Friday, July 19 / 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
with food, prayer, song and festivities!

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is very special to the Carmelites!  The first Carmelites dedicated their chapel on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land to Mary and they began to be called the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The Carmelite Campus in Darien will hold our first ever celebration of Our Lady’s Feast Day in the new Meditation Garden this year.

10:00 a.m.: Opening Talk / Meditation Garden
10:45 a.m.: Procession of Her Statue, Hymns and Prayer / Meditation Garden Field
11:30 a.m.: Feast Day Mass / National Shrine
12:30-2 p.m.: Lunch available for purchase / Carmelite Spiritual Center

The ceremony begins in our new Meditation Garden. This is located on BAILEY ROAD, right next to Carmelite Carefree Village (8419 Bailey Rd., Darien,IL 60561). Parking is available there, and on the surrounding streets.

Call 1-800-621-2806 for more information.

New Stations of the Cross at the Carmelite Meditation Garden

We have a wonderful new addition to the Darien Carmelite Campus! The Carmelite Meditation Garden provides visitors with a pleasant place of reflection and prayer, featuring outdoor Stations of the Cross.

The Meditation Garden and Stations of the Cross are available to the public and are located on Bailey Road approximately 1/4 mile north of the National Shrine of St. Therese.

For more information about the Stations of the Cross and Carmelite Meditation Garden, please call the Society of the Little Flower, 800-621-2806.

The Darien Carmelite Campus

To make a donation in support of projects like this – visit here now.

A Christmas Celebration at the National Shrine of St. Therese

December 15, 2012
1:30 PM to 5:30 PM
National Shrine of St. Therese, Darien, IL
Carmelite Gift Shop open 10 AM to 5:30 PM

Gather your family at the manger for Christmas at this heart-warming and faith-filled celebration!  We’ll learn about Therese’s amazing Christmas conversion, hear the story of Jesus’ birth, sing Christmas carols, celebrate the Mass, leave a prayer ornament on our special Christmas Intentions Tree, and enjoy cookies and cocoa at the National Shrine of St. Therese in Darien.  Don’t miss this Christmas Celebration at the National Shrine of St. Therese!

Suggested donation is $20 per family, includes refreshments and a special Christmas gift (one per family).  Our Carmelite Gift Shop will be open until 5:30 PM and will be offering a 15% discount to participants.

Please preregister by calling 1-800-621-2806.

Program Schedule

• 1:30 – 2:00  Therese’s Christmas Conversion by Fr. Bob Colaresi, O. Carm.
• 2:00 – 3:00 Christmas at the Crib by Fr. Bernhard
• 3:00 – 3:30 Christmas Carols for all with Our Lady of Mount Carmel choir
• 3:30 – 4:30 Christmas Mass
• 4:30 – 5:30 Refreshments in St. Paul’s Hall

Please join us for the 2012
St. Therese Feast Day Celebration!

On October 1st, we are celebrating the 115th anniversary of her entrance into eternal life. The Society of the Little Flower invite you to celebrate a solemn nine-day Novena of Masses from September 23 to October 1, 2012.

The Monday, October 1st Feast Day Celebration will be held at the National Shrine of St. Therese in Darien, IL (map) and we cordially invite you to be a part of that special celebration.

Once again, the Society of the Little Flower will be weaving a prayer banner containing all the special prayer intentions sent in to them.  This banner, similar to the one pictured here, will be on display at the Shrine during the Feast Day Celebrations.

If you would like to have your prayer intentions woven into the banner, please visit the Society of the Little Flower Feast Day Celebration page and submit your intentions for your banner cloth.  The Society must receive your prayer intentions no later than August 22 in order to be woven into the banner in time for the Feast Day.

Please visit the Society of the Little Flower to submit your prayer intentions.

Program for Sunday, September 30, 2012, the Vigil

• 6:00 PM – Blessing of Roses, Feast Day Mass followed by the Veneration of her Relics

Program for Monday, October 1, 2012, the Feast Day

• 9:30 AM – Talk in St. Paul’s Hall
• 11:00 AM – Blessing of Roses in Shrine
• 11:30 AM - Blessing of Roses, Feast Day Mass followed by the Veneration of her Relics
• 7:00 PM - Blessing of Roses, Feast Day Mass followed by the Veneration of her Relics

Where holiness found her voice

St. Therese loved celebrations. On Tuesday, June 5th, her smile was as big as the horizon of heaven as a huge, overflow community of her friends gathered for the Blessing and Dedication of the replica of her convent room here at the National Shrine of St. Therese in Darien, IL.

This exact duplicate includes originals from Lisieux, in particular the tiles outside her door where she walked each day, the door frame and door from her room that she touched and opened each day and the window from the Chapter room where she made her vows.

In this room, Therese wrote the Story of a Soul – so the celebration was entitled “where holiness found her voice!”

V. Rev. Carl Markelz, Carmelite Provincial presided at the Mass and Blessing. Fr. Bob Colaresi led the dedication ceremony. The video clip above gives you a piece of the celebration. The gathered community was inspired that thousands of other friends of St. Therese were there in prayer and spirit, if not in person. The community was smiling as Therese was!

Come and visit the St. Therese Room, open every day from 10am to 4pm. Guided tours of the room interior are available for groups of 20 or more – just call 630-969-4141 to schedule your tour!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Mass – 11:30 A.M.
Dedication Ceremony immediately following

National Shrine of St. Thérèse
8501 Bailey Road
Darien, Illinois 60561

For more information, please call:
800-621-2806

Those who attend this
Dedication Ceremony
in person will receive a special relic gift!

A meticulously detailed reproduction of St. Therese's original "cell" from the Le Carmel monastery in Lisieux, France

I had the privilege of being at Niagara Falls, this year – and was greeted so warmly by the large crowd. Here in Darien, three Carmelites presided at the different Masses and services, including Fr. Joseph Atcher our new Midwest Regional Provincial, Fr. Bernhard Bauerle, the new Shrine Director, and Fr. David Simpson.

It is so inspiring to see people whose lives have been deeply touched by St. Therese come together – and some of the witness accounts of how she touched them were very moving. The Banner with all the intentions sent in is beautiful and evocative. We still have it hanging in the National Shrine. I know that our beloved heavenly friend was enjoying the whole celebration.

Fr. Bob Colaresi, O. Carm.

Fr. Carl Markelz, O.Carm., at Friday's closing Mass of the Chapter.

We welcome V. Rev Carl Markelz, O. Carm., newly elected Prior Provincial of the Most Pure Heart of Mary of the Order of Carmelites during the Provincial Chapter meeting June 20-24, 2011 here in Darien. Fr. Markelz comes to us from his prior post as principal of Mount Carmel High School in Chicago.

Chapter 2008 participants (image courtesy of Sal Lema, Director of Communications, Carmelite Media

The Carmelites of the Most Pure Heart of Mary will be meeting on the Darien campus for their 2011 Chapter meeting during the week of June 20-24.  Although the Shrine and Gift Shop will remain open to the public during their regular hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. , the Shrine Chapel will be in use by the Carmelites and there will be no 11:30 a.m. Mass during the week.  Regular Mass will resume again on June 27, 2011.