Pilgrimage to rural prairie shrine honouring Our Lady of Mount Carmel celebrated July 21

By Jon Perez, Canadian Catholic News

The annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was held once again on July 21, 2024, with Bishop Mark Hagemoen and priests from throughout the area celebrating Sunday Mass on the hillside beneath the statue of Mary holding the child Jesus.

For more than a century, pilgrims from the St. Peter’s Abbey area and beyond have climbed the hill at Mount Carmel, north of the hamlet of Carmel, SK, to ask for the intercession of Our Lady, to pray for good weather and a bountiful harvest, and to celebrate the Eucharist under prairie skies.

The program again included Marian hymns, praying of the Rosary, celebration of Sunday Eucharist, blessing of the fields, blessing of the sick, Eucharistic adoration, lunch, and an opportunity to pray the Stations of the Cross around the base of the hilll — this year with the added feature of carved benches at each station.

Smoke from wildfires in Alberta and B.C. clouds the landscape, as BIshop Mark Hagemoen blesses the fields from the top of the Mount Carmel Hill as part of the annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

Turning to Mary

Norman Duerr of St. Augustine Parish in Humboldt welcomed pilgrims to the annual event, recalling the time when Venerable Fr. Patrick Peyton, more popularly known as the “Rosary Priest” stood on the ground of Mount Carmel hill, emphasizing the importance of our devotion to Mary.

Duerr was among the estimated 10,000 to 12,000 people who gathered in 1948 to hear the simple message delivered by the Irish priest promoting the rosary as a powerful prayer and devotion by Catholics to Our Lady.

“He [Peyton] stood on this spot and spoke simply but eloquently of his love and devotion to Mary. As a little boy, I was here. I was deeply touched by his words. It was simple but eloquent,” Duerr told the nearly 500 pilgrims who visited the shrine for the 2024 pilgrimage.

“He repeated: ‘Go to Mary. Pray to Mary. She knows you and she loves you.’ …Today, I invite you to join us in making this a special plea to Mary, the Queen of Peace, for peace in the troubled times in which we live.”

Norman Duerr of St. Augustine Parish in Humboldt welcomed pilgrims to the Mount Carmel Hill for the annual pilgrimage to pray for the intercession of Mary. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

Duerr noted that St. Pope Paul VI made a similar plea for peace and the prevention of war in 1965 when he spoke at the United Nations as the Vietnam War was raging on. Pope Francis has repeatedly called on leaders to work together to end violent conflicts around the world.

“Pope Francis said: ‘Peace is never made with weapons but with outstretched arms and open hearts.’ Yet, the nations of the world today continue to spend on military weapons 40 times the amount of money that is given to education and health care combined,” Duerr said. “War rages on in places like Ukraine and Gaza. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—Conquest, War, Famine and Death—in the book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, continue to ride.”

He then shared Pope Francis’ short prayer for peace: “Lord, come to our aid. Grant us peace. Teach us peace. Guide our steps on the way to peace. Mary, Queen of Peace, come to our aid.”

“I would like to make that special prayer today and ask you to join me in that prayer,” Duerr said.

In his homily, Bishop Mark Hagemoen reflected on the call of every baptized Christian to share in the shepherding role of Jesus, living as missionary disciples. (Photo by Jon Perez, Catholic Saskatoon News)

Message from Bishop Mark Hagemoen

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon Bishop Mark Hagemoen, began his homily in front of the altar, holding his crozier (bishop’s staff) , emphasizing Jesus’s role in the Gospel as the Good Shepherd, who is always there to lead and to care for His flock.

“The genius of the Good Shepherd, who goes forward, is that he does not go too far. Because we know that when our leaders get too far from the people, they are ineffective. So, Jesus is always the one who is in front of us, but he is with us,” said Hagemoen.

He added that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, inspires His people, priests, and bishops to commit themselves to pastoral care, seeking out those who fall behind or are experiencing difficulty and crises.

Hagemoen said every baptized and confirmed Catholic is also called to the shepherding role of Christ, recalling the words in the Rites of the Sacrament of Confirmation: “As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of His body sharing everlasting life.”

Everyone must renew their commitment to be shepherds and missionaries with Jesus Christ, said the bishop.

“The way of the missionary always points to the Good Shepherd and the way of the mission is the way of the Church. The way of a missionary points to God. The minister of God knows that you and I have the privilege and duty to point to God by life and word. The missionary lives in that mystery and draws his or her life from that mystery. The missionary seeks God everywhere and in everyone,” said Hagemoen.

“The missionary walks with others – not too far ahead and typically among them… The missionary is a humble servant, not one with all the plans and answers all the time….relying on God’s mystery.”

During the pilgrimage, the bishop thanked the Benedictines of St. Peter’s Abbey, who for more than 100 years have cared for the Mount Carmel pilgrimage site established in the former St. Peter’s Abbacy. Hagemoen also asked for continuing prayers for Abbot Peter Novecosky, OSB, who is in hospital, and who sent his prayers and greetings to those attending the 2024 Mount Carmel Pilgrimage.