Mary, Mother of Men and of Unity

More than 5,000 Christians took part in the traditional procession in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, popularly called Taalat al-Adra, the 'Ascent of the Virgin' on April 29, 2019.

Along the route which runs from the Latin parish of Haifa to the Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery, located on Mount Carmel, the faithful from all the different rites marched reciting prayers and singing hymns to the Virgin.

Carmelite Father Mikhael Abdo OCD, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies of the Holy Land, said the event was organized this year in particular by young university students and groups linked to movements, such as the Focolari. There was also a choir from Beit Sahour.

Hundreds of Filipino, Indian as well as African and Asian immigrant workers took part in the public act of devotion to the Virgin Mary, along with pilgrims from Europe, while many Jews and Muslims also gathered near the procession.

Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, Apostolic Nuncio in Israel, and Father Saverio Cannistrà, Father General of the Discalced Carmelites participated in the procession.

The 'Ascent of the Virgin' is a popular tradition that has deep roots in the lives of the Christians of the Holy Land.

Indcatholicnews