News & Pics: Stanly Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Jul 18: The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, popularly known as the Feast of the Scapular (Benthin) was celebrated at the Infant Jesus Shrine, Bikarnakatte on Sunday, July 17 along with the faithful. Despite the rain devotees gathered in a large numbers.

For Carmelites, this feast is of prime importance and has always been celebrated with great fervour and devotion. There were 3 masses in the morning for the faithful, the festal mass at 5.30 in the evening. Upholding the importance of the scapular, devotion to the feast and in keeping up with traditions, scapulars were distributed to the faithful after all the masses.

In preparation for the feast, there were novena masses which began on July 8th, with a reflection each day on the different virtues of Mary proclaimed in the different names by which she is lovingly called, culminating on the feast day with the theme “Climbing the Mount of Perfection with Mary”. The priests and religious were invited from Mangalore diocese to share in the celebration.

Fr. Valerian Pinto, Parish Priest of Kulshekar presided over the Eucharistic celebration along with many other priests and Fr. Antony Serrao, Parish Priest of Bendur preached the homily.

History of the Feast

Devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel goes right back to the origins of the Carmelite Order itself, when a group of men from the West, living as hermits after the examples of Christ on the slopes of Mt. Carmel in Palestine in the 12th century, established themselves as “The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel” and built a chapel there in her honour. Thus, the Carmelites look to Mary as their patroness and model in living their allegiance to Jesus Christ.

The political situation at the turn of the 13th century forced to leave Carmel for Europe. However, it was a time when religious orders were trying to establish their identity and mendicant spirituality was the order of the day. This made the Carmelite Order, with their eremitic tradition, unwelcome. Within the Order itself, the friars were divided whether to continue as hermits or adopt the lifestyle of the mendicants. As all these difficulties threatened the very existence of the Order, tradition speaks of a vision of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to the then Prior General St. Simon Stock, presenting the scapular as a sign of her constant love and protection. Soon, this devotion spread among the laity who wore it as an expression of their devotion to Mary.

The feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is celebrated on July 16th and devotion to her is expressed through the spirituality of the scapular which symbolizes her virtues of prayer, humility and total surrender to the will of God.