Carmelites have year's biggest Rome congress

THIRTEEN thousand pilgrims, among them many from this country, were in Rome for the largest Holy Year congress to date, the Carmelite Marian Congress.
The congress commemorated the seventh centenary of the conferring of the brown, or Carmel, scapular by Our Lady on St.
Simon Stock:
The formal opening took place at the Theatre of Hadrian in the presence of two Cardinals, three Bishops, two superiors general, 18 provinMinister of the Interior Mario Seethe, and several other government officials and diplomatic
representatives of various countries.
The thousands of participants included members of both the first and third Orders of Carmel and of Carmelite confraternities, of both the Ancient Observance and the Discalced.
After the opening ceremonies, the entire throng marched in procession to St. Peter's for Mass.
Cardinal Piazza. himself a Carmelite and honorary president of the congress, gave the opening address, after a welcome to the pilgrims had been extended by the Rev, Kilian Lynch, 0.Carm. (brother of the Prior of Ayiesford and Faversham), who is superior-general of the Carmelites of the Ancient Observance, and by Fr. Silverio of St. Theresa, 0.C.D., superior-general of the Discaked Carmelites.
Our Lady's promise
The theme of the congress was "The Scapular of Mount Carmel, its Place in Christian Life." The Congress emphasised the new worldwide drive of the various national groups to promote the devotion. which recalls Our Lady's promise to St. Simon Stock that she would give special protection to wearers of the scapular during life and in the hour of death.
Coinciding with the congress and the centenary year observances was the publication of the first volume of the Carmelite Library, a series of expert studies and exhaustive scientific researches on all information relating to the scapular.
The series is being published in Latin. providing information for students everywhere, who in turn can present it to the public in the language of each country. The first volume, "The Vision of St. Simon Stock," has just been published, and three more volumes are to appear in the course of the Holy Year.
Speakers at the convention sessions called attention to the fact that not only the Pope but Bishops and people in many parts of the world are supporting the movement towards a return to the use of the brown scapular by all Catholics.
Papal commendation
The Hierarchies of both the Netherlands and Sardinia have published joint pastoral letters concerning the centenary and the scapular
devotion. The Holy Father commended the devotion in a letter in connection with the centenary observance.
Pilgrims attending the congress represented the following countries : Britain, Ireland, United States, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Palestine, Iraq. India. Indonesia, Malta, Australia, Mexico, Austria, Netherlands, and the Philippines.