My grandma was an amazing lady. She was an Italian immigrant, she had four children, she loved her friends and family, she cooked big meals, and had a lasting legacy on so many people. Heck, I even wrote a children’s book about her!
One thing really profound about her was she made an oath to walk in the Our Lady of Mount Carmel procession every year.
If you’re not familiar with the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast, it began in 1894 with a woman named Emmanuella DeStefano. Emmanuella prayed to the protector of her hometown of Laurenzana, provincial di Potenza, Italy, to heal her sick husband. She promised the protector of her hometown, la Madonna del Carmine, that if her husband healed, she would hold a feast in her honor. After Emanuella’s husband healed, she raised money for an artist to create a replica of the statue from her hometown. The statue, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, is Mary holding baby Jesus.
Every summer, the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast is not only a street festival, but also consists of a Mass and a procession with the Madonna throughout the streets of Melrose Park.
As an oath to the Madonna, my grandmother would walk barefooted in the feast every summer.
It’s incredible to think that someone was so dedicated to her faith to follow through with such an oath.
Today, I always think of my grandmother when I attend the Feast. Her faith inspires me to always believe and to know she’s always looking over me.
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