Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Prayer, Novena and Scapular

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title of the Blessed Virgin Mary as patroness of the Carmelite Order, whose first hermits lived on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. Her feast is July 16, and she is honored especially through the Brown Scapular, one of the best-loved sacramentals of the Church. Below is the history of the title, the indulgenced prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, how to pray the novena, the meaning of the scapular, and the great Carmelite saints.

Who is Our Lady of Mount Carmel?

Mount Carmel is a mountain range in northern Israel above the Mediterranean, where the prophet Elijah defended the worship of the true God. After a long drought, Elijah prayed on Carmel for rain:

And he said to his servant: Go up, and look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said: There is nothing. And again he said to him: Return seven times.
And at the seventh time, behold, a little cloud arose out of the sea like a man’s foot. And he said: Go up and say to Achab: Prepare thy chariot and go down, lest the rain prevent thee.

Christian writers saw in that “little cloud” bringing life-giving rain a figure of Mary, who brought Christ to the world. In the late twelfth century, hermits from the West settled on Carmel and dedicated their chapel to the Virgin Mary. They became the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, the Carmelites, who came to see Mary as their mother, sister and patroness.

The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The feast is kept on July 16. It is an optional memorial in the universal calendar and a solemnity for Carmelites. It is especially loved in Italy, Spain, Latin America, the Philippines and in many Italian-American parishes, where it is celebrated with processions and festivals. A novena is traditionally prayed from July 7 to July 15.

Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

This prayer was indulgenced by Pope Leo XIII in 1886. The Raccolta asks that it be followed by three Hail Marys and a Glory Be:

Most blessed Virgin Immaculate, the beauty and splendour of Carmel, thou who regardest with eyes of special love those who wear thy blessed habit, look kindly upon me and spread over me the mantle of thy maternal protection. Strengthen my weakness with thy power, illuminate the darkness of my mind with thy wisdom, increase in me the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. Adorn my soul with such graces and virtues that it may be ever dear to thy divine Son and to thee. Assist me in life, console me in death, with thy dear presence, and present me to the Holy Trinity as thy child and devoted servant, eternally to praise and bless thee in Paradise. Amen.

How to pray the novena

For nine days, pray the prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel above.
Add three Hail Marys and one Glory Be.
Close with your intention and this prayer, written for this page:

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Flower of Carmel and Star of the Sea,
I place my intention in your hands: (mention it).
Clothe me with your virtues as with your holy habit,
keep me faithful to your Son,
and be my Mother at the hour of my death. Amen.

The traditional novena days are July 7 to 15, ending on the eve of the feast, but you can pray it at any time of the year.

The Brown Scapular

The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is two small pieces of brown wool cloth joined by strings and worn over the shoulders, one piece on the chest and one on the back. It is a small form of the Carmelite habit (the scapular is the part of a religious habit that hangs over the shoulders).

Its meaning. Wearing the scapular is a sign of consecration to Mary, of belonging to the Carmelite family, and of the commitment to live as a Christian under her protection. It is a sacramental, not a charm: it helps only when it is worn with faith and a sincere Christian life.
The tradition. According to Carmelite tradition, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock, an English Carmelite, in the thirteenth century, and gave him the scapular with the promise that those who die wearing it would be preserved from eternal fire. The Church has always understood this promise as an encouragement to persevere in grace with Mary’s help.
How to receive it. A priest or deacon enrolls you in the scapular the first time, with a short blessing. After that, a worn-out scapular can be replaced without a new blessing. Since 1910 a scapular medal, with the Sacred Heart on one side and Mary on the other, may be worn instead of the cloth scapular.
Daily prayer. Many people who wear the scapular pray the Morning Offering or a few Hail Marys each day.

Carmelite saints

Carmel has given the Church some of its greatest saints and spiritual teachers:

St. Teresa of Avila (1515–1582), reformer of Carmel and Doctor of the Church. See the St. Teresa of Avila prayer.
St. John of the Cross (1542–1591), mystic, poet and Doctor of the Church.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897), the “Little Flower,” Doctor of the Church. See the St. Thérèse prayer.
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880–1906).
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) (1891–1942), philosopher and martyr of Auschwitz.

Frequently asked questions

When is the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel?

July 16. The novena is traditionally prayed from July 7 to 15.

Who can wear the Brown Scapular?

Any Catholic, including children, after being enrolled by a priest or deacon.

What is Our Lady of Mount Carmel the patron of?

The Carmelite Order, and many countries, cities and parishes, including Chile; she is also invoked as Star of the Sea by sailors and fishermen.

More Marian prayers

Texts and sources

Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel: The Raccolta (Burns and Oates, 1910), no. 270 (Leo XIII, 1886), public domain (archive.org).
Scripture: 3 Kings (1 Kings) 18:43–44, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
Catholic Encyclopedia (1908), “Our Lady of Mount Carmel” and “Scapular.”
The novena prayer was written for this page.