Sermon – Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – 16 July 2026

Today we celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, known in Spanish as Nuestra Señora del Carmen.

The history of this devotion begins with the prophet Elijah, who prayed to God on Mount Carmel and had fire brought down from heaven to burn the sacrifice. In doing so, Elijah proved that there is only one God.

Centuries later, some Christian monks, wishing to emulate the Prophet Elijah, established a religious order and monastery here. Upon the conquest of the Holy Land by Islamic armies, they were forced to leave Mount Carmel and dispersed to various Christian lands.

The great miracle took place in England. The Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Simon Stock and gave him the robe of the Virgin Mary, known as the "escapular." Today, escapulars can be found in the form of a cloth necklace or a silver chain. Importantly, they feature an image of the Virgin Mary on one side and the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the other.

The Virgin Mary made two promises to those who wore the escapula in reverence:

1. Those who die wearing their escapulae will not go to hell.

2. They will be released from purgatory on the first Saturday after death.

The conditions required to benefit from these two blessings are as follows:

1. Aescapulae must be fitted by a priest. There is a special ritual for fitting escapulae; it is not sufficient for the escapulae to be blessed and fitted by oneself.

2. Escapulars should be worn daily and sincerely throughout life. It should be remembered that the wearer has a special devotion to the Virgin Mary and should strive to live a holy life.

3. A person should live by the virtues of purity and chastity in accordance with their own life circumstances.

4. The "Prayer of Mary" should be recited. This prayer can be replaced with other prayers of the Virgin Mary with the approval of a priest.

   
   

Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary for the grace to devote ourselves entirely to her; for whoever is devoted to her will never be lost.