HAMMONTON – Acknowledging the prayers and contemplation of the faithful as “the true glory and honor” of the Blessed Mother, Bishop Joseph Williams crowned the Marian statue at Saint Mary of Mount Carmel Parish on her feast day, July 16, as part of a Eucharistic celebration marking the 150th anniversary of the faithful’s devotion to Our Lady in Hammonton.
“Look upon your servants, who by crowning this image of Christ and His mother, proclaim Him as king of all creation and approach her as our queen,” Bishop Williams prayed before the canonical crowning of the child Jesus, as the head of Mary was already crowned.
“Give us the grace to follow them in serving you, to do what love demands for the sake of our brothers and sisters,” he continued. “To deny ourselves and spend ourselves so as to win our neighbors for you, to be lowly on earth and lowly daily in prayer so as to be exalted in heaven, where you reward your faithful servants with the crown of life.”
Gathered shoulder-to-shoulder in Saint Joseph Church for the afternoon celebration were hundreds of faithful from the Diocese of Camden and beyond, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society members, clergy, religious, seminarians, Knights of Columbus and more.
Earlier this year, in one of his last acts before his death, Pope Francis approved the canonical coronation of the image, recognizing Mary’s significance to the area’s Catholics over the past century and a half.
“The canonical crowning is the pope sending his blessing … to acknowledge the historic value of the statue but also the procession,” said Father David Rivera, parish pastor. “This is the pope himself, through our Bishop, blessing the statue.”
In 1875, Italian immigrants processed through the fields of Hammonton with an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in praise and thanksgiving for safe passage to America, a successful harvest, and the blessings and good fortune found in their new hometown.
Praising the members of today’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society for their “great fidelity and sweat” to Our Lady and the celebration, Father Rivera noted that the crown is a gift from the people of God.
Designed by heraldic artist Matthew Alderman, and constructed by master jeweler Brandon Bruno of the local David Charles Ltd., the sterling silver and gold crown was made possible through the faithful’s jewelry and monetary donations.
The crown, the generosity of the people, are proof that “before the Lord, we bear all our treasure to acknowledge Him as the one true king and Mary as one true queen of our hearts and faith,” Father Rivera said.
Also marking the celebration were the handmade vestments worn by Bishop Williams and the concelebrating priests. The vestments were embroidered with images of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the saints that make up Hammonton’s Catholic history: Saint Joseph, Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Martin de Porres. The chalice once belonging to Father Michael Argullo, former pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Camden, also was refurbished for the occasion.
During his homily, Bishop Williams shared his own history with Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He grew up seeing the faith of his grandmother, Marie, a Third Order Carmelite who always had an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a votive light and a dish of holy water beside her favorite chair, he recalled. “Her heart and ears were open to the message [of God] every day.”
The Bishop’s mother introduced him and his siblings to the brown scapular, given to Saint Simon Stock by Our Lady of Mount Carmel. All who wear the scapular, Bishop Williams continued, are clothed “with the love and protection and promises of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
“Draw us after you, ever-Virgin Mary, and we will follow in your footsteps,” he prayed.
After Mass, nearly 1,000 people joined Bishop Williams, Father Rivera and more for the annual procession of Mary and the saints through the streets of Hammonton.
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