Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel, in the Holy Land, is the mountain where the prophet Elijah defended the worship of the true God. In the late twelfth century a group of Christian hermits settled there, living in prayer and dedicating their first chapel to the Virgin Mary. They became the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, the Carmelites, who later spread throughout Europe.

According to Carmelite tradition, on July 16, 1251, Our Lady appeared to Saint Simon Stock in England and gave him the brown scapular, promising her protection to those who wear it faithfully. The scapular became one of the most widespread Catholic devotions: a sign of consecration to Mary and of a commitment to live as Christians. The feast began in England in the late fourteenth century and was extended to the whole Church in 1726. The great Carmelite saints, Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross and Thérèse of Lisieux, all lived under her mantle.

In Chile, the Virgen del Carmen is Queen and Patroness of the nation, honored with the great festival of La Tirana in the northern desert, with masked dancers. Peru celebrates her with the colorful dances of Paucartambo near Cusco. In Spain and many coastal towns, fishermen carry her image out to sea in boat processions, and in Colombia drivers and transport workers decorate their vehicles in her honor. Many receive the scapular on this day.