CEDAR KNOLLS Congregants sang “Ave Maria” at the vigil Mass on July 17 in Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Church here, as they delighted taking in a historic sight for the parish that evening: a procession of a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, their patron, around the worship space at the end of the liturgy.
Churchgoers snapped photos with their cell phones, prayed, or watched the Our Lady of Mount Carmel statue during the procession — like the many such devotions to her held around the world and in parishes in the Diocese, including those named after her, on or around her July 16 feast day. But that 5 p.m. Mass was historic because it marked the first time that Notre Dame [“Our Lady” in French] held a celebration for their patron — at least in recent memory — since its founding 100 years ago. It invited the faithful to get closer to Mary under her title, Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
“This was fantastic,” said Yvonne Orchison-Yip, a new Notre Dame parishioner and member of a committee that helped put together the celebration. The procession was followed by a consecration of the parish to Our Lady (Notre Dame) and a picnic-style cookout in the gathering space at the church’s front entrance due to rain. Orchison-Yip said she prays the rosary every day in her home. “When I know Mary, I know myself. The rosary calms me down. When I drive, I have less road rage. When I pray the rosary, I talk to Mary; she helps me,” she said.
A floral designer, Orchison-Yip arranged the flowers of mainly white and blue — the traditional colors for the Blessed Mother — and splashes of other colors for the platform that held the statue. Notre Dame went “all out” for the celebration, which started with a novena on social media each day for nine days prior for parishioners to pray. Father Alex Nevitt, parochial vicar, who devised the event, concelebrated Mass and led the procession with Father Paddy O’Donovan, pastor.
“We are excited. This was our first time for an Our Lady of Mount Carmel devotion and the first time that we are gathering like this since the end of COVID-19 restrictions,” said Father Nevitt. He noted that Notre Dame practices one special devotion to its patron — an intention for her protection in a Renewal of the Parish prayer that the faithful recite at the end of Masses. “This was a time for parishioners to give thanks to the Blessed Mother. I also asked parishioners, who are newer to the parish or are not as involved, to get involved in putting together this celebration,” he said.
In his homily at the Mass, Father Nevitt told churchgoers, “Mary can help us get closer to her son, Jesus.” He described Mary as a patron: a person, who intercedes on our behalf.
“We may fear that we don’t have enough — food, money, energy, time, faith, or prayer. But ask the Blessed Mother to ask Jesus for these graces. We will have enough and plenty to share to bring the mission [of Christ] beyond the doors of this church. We can do it with our Blessed Mother by our side,” Father Nevitt said.
At the end of Mass, Father Nevitt placed the statue of Mount Carmel on a specially made platform covered in the flowers. Holding the platform was a team of men who carried it on their shoulders around Notre Dame’s worship space. Then, they brought the statue into the gathering space with the tables, chairs, and food and set it on a pedestal, where Father Nevitt consecrated the parish to Mary and prayed to her to bestow her protection on the parish. The Knights of Columbus Council 6904 donated and cooked some of the food; parishioners donated the rest in a “pot luck” fashion, said Father Nevitt.
“We hold a procession for the Blessed Mother to show the world whom we care about and who we want to be like,” Father Nevitt said before the procession.
All smiles that evening, Rose DiMaio, a Notre Dame parishioner for more than 60 years, called the event, “beautiful with all the flowers and the music. When I can’t sleep at night, I pray to Mary,” said DiMaio, 91. “Everybody is always asking for my help, so Mary keeps me going. I need it,” she said.
In the late 12th and early to mid-13th century, the Carmelite religious order living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land gave the Blessed Mother the title Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Devotion to Our Lady has included the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as the Brown Scapular, which she gave to St. Simon Stock, according to tradition. The Brown Scapular is “an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer,” according to the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship.
Another committee member, Ann McLaughlin, a Notre Dame parishioner for nine years, helped with decorations and with set up and breakdown of the event. Also practicing a devotion to the Blessed Mother, she prayed the rosary with other parish faithful on video-conferencing, during the pandemic.
“Mary is amazing. She is the true representation of a mother: loving and accepting. The fact that she is the mother of Jesus touches my heart,” said McLaughlin, mother of a grown daughter.