lady of Carmel began doing very strange things. Its eyes would move, and its face would blanche, like the flesh of a woman who's about to faint. This went on for seventeen days, and was written about not only in the local press, but nationally. On November 16th, the people spontaneously held a procession of the statue -- and just when they made it to the end of the city, a violent earthquake struck, destroying most of the houses. But out of the 15,000 inhabitants of the town, fewer than ten were killed because most of them were taking part in the procession to honor the Blessed Virgin. Since then, every year on November 16, the people of Palmi have Mass followed by a procession of the statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

Italian immigrants brought their love of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to the United States, and in various places around America at this time, one can find festivals in her honor. Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City has a large one centered around the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at 275 North 8th Street. It includes a procession of Our Lady, and is famous for its "Dancing of the Giglio" -- a tall, three-ton tower that is carried down the street on men's shoulders.¹

---

Today is a good day to recall St. Elias -- the precursor to the Precursor -- and to emulate his will to defend sacred Tradition. When he met up with "all Israel" and the priests of Baal, he felt alone, saying, "I only remain a prophet of the Lord: but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men (III Kings 18:22).  But he persevered! In times like ours, when the world is against us just as the priests of Baal and the rulers of his land were against Elias, and when, also like Elias, we see so many who claim to be of our Faith betray the Lord by tossing aside what has been handed down to us by our ancestors, and practicing a weak, irrational syncretism, we should keep the fortitude of St. Elias in mind! Become virtuous, and always speak the truth when necessary! If you ever feel "lost at sea," look to Christ, our North Star, and keep your eyes on Him always! If you ever feel alone, turn to His Mother, Saints, and angels for friendship and help! Stay strong! Ask God to grant you the faith and zeal of St. Elias:

O Living Lord, the God of Thy Prophet Elias, Who hast adopted us through baptism by Thy holy grace: enkindle also in us the faith and zeal of Thy holy prophet.

“O great Saint Elias, who was raised up by God to restore the worship of the one true God among His people, look down upon poor suffering humanity; convert those estranged from God; restore the one true Church of Christ among all nations, that by thy prayer the just chastisement due to our sins and ingratitude may be averted, and that peace and God’s justice may reign everywhere.”  

- Excerpt from Prayer to St. Elias

1. https://fisheaters.com/olmtcarmel.html