Report and Pics by Viju Mangalore - Daijiworld News Network

Mangalore, Jul 16: The Carmelites of Karnataka residing on Carmel Hill on which the renowned Infant Jesus Shrine has been built here, celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with great fervour.

The solemn festive mass was celebrated on Sunday, Jul 16 with the annual feature – the blessing and distribution of the scapular.

Hundreds of devotees flocked the shrine and participated in the religious ceremony.

This was followed by a short get-together of all those who have been closely associated with the mission of the Carmelites.

It was the Belgian Carmelites, especially those staffing the erstwhile Quilon seminary who decided on founding a house of monastic observance in Mangalore in 1947 for which purpose they sent Fathers Marcel and Hyacinth as pioneers in 1947. After exploring the city in search of a suitable site. They finally selected the hill today known as Carmel Hill. It was here that a new monastic community was begun.

Today the Carmel has become a pilgrim center.