Hello dear sisters in Christ!
It's July! Summer is in full swing and God is good. Today I just wanted to share with you some feast days in July. There are a ton of wonderful Saints and feasts celebrated in July! Both Holy Heroes and Tradition, Family, and Property have shared links with many July feasts but I'd like to share with you the special Carmelite feasts that take place this month! At the end of this post I have a game for you so be sure to read all the way to the bottom! 😄
July 12th: Saints Louis and Zelie Martin
Even though they themselves weren't Carmelites, a post without the beautiful parents of 4 Carmelite nuns wouldn't be complete!
Louis and Zelie are an inspiration to me because they gave their lives and their family completely to God. Even before they were married both Louis and Zelie only wanted God's will. They both wanted to become religious but that was not God's plan. They also surrendered their children to God's holy Will and offered them to Our Lord selflessly. Saints Louis and Zelie are wonderful examples of the Domestic Church, Matrimony, and surrender to God's Will.
July 13th: St. Teresa of the Andes
Sr. Teresa of Jesus, as she was known in religious life, was baptized Juanita Fernandez Solar on July 13th, 1900. She entered the Discalced Carmelite monastery at Los Andes on May 7, 1919. She died at the age of 20 on April 12, of the following year, having made her religious profession as a Carmelite.
I knew very little of St. Teresa of the Andes until a couple of years ago when I started to watch the mini series on her life. She gave up everything to love Jesus for the rest of her short life. She could have had a husband, family, she could have gone to many concerts and parties, but instead she wanted to love Jesus with her whole life. She knew everything of this earth was passing away and she didn't want to waste a moment on anything but eternity! She is the patron of young people so be sure to invoke her intercession!
July 16th: Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The origins of devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel are actually very interesting and started before she was even born! Read all about her and the brown scapular here: America Needs Fatima
Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been very special to me for a long time. She holds God on her arm and offers him to you with her special protection. She appeared to St. Simon Stock in 1251 and gave him the Brown Scapular. With this gesture, the Carmelite order became her very own special order.
She appeared holding the Child Jesus in one arm and the brown scapular in the other hand while uttering the following words: "Hoc erit tibi et cunctis Carmelitis privilegium, in hoc habitu moriens salvabitur" (This shall be the privilege for you and for all the Carmelites, that anyone dying in this habit shall be saved.)
July17th: The Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne
Some of the most notable figures of the French Revolution are Marie Antoinette, Robespierre, and Napoleon but many people don't know that there were 16 Carmelite nuns also martyred during the Reign of Terror. Their story is told in the novella The Song at the Scaffold by Gertrude von Le Fort and also in the opera Dialogues of the Carmelites by Francis Poulenc.
These nuns sang the Veni Sancte Spiritus and other hymns courageously to their deaths. Each received Mother's blessing and renewed their vows before mounting the scaffold. Sister Constance, a novice, was the youngest at the age of 28 and the first to be executed. Mother Teresa of St. Augustin, age 42, was the prioress and the last to be executed. Want to know more about these brave nuns, here is a page with lots of info: The Remnant Newspaper
I hope you enjoyed this little post of inspiring Carmelite Saints of July! May they intercede for you and all Maidens for Mary!
In corde Mariae,
Sarah
And now for my little game. Can you identify all the Carmelite Saints in the top and bottom most pictures? I've numbered them in the image below so just list as many as you know in the comments!! Have fun!
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