It is common knowledge that devotion to the Brown Scapular is inseparable with devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Everyone knows that it was to St. Simon Stock, who was Father General of the Carmelite Order, that the Blessed Mother appeared and entrusted the charge of spreading devotion to the Brown Scapular. In fact,…

The Queen of San Sebastian Basilica — and of Quiapo — was once again re-enthroned at her rightful shrine during the closing ceremony of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of her first image to the country. The re-enthronement of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel at the Basilica, led by parish priest Fr. Antonio “Joy”…

 The Brown Scapular of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel is an outward sign that the Mother of God covers us with the mantle of her maternal protection because we belong to God through her. This is what Fr. Rommel Rubia, OAR, newly appointed Local Prior of the community of San Sebastian College-Recoletos Cavite, said…

During his brief lecture on the history of the Carmelite devotion among the Augustinian Recollect friars in the Philippines at the Quirino Grandstand last May 4, historian Fr. Emil Quilatan, OAR mentioned in passing an interesting figure: Felipe Sonson. Sonson, a native of Macabebe, Pampanga, would have gone down in history as another obscure missionary…

The image of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel first arrived in the country through the waters four hundred years ago with the third batch of Augustinian Recollect missionaries. The image, a gift by the contemplative nuns of Mexico to the Augustinian Recollects, arrived in the country on May 4, 1618. It is but fitting,…

On the quadricentennial anniversary of the arrival of the image of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel to Philippine shores, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Manila reminded the Filipinos that if they want to have lasting and true peace, they should return to Carmel. Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, though absent, left this message which…

The dramatic meeting between the Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Black Nazarene of Quiapo Church was the highpoint of the foot procession held in honor of the quadricentennial anniversary of her arrival to Philippine soil. The celebration kicked off with a fluvial procession at dawn of May 4, followed by a holy mass…

Did you know that . . . There’s a commonality in the devotion to the Black Nazarene of Quiapo and the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel: They are brought to Philippine soil by the 17th century Augustinian Recollect missionaries (Recoletos). The third batch of Recollect missionaries received the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel image as…