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Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Public Domain Image — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is celebrated by the Catholic Church on July 16. It is on this day in about 1386 that Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock. She gave him a Brown Scapular saying,

“Take, beloved son this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire.”

The scapular symbolizes Mary’s protection and reminds those wearing it of the call to prayer and penance. It stands for a commitment to follow Jesus and imitate Mary as the perfect model of all disciples of Christ.

A chapel was built near the Fountain of Elijah (northern Israel) which was dedicated to Our Lady. The hermits living there became known as the “Brothers of Mount Carmel”. St. Simon Stock was a leader of the Carmelite Order. The Carmelites have a special devotion to Mary. Their saints and theologians have a special devotion to her and the mystery of the Immaculate Conception (the belief that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin). St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Terese of Lisieux are well known Carmelite saints.

Mt. Carmel is located north of Jerusalem along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a well known mountainous ridge in Palestine which is covered with caves. Hermits lived in the caves, living a life of solitude and prayer. Mt. Carmel is mentioned in the Old Testament many times.

The history of the Carmelites dates back to ancient times. It is believed to have been founded by the prophets Elijah and Elisha. The Carmelite Order is a contemplative order. Their spirituality follows the contemplative spirit of Elijah, living a spiritual life of contemplation and prayer. One of their goals is to “find God in the silence’. The rule of the Carmelites was written by St. Albert Avogadro in 1214.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
The feast celebrates the appearance of Mary to St. Simon Stock.It is a special feast day for those who have a special devotion to Mary and wear the Brown Scapular. The Apparition of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1587. The feast celebrates the appearance of Mary to St. Simon Stock.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Blessed is he for whom Mary prays.

Quote of St. Peter Julian Eymard; Feast day August 2

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood.

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St. Simon Stock Public Domain Image — St. Simon Stock

The feast day of St. Simon Stock is celebrated on May 16.

Little is known about the early life of St. Simon Stock. Legend has told us that from the age of twelve he lived as a hermit in a hollow tree trunk. As a young man he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. There, he joined a group of Carmelites. They returned together to Europe.

St. Simon was elected Superior General of his Order in London in 1254. St. Simon founded many Carmelite Communities in Cambridge, Oxford, Paris and Bologna. He was instrumental in the transition from a hermit Order to an Order of mendicant friars.

In 1251 he experienced an apparition during a time when the order was being oppressed. The Virgin Mary appeared to him holding the brown scapular in one hand. She told him,

“Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is a special sign of my favor which I have obtained for thee and thy children of Mt. Carmel. He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger and a pledge of special peace and protection.”

The scapular is made of two squares of cloth connected by strings. It is worn over the shoulders, one on the chest, one on the back.

The promise from the Virgin Mary is believed to mean that Carmelites who live their vocation well, with love and sincerity will be saved. It is a reminder that Mary is their role model in love. The Carmelite Order is a contemplative Order which focuses on contemplative prayer. Mary leads those in the Carmelite Order to a deeper love of Jesus Christ, the Eucharist and the Beatitudes. The role models for the Carmelite Order are the Virgin Mary and the prophet Elijah. It was Elijah who heard the voice of God in the whisper of the gentle breeze.

St. Simon Stock was known to have a special gift of miracles and prophecy. St. Simon Stock. died on July 16, 1265 in Bordeaux, France.

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience,

but shouts in our pain.

It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

Quote of C.S. Lewis

The Mystery of Faith

Tag Archives: St. Simon Stock

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Feast Day July 16

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Simon Stock, Feast Day May 16

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience,

but shouts in our pain.

It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

May is the Month of Mary

Discovering the Spirituality of Catholicism