Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel's storied history is a tapestry woven with threads of faith, devotion, and divine encounters. The roots of this venerable devotion stretch back to the 12th century, when a community of hermits seeking a life of contemplation and prayer gathered on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. Tradition holds that these hermits, inspired by a vision of the Virgin Mary, established a spiritual bond with her under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Over the centuries, the devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel flourished, evolving into a distinct Carmelite spirituality marked by a deep reverence for the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Carmelites spread the devotion across Europe, and it eventually reached the Philippines in the 17th century through the Augustinian Recollect Fathers. Our Lady of Mount Carmel's image, brought to the archipelago, became a focal point of veneration and a catalyst for the establishment of religious communities, including the Augustinian Recollect Sisters.

The Augustinian Recollect Sisters' foundresses, namely Mother Dionicia Mitas and Mother Cezilla Rossa Talangpaz, laid the foundation for the Beaterio de San Sebastian de Calumpang in 1725, marking a crucial chapter in the history of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Philippines. The devotion continued to thrive, leading to the canonical establishment of the Augustinian Recollect Sisters as a religious congregation. Today, the legacy of Our Lady of Mount Carmel endures, inspiring countless individuals and communities worldwide, including Our Lady of Mount Carmel School- A.R. of Calatagan, Inc., to find solace, guidance, and grace in the embrace of the revered patroness.