History Of Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel is a biblical place where the prophet Elijah dwelt. Mount Carmel is place for prayer (1King 18:19). Mount Carmel is place where; the name of the God – a God who answers by fire, is called (1King18:24). Mount Carmel is place where prophets and believers gather for prayers. Mount Carmel is place where the gods of Baal are put to shame (1 King18:26-29) and destruction (1 King 18:40). Mount Carmel is a place where prophet Elijah used twelve stones (representing the 12 tribes of Israel) to build an altar in the name of the Lord (1 King 18:32). Mount Carmel is, therefore, a place for sacrifice to the Lord (1 King 18:36). Mount Carmel is place where prayers are answered (1 King 18:37-39). Mount Carmel is also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias (Arabic: جبل مار إلياس‎, Jabal Mar Ilyas, lit. Mount Saint Elias/Elijah), is a costal mountain range in Israel stretching from the Mediterranean sea  towards the southeast. The word karmel means “garden-land” and is of uncertain origin. It is either a compound of kerem and el, meaning “vineyard of God. “The Carmel range is approximately 6.5 to 8 kilometers (4.0 to 5.0 miles) wide, sloping gradually towards the southwest, but forming a steep ridge on the northeastern face, 546 meters (1,791 feet) high. The Jezreel Valley lies to the immediate northeast. It was on this mountain that Prophet Elijah prayed to God for the salvation of the nation Israel – a nation which was suffering a terrible drought at the time.  He continued to pray and sent his servant up the mountain several times to look for rain.

Foundation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Biblical Center (Part I)

On the seventh time, Elijah’s servant returned with good news, and said the following “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So, he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, “Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you” (1 Kings 18:44). Soon thereafter, torrential rains fell upon the parched land and the people of Israel were saved.

Elijah saw the cloud as a symbol of the Virgin mentioned in the prophecies of Isaiah

Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.”

In a revelation that Saint Dominic had from the Blessed Virgin Mary – Saint Dominic recorded the following:

“My son, she said one day “do not be surprised that your sermons fail to bear the results you had hoped for.  You are trying to cultivate a piece of ground which has not had any rain. Now when Almighty God planned to renew the face of the earth, He started by sending down rain from heaven – and this was the Angelic Salutation (Luke 1:28). In this way God made over the world” (St. Louis De Monfort, (1977). The Secret of the Rosary. P. 21). Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).

Foundation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Biblical Center (Part II)

As ambassadors of Christ, Almighty God has given the members of this community the Holy Rosary as a spiritual tool – because He wants us to use it as a means to convert the most hardened sinners and the most obstinate heretics. The Almighty God has attached to the Holy Rosary grace in this life and glory in the next life. Therefore, this community is Marian compliance. Members of this community are highly encouraged to say the Holy Rosary daily. They are highly encouraged to say the Holy Rosary before preaching the Gospel of Good News, to ask for God’s grace. As part of our community evangelization mission – we are fellow ministers of the Most High, appointed to preach the truth of God. As we meditate day and night on the scriptures and teach the Gospel to all nations, we make the practice of reciting the Holy Rosary daily to taste its fruits – preaching the Rosary, converting others by teaching them the excellence of this Holy devotion.

The hermits who lived on Mount Carmel followed Elijah’s example and prayed for the advent of the much-awaited Virgin, who would become the mother of the Messiah.  The origins of the Carmelite Order can be traced back to Elijah and his hermited disciples.