O Glorious Queen of Angels!

Most pure and ever-blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel!

Powerful advocate of all those who wear thy holy Scapular!

Faithful protectress of all the servants of thy Son, Jesus Christ!

I, an unworthy sinner, do this day, in the presence of thy beloved Son, my Savior,

choose thee for my patroness, that through thy intercession, I may receive from Him

whatsoever grace may be necessary and profitable for me now

and at the hour of my death.  Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary.  (Three times.)

“Christmas in July”?  Perhaps the expression dates the composer of this Novena flyer, as our Novice, upon hearing it, asked what it meant.  Some businesses ran, and maybe still do, specials for Christmas items in July – bargains topped by free shipping if a large amount was bought.  To be sure, July in Carmel is a big month!  Not only do a large number of our Saints have their feast days then, but like stars in the heavens around the moon at night, they hail the greatest of them all – the Mother and Queen of Carmel.  The FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL was expressly established as a day to give thanks to Our Lady for Her many gifts to us (for more on this topic, see the reverse of this sheet).  So, we celebrate a Thanksgiving Day in July, expressing our gratitude to Our Patroness and Heavenly Mother who, ever solicitous for our protection – bodily and spiritual, lovingly provided us with the BROWN SCAPULAR.  It is the sign, not only of Her love for us, but also of our love and devotion to Her – in fact, it is the sign of our consecration to Her Immaculate Heart.  We thank Her for this gift which, if we wear it worthily, saves us from the fires of Hell.  “Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of your Order,” She told St. Simon Stock, then General of the Order of Carmelites. “This shall be to you and to all Carmelites a privilege that whosoever dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire. It is a badge of salvation, a protection in danger, a pledge of peace and eternal alliance.”  So many gifts in one package – and we have so much more for which to be thankful to Our Lady, especially for Her Fiat which opened the door for Our Savior to come into this world!  Join us in making this Novena of Gratitude to Her July 8-16.

A Solemn Mass in honor of OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL will be celebrated for your intentions in our Chapel on Her feast day, Wednesday, July 16, 2025.  Fr. Steven Vetter, Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Bismarck, ND, will be the Celebrant (Novus Ordo).  Before Mass begins, the Rosary will be prayed at 6:30 p.m.  Let us thank Jesus for giving us His Mother who so earnestly wants us in Heaven with Jesus and Her and stops at nothing to assist us.  May She, in turn, take consolation and find refuge in us!  For those desiring it, enrollment in the BROWN SCAPULAR will take place at the end of the Mass.  SCAPULARS are available in our gift shop.

“Mount Carmel is commemorated in Scripture for its beauty, and it was there that the prophet Elijah (Elias) defended the purity of Israel’s faith in the living God.  Towards the end of the twelfth century A.D., near a spring called after Elijah, a group of hermits established themselves on Mount Carmel and built an oratory in honor of Our Lady, whom they chose as their titular and patroness.  They became known as ‘the Brothers of Saint Mary of Mount Carmel’.  They regarded the Blessed Virgin as their Mother and their model first of all in leading the contemplative life, and later in sharing the fruits of their contemplation with others.  The Solemn Commemoration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was first celebrated in England in the fourteenth century, but was gradually adopted throughout the Order as an occasion of thanksgiving for the countless blessings which Our Lady had bestowed on the Carmelite family.”

This little introduction to the Carmelite Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours for July 16^th was too beautiful to cut short, so we quoted it in full, delighting in the fact that many details given in it could be recounted about the Chapel of the Holy Face of Jesus going up in Alexandria, South Dakota.  Carmel has been established here now for twenty-eight years and the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been publicly celebrated in our Monastery from the beginning.  The new Chapel will feature a life size statue of Carmel’s Queen and stained-glass windows depicting the life of St. Elijah (whose feast is July 20^th) and the goodness of this Mother to Her Order of predilection (Carmel is the oldest Order in the Church dedicated to Her).  Then heeding Pope St. John Paul II, the new Chapel calls all to join Mary in contemplating the Face of Christ – the legacy of the third millennium to be passed on to future generations according to the great Pope.

And counting our blessings?  A benefactor has come forward, offering from his quarry all the stone needed for the project – pray now for skilled stone cutters and machinery to be found for the work!

Some have also responded to MyCatholicWill.com/holyfacechapel and have included the Chapel of the Holy Face of Jesus in their Will.  May God reward you all for your generosity in this regard as we add these in thanking Our Lady for Her goodness to us.  If anyone is interested in obtaining a FREE Catholic Will ($79.00 value) and helping us in this way, do go to MyCatholicWill.com/holyfacechapel to get started.  And for all, holyfacechapel.org will give you any updates on the progress of the project.

We still need quite a bit to get the construction started, but are trusting that God will provide.  Please share with friends and anyone else you know who may be interested in helping Carmelites spread the devotion to the Holy Face by building a shrine in the center of North America.  Know how grateful we are too for your friendship and support.  May the Lord be gracious to you and yours and let His Face shine upon you!