Letter of the Prior General for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 2018
Dear brothers and sisters of the Carmelite Family:
The solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is approaching and – like every year – I would like to send you my most cordial fraternal greetings on our patronal feast, in which we remember Mary under the beloved title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. We commemorate Our Mother and Sister, the Domina loci (mistress of the place) that is at the center of our lives and that inspires and encourages us to live our Carmelite charism at the service of the Gospel, of the people of God and of all humanity.
Congratulations to all. May the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel be a true time of grace, devotion, faith and conversion.
With fraternal affection,
Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm.
Prior General
Source: http://ocarm.org
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel—Monday, July 16: “The Carmelites have celebrated their patronal feast on [July 16] since the 14th century, for according to tradition St. Simon Stock was given the brown scapular by the Blessed Virgin on this day (1251). The Order of Carmel dates back to a group of Western hermits who in the 12th century settled on Mount Carmel, overlooking the plain of Galilee, in imitation of the prophet Elijah (see 1 Kings 18:19-46 and 2 Kings 2:25). They grouped themselves around a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady. In the 13th century, the Order of Carmel as we know it was formed, retaining the twin devotions of the early hermits: to Elijah and his solitary prayer, and to Our Lady under the title of Mount Carmel.”
Source: Living With Christ (July 2018)