The Catholic saint’s day commemorates Our Lady of Mount Carmel, one of the most venerated Marian devotions in the world and especially loved in Spain and in many countries of Catholic tradition. Her feast day brings together thousands of faithful every year who participate in religious celebrations and popular events in her honor.
The liturgical calendar is not only dedicated to saints and martyrs, but also to invocations of the Virgin Mary that are of profound importance to the Church. The saint’s day of July 16 is one of the most popular of the year, as it commemorates a deep-rooted devotion both in inland towns and in towns and cities linked to the sea.
OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEN
Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel has its origins in Mount Carmel, in the Holy Land, where a group of hermits settled between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries under the protection of the Virgin Mary. From that community was born the Order of Carmen, which quickly spread this invocation to many countries.
According to tradition, on July 16, 1251, the Virgin appeared to St. Simon Stock, superior of the Carmelite order, and gave him the scapular as a sign of protection and commitment to the faith. Since then, this symbol has become one of the most representative elements of Carmelite devotion.
Nuestra Señora del Carmen is considered the patron saint of sailors and seafarers, which is why maritime processions are held every year in numerous coastal towns. The Church celebrates its feast day every July 16, a date that has become one of the most deeply rooted Marian celebrations in the Catholic world.
WHY ARE SAINTS CELEBRATED?
The Christian saint’s day has its origin in the tradition of remembering the saints and blesseds recognized by the Church every day. These commemorations value the life and testimony of people who stood out for their faith and for the example they left throughout their lives.
With the passage of time, the celebration of saints was also linked to the name day, so that many people celebrate their saint on the day on which the Church remembers the saint from whom they received their name. This custom is still deeply rooted in many countries with a Christian tradition.
