Lay Carmelites Renew Promises at Bangor Mass
BANGOR---On July 16, appropriately the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Monsignor Andrew Dubois, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Bangor, celebrated Mass at St. Matthew Church in Hampden at which 14 Lay Carmelites from the parish renewed their promises (pictures below). Monsignor Dubois was assisted by Deacon Luis Sanclemente and seminarian Thanh Pham.
The Our Lady of the Snows Lay Carmelite community is a ministry of St. Paul the Apostle Parish that meets on the second Saturday of the month in the hall at St. John Church in Bangor from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Any Catholic, 18 or over and in good standing with the Church, is welcome to attend a meeting and learn more about the ministry. Lay Carmelites are men and women who seek God’s will in the ordinary circumstances of everyday life through prayer, community, and service. Lay Carmelites pray the Liturgy of the Hours daily to inspire a deeper prayer life.
After all Sunday Masses in the parish on July 16, parishioners were also invited to stay and be enrolled in the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
On July 16, 1251, the Blessed Virgin Mary, dressed in the brown habit of the Carmelite Order, appeared to Saint Simon Stock.
“She gave him a brown scapular and told him: ‘Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is the special sign of my favor, which I have obtained for thee and for thy children of Mount Carmel. He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger, and a pledge of special peace and protection.’ The scapular consists of two connected rectangular pieces of cloth that are worn one over the chest and the other over the back, with the material connecting the two hanging over the shoulders,” said Deacon Luis. “The Carmelite scapular is traditionally made of wool and is a sacramental physical sign of the spiritual protection offered by the Blessed Virgin Mary to those who devoutly wear it.”
The parish started the day with a large basket of Brown Scapulars, but all had been distributed by the last Mass on Sunday.
“All Catholics can have the Scapular of Mount Carmel imposed on them and, by wearing it daily, receive the promised protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,” said Deacon Luis. “Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.”
Any Catholic who wishes to receive the Scapular of Mount Carmel can stop by the parish office at 217 York Street in Bangor and one of the clergy will pray the prayers of imposition. For more information about the Lay Carmelites at the parish, visit www.stpaulbangor.me/lay-carmelites.
