Oratorios Santa Maria di Monte del Carmelo - Sciacca

This monastery is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.

Mount Carmel in the Holy Land is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Elijah fought against the prophets of the idol Baal.

In the twelfth century, hermits were inspired by the faith of the prophet Elijah and settled on Mount Carmel, under the protection of the Blessed Virgin. They laid the foundation for the later orders of the Carmelites and Carmelites.

St. Carmelite Simon Stock had an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Cambridge on the night of July 15 to 16, 1251 . She gave him a scapular (shoulder garment). Mary promised special blessings for all who would wear her scapular over the centuries. The Church has solemnly and repeatedly approved this Marian devotion, which originated in England, so that the Popes have conferred numerous spiritual privileges on all who wear the scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel falls on on July 16.

In 1386 , July 16 became an important holiday for the Carmelites. Since 1726, this free memorial has been on the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the patroness of sailors. She is the safe haven in which we must take refuge amid all the storms of life.

Willem Vandenameele