Invitation to the Blessing of Our Statues
Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear Friends and Benefactors of our Hermitage,
You are invited!
We are writing to share a brief update on our chapel and to invite you to the blessing of our new statues on Sunday, September 27, at 3:00 pm. Tours of the chapel will be conducted from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm. Refreshments will be served. We hope to see you on this momentous occasion.
Through your faithful help, we have been able to accomplish much on the chapel since our cornerstone blessing last September. The exterior of the chapel is now complete, and our construction companies are now working diligently to complete the interior walls. Electrical and mechanical fixtures are being installed, and the first mosaics will be placed in the small apses at the very time this newsletter arrives at your homes.
We are excited to share with you some pictures of the very beautiful statues which have been installed on the west façade of the chapel, above and to the right and left of the main doors. The picture at the top of this page shows the “tympanum,” a carved bas-relief which is often found above the portals and doors of Catholic churches. Our tympanum portrays the coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary by her son, Jesus Christ. They are seated on a royal bench surrounded by adoring angels.
To the left of the main doors, a statue of the Prophet Elijah depicts him with a fiery sword and a raven at his feet. A raven brought Elijah food during a time of great drought. To the right of the main door, the disciple of St. Elijah, namely the Prophet Elisha, is shown with an oil jug. Elisha multiplied oil for a poor widow and her son. Both prophets spent considerable time on Mount Carmel where our religious Order began. In the Carmelite tradition, St. Elijah and St. Elisha came to be identified as forerunners of the solitary, prayerful, and prophetic life to which Carmelite religious men and women are called. They established a pattern of life which Carmelites continue to imitate even in our times.
At the very top of the chapel, we have placed a statue of “Our Lady of Grace.” Our chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and therefore we thought it very fitting to crown the chapel with her image. We chose the statue known as Our Lady of Grace because, with arms outstretched, she appears to welcome all visitors to her chapel.
Our Lady of Grace
We are deeply grateful for your generous gifts which have made this beautiful chapel possible. Additional funds are still needed in order to completed the chapel and open it for daily prayer and public worship. We appreciate your ongoing financial support, and we assure you of our prayers for yourselves and all of your loved ones. May the Virgin Mary, whose chapel you are helping to build, extend her loving protection over your homes and families.
The Carmelite Fathers and Brothers
