Today, July 16th would have been the Feast of Our
Lady of Mount Carmel. Because the day falls on
Sunday, Our Lady’s Feast Day falls out of the calendar
in favor of the Lords’ Day. Nevertheless, it does
us well to take a look at this beautiful day in honor of
Our Lady.

We begin by saying that it is the patronal feast of
the Carmelite Order. This Order of men and women
possesses the deepest spirituality in the Church.
Some of its illustrious saints are: St. John of The
Cross (Dec. 14th), St. Theresa of Avila (Oct. 15th) and
St Therese of Lisieux (Oct. 1st) or “The Little Flower”.
The Carmelite Order was the preference of
choice of Karol Wojtyla, who so desired to be a Carmelite
priest, but instead became a priest of the Archdiocese
of Krakow, Poland. In 1978 he became Pope
John Paul II (1978-2005). However, he lived a life
almost as a Carmelite, giving into deep, quiet prayer
each day. His dissertation (wrote a book) was on the
spirituality of the Carmelite, St. John of The Cross.
St. John Paul II went to confession frequently. He
always confessed to a Carmelite priest.

The Carmelites were Christian Hermits living in
Palestine in the late 12th (1100’s) and 13th (1200’s)
centuries. They lived on Mount Carmel overlooking
breathtaking vistas of the Mediterranean Sea. The
importance of Mount Carmel is found in 1 Kings 18
with the Prophet Elijah’s confrontation with the false
prophets of Baal (pronounced: Bail or Bahl). It is
mentioned as a “holy mountain” in 16 (B.C.) according
to Egyptian records. The mountain was a center
of idol pagan worship.

Individual Christian hermits settled on the mountains
in the early 6th century (500’s). They established
a monastery in 1150 A.D. A Hermit is one
who lives a secluded prayer-focused Life taking the
three evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and
obedience.

The rule of the Carmelite Order was approved in
the church by Pope Honorius III (1216-1227) in
1226. Shortly after, the Muslims invaded the monastery
and some of the hermits fled to Aylesford, England.
In 1247 Fr. Simon Stock joined the Carmelite
Order in England. It is said he was elected Superior
of the Order at age 82, in 1251. The Blessed Virgin
Mary appeared to Simon Stock holding the baby Jesus
and a brown scapular. The Virgin Mary said to
Simon: “Receive, my beloved son, this habit of your
Order: this shall be to you and all Carmelites a privilege,
that whosoever dies clothed in this shall never
suffer eternal fire”

In 1726. Pope Benedict XIII inserted the Feast Day
in honor of Our Lady into the Universal Catholic calendar
to be celebrated on July 16th. Pope Sixtus IV
(1471-1484) established the Third Order of Carmelites
(existing to this day) as a lay order of men and
women.