St. Elijah, the Prophet: The Father of Carmel


Today my Oblate Community -- the Community of St. John -- commemorates St. Elijah.


Saint Elijah (9th century B.C.): Scripture presents the Prophet Elijah as a man of God, walking continually in God's presence and fiercely defending the worship of the one true God. He stood up for God's rights in a solemn contest on Mount Carmel. Later on Mount Horeb he was granted an intimate experience of the living God. The hermits who instituted a form of monastic life in honor of Our Lady on Mount Carmel in the twelfth century, followed monastic tradition in turning also to Elijah as their model. 

St. Elijah is the patron of the Carmelites.

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