A Welcome Message From Fr. Seb.
Greetings, welcome to the Catholic community of Our Lady of Mount Carmel church.
We hope that you find our web page informative and interesting.
The purpose of the web site is to inform members of our parish what is happening within our community. Of equal importance is the opportunity for visitors to learn a little something about us and the Church.
If you have any questions concerning our parish, or the Catholic Church, please call on us, we are available to help you in your search in any way we can.
"Served by the Carmelites"
Order of Carmelites
The parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is "served by the Carmelites". It seems appropriate to give you a small historical sketch of the Carmelite Order that founded and presently serves and administers the parish.
Since the time of St. Elijah, prophet of prayer and action (9th Century B.C.), men have considered Mt. Carmel (Israel) a holy place to live with God. This tradition continued into the Christian era, St. Elijah being acclaimed the Father of Eastern Monasticism. Between 1206 and 1214, St. Albert, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, on request, presented to the men living on Mt. Carmel a Rule, thus inaugurating the Carmelites as a religious order in the Church.
Once the Order expanded and solidified in Europe, the Church placed the group among the Orders of Friars that were flourishing at the time - Franciscans, Dominicans, and Augustinians. Since the time of the early Middle Ages, the Carmelite Friars have been influential in parish ministry, education, retreat ministry, and foreign missions. It is the hope of the Carmelites that we impart and share with the parish community here the unique spirit that comes from the venerable order of Carmelites.
Sincerely,
Fr. Sebastian Meyer, O. Carm
Pastor