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The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on July 16 each year, remembering a vision of the Virgin Mary to St. Simon Stock.
However, this Carmelite vision is not the origin of devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, as many religious before St. Simon were devoted to the Virgin Mary, based on a passage from the Bible.
In the book of Kings, the prophet Elijah ascends Mt. Carmel to intercede for the people during a severe drought. After praying fervently, a cloud approaches and brings rain to the people.
According to the book, A Loving Presence, Mary and Carmel: A study of the Marian Heritage of the Order by Fr. Christopher O'Donnell, this passage was first interpreted as a symbol of Mary by a 14th-century Carmelite.
This was further reinforced by another Carmelite monk in the 14th century.
This is one of the reasons that the Carmelite Order counts the prophet Elijah as one of its founders.
To this day Carmelites continue to see this cloud as a beautiful symbol of Mary, and it is often featured in artwork in their monasteries.
