In every gesture, the affection of those who came to greet, invoke and thank Our Lady of Mount Carmel, during the traditional procession held every year in Haifa. KAMIL SLEMAN Haifa "I came here in procession to see Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, the mother of the King of kings. We didn't do the procession for two years because of the coronavirus and today we are here to ask for grace from the Mother of Jesus and our mother." The port city of Haifa stands on the slopes of Mount Carmel, from which there is a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Scriptures, the prophet Elijah lived here. And in this place the Carmelite Order was born. Fr ABDO ABDO, ocd Latin priest of St. Joseph's - Haifa "Right here the tradition of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was born. Our convent is the first of the order, founded here in Haifa, on Mount Carmel in 1207. In 1214 Albert, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, gave the first rule to the friars of Mount Carmel." In 1251, St. Simon Stock, Prior General of the Carmelite Order, begged the Virgin Mary to give him a special sign of predilection. In a vision, Our Lady gave him the scapular as a sign of belonging and protection for all who wear it. The scouts opened the procession on Sunday, May 1, which started at St. Joseph's Church and moved through the streets of the city. Near the sedan chair of Our Lady, the "children" flocked with affection to greet her and ask for her intercession. In her honor, the children are dressed in the colors of the Virgin's mantle, like young Maria, who came with her aunt to give thanks. RANDA BAHOUTH Shefa Amer "Let us love the Virgin Mary, mother of God! She was the one who gave us Jesus. Every Sunday after the Jesus risen (Easter) we celebrate this feast. Every year we walk after the statue of the Sancta Maria: she is the Stella Maris." The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, H.B. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, welcomed the faithful who came to meet the image of the Virgin. HB PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem "Our Lady, like all mothers, manages to bring the whole family together. It is one of the few occasions when the whole Church of the Holy Land, from Palestine, Jerusalem, Galilee, comes together in Haifa, at Carmel, to celebrate Our Lady. We are here first of all to thank you, because we have come out of two somewhat difficult years, we have resumed the activities of the Church well, and we also entrust to you the ministry of the new bishop whom we ordained yesterday and who will serve this very pastoral area, Monsignor Rafic Nahra." The procession ended at the Stella Maris shrine, with a blessing from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. Read More