O Most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel,  fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God,  Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity…

O, Star of the Sea,  help me and show me herein you are my mother.

O holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of heaven and earth,  I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart,  to aid me in my need;  there are none that can withstand your power.  O show me herein you are my Mother.

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O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times); and pray for those who do not have recourse to thee, especially the enemies of the Holy Church.   Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands. (state your petition).  Amen.

Song of Gratitude to Our Lady of Mount Carmel  

By St. Therese of Lisieux 

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From the first moments of my life,

You took me in your arms.

Ever since that day, dear Mother,

You’ve protected me here below.

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To preserve my innocence,

You placed me in a soft nest.

You watched over my childhood

In the shade of a holy cloister.  

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Later, in the days of my youth,

I heard Jesus’ call…

In your ineffable tenderness,

You showed Carmel to me.

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“Come, my child, be generous,”

You sweetly said to me.

“Near me, you’ll be happy,

Come sacrifice yourself for your Savior.”  

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Close to you, 0 my loving Mother!

I’ve found rest for my heart.

I want nothing more on earth.

Jesus alone is all my happiness.

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If sometimes I feel sadness

And fear coming to assail me,

Always supporting me in my weakness,

Mother, you deign to bless me. 

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Grant that I may be faithful

To my divine Spouse Jesus.

 One day may his sweet voice call me

To flyaway among the elect.     

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Then, no more exile, no more suffering.

In Heaven I’ll keep repeating

The song of my gratitude,

Lovable Queen of Carmel!  

Ave Maria Meditations

Prayer to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel:  O Mary, Queen and Mother of Carmel, I come today to consecrate myself to you, for my whole life is but a small return for the many graces and blessings that have come from God to me through your hands. Since you look with special kindness on those who wear your Scapular, I implore you to strengthen my weakness with your power, to enlighten the darkness of my mind with your wisdom, and to increase in me Faith, Hope and Charity that I may repay each day my debt of humble homage to you.

May your Scapular bring me your special protection in my daily struggle to be faithful to your Divine Son and to you. May it separate me from all that is sinful in life and remind me constantly of my duty to imitate your virtues. From now on, I shall strive to live in God’s Presence, and offer all to Jesus through you. Dearest Mother, support me by your never-failing love and lead me to paradise through the merits of Christ and your own intercession. Amen.

A bit of history on Our Lady of Mt. Carmel:

The apparition of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, the patroness of the Carmelite Order, begins with St. Simon Stock. St. Simon lived in England and was born in the twelth century. Tradition has it that he lived in the trunk (stock) of a tree and this is how he came to be called. After joining the Carmelite Order he went to Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land, later returning to England.  St. Simon was the superior of the Carmelites at age 82 in 1247 from Aylesford, England. He would live to be 100 years old!

It was in 1251 on July 16th that Our Lady of Mt. Carmel appeared to St. Simon with the brown scapular in her hand and holding the Christ Child. She said to him:

“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.  It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant.”  

The brown scapular continues to be the most popular of all scapulars. The apparition was approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1587.

Another brief explanation of the scapular is given as follows: The Brown Scapular is a Roman Catholic devotion to Mary under her title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It is worn as a sign of love and devotion for the Mother of God. The Carmelite Order, to which the Scapular belongs, originated on Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land and the Scapular is itself a reflection in miniature of the habit (scapular: a sleeveless outer garment falling from the shoulders) which the monks wear as a sign of their vocation and devotion. Over the years the scapular, at least for lay people, became much reduced in size to but small pieces of wool cloth suspended front and back.

Homily #090716 ( 06min) Play – St. Simon Stock had an apparition from Our Lady of Mt Carmel where the Scapular of Our Lady of Mt Carmel was given to the Church, but it is not a pass to lazy piety.
Ave Maria! Mass readings

Audio (MP3)

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