Family of the Eternal Song: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Pray for Us!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Pray for Us!

Prayer To Our Lady of Mount Carmel"Flos Carmeli" - Prayer of St. Simon Stock

O beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, Splendor of Heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a Pure Virgin, assist me in this necessity. O Star of the sea, help and protect me! Show me that Thou art my Mother. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee! Mother and Ornament of Carmel, Pray for us! Virgin, Flower of Carmel, Pray for us!Patroness of all who wear the Scapular, Pray for us! Hope of all who die wearing the Scapular, Pray for us! St. Joseph, Friend of the Sacred Heart, Pray for us! St. Joseph, Chaste Spouse of Mary, Pray for us! St. Joseph, Our Patron, Pray for us!O sweet Heart of Mary, Be our salvation! Amen.

My favorite July 16th memory was from a few years ago, my friends and I attended the Festival in honor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in New York City. We went to a Mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish that was said in Haitian. It was such an amazing cultural experience to share in the celebration of the Mass and to experience the unique Haitian music. These people were singing their hearts out!!! They were boldly unashamed to give God glory through their voices. It was very different and very unique and I loved it!

I have always had a devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. I have seen so many fun and wonderful ways to celebrate this beautiful feast. I especially like the scapular cake idea! When I was a teacher, my girls and I made four "Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother!" cakes. The girls loved decorating them! Being in a truck, we are limited in what we can do, but we are spending the day praying for the intercession of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. We stopped by the store and bought white cherries to celebrate. They are such a perfect and special summer treat! We have frozen some red cherries and they are so tasty! They are frosty cold and have a great texture. As they say, "Life is just a bowl of cherries!" Enjoy this special feast day. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us!