More than 500 pilgrims endured one of the hottest days of the summer so far, packing into the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to celebrate Our Lady’s feast day on Wednesday, July 16.

The Mass, principally celebrated by Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishop Gerardo Colacicco, was part of nine days of observances of Our Lady’s annual feast, held by the Carmelite Friars from July 7-16.

In his homily, Bishop Colacicco recalled the story of the Good Samaritan, drawing comparisons between Jesus and the action of the Samaritan. “The Samaritan used oil to anoint the injured, the persecuted,” he said, pointing to the oil used in sacraments to heal our spiritual wounds.

As the Samaritan paid for the care of the stranger he found on the road, “Jesus pays for our upkeep. He has paid the price upon the cross, and He has promised to return,” Bishop Colacicco said.

The Brown Scapular of the Carmelites

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is alluded to in the story, Bishop Colacicco said. “The scapular has been for us our bandage. [Our Lady] wraps us in her garment to protect us against the loss of grace through sin.”

Each of the attendees who wanted one received a brown scapular. Also known as the Brown Scapular of the Carmelites, it hangs on the chest and the back, attached by two thin straps. Our Lady of Mount Carmel gave the brown scapular to St. Simon Stack in England in the 12^th century, with the promise that “whosoever dies in this garment shall not suffer eternal fire.”

Following Mass, many of the pilgrims braved the sweltering heat for a procession from the church to the shrine site. A statue of Our Lady was carried at the front of the procession, followed by a Knights of Columbus color guard, comprised of fourth-degree Knights from several local councils, one of the guard members confirmed to The Good Newsroom. At the shrine, the permanent statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was crowned with flowers.

“[Our Lady] is the perfect example of a disciple of Jesus Christ,” Father Gerard Tang Choon, O.Carm, rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, told The Good Newsroom in an interview after Mass. “She was the one who was there until the end, at the foot of the cross, when everybody else abandoned him. She didn’t. She was one of four people mentioned at the foot of the cross. So, for me, she’s a model of discipleship, a model of humility, of prayer, of patience, of hope, and certainly one we can look up to as a model for us,” he said.

“We’ve been seeing a lot of people coming back to church and looking for meaning, spirituality, and finding that really in the various churches. A lot of people are devoted to Mount Carmel, so I think Mary is bringing people here,” Father Tang Choon said.

Situated on 65 acres, the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Shrine was formerly located in Manhattan before Cardinal John O’Connor approved its move in 1991. The shrine now occupies part of what was St. Albert’s College, which included a junior seminary that closed in the 1980s, Father Tang Choon confirmed.

The shrine is a designated pilgrimage site for the 2025 Jubilee of Hope, one of eight in the Archdiocese of New York. According to a guide published by the archdiocese, a plenary indulgence may be obtained by visiting a pilgrimage site, being truly repentant, being free from attachment to sin, being purified through the Sacrament of Penance at the site, attending Mass and receiving Holy Communion, also at the site, and praying for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV.

The Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang

Also on the property of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Carmel is the shrine of Our Lady of La Vang, an outdoor veneration site for the patroness of Vietnam. The name and tradition refer to a reported Marian apparition in Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, in 1798, during a period of Catholic persecution. The Vatican has not recognized the apparition.

Vietnamese Catholics in the Tri-State Area will venerate Our Lady of La Vang over three days, July 18-20.