Procession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parades through Shenandoah
Jul. 19—SHENANDOAH — A 107-year-old procession returned to the borough Sunday.
As light rain drizzled, dozens of people walked a statue of the Virgin Mary through streets and alleys for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Following a morning Mass at Divine Mercy Parish, men carried the statue of "Our Lady" out of the church in front of an assembled crowd before making the procession through Shenandoah. Some participants carried homemade shrines, or cintas, on their heads, while children and teenagers carried a large replica of a rosary. The Upper Schuylkill Marching Band led the procession.
Coordinator Tom Talerico welcomed the assembled crowd after the Mass, adding that he hoped the tradition would be continued by "the young of today." Four men carried "Our Lady" along the procession route, with four others carrying a canopy over it. Some participants recited the "Hail Mary" prayer along the route.
Dollar bills, which will be donated to the parish, were pinned to the statue before the procession and by residents along the way. Others stood on street corners snapping pictures or handing out bottled water. Scapulars were also handed out. The sight of the statue brought some along the route to tears, including North Catherine Street resident Grace Zulkowski, who used to participate in the procession.
Members of the Shenandoah Community Ambulance and borough police accompanied participants along the route.
This year marks the return of the full procession after the coronavirus pandemic forced the parish to shorten the route last year. Some of those who walked in it have done so for decades, including Gloria Gwiazdowski, of Palmerton, and her sister, borough resident Geri Talerico, both of whom carried cintas on their heads during the procession.
Gwiazdowski said it "felt very good" to walk through her hometown and continue the tradition.
MaryAnn Budd, another former resident, came from Detroit, Michigan, for the procession.
"It's great and wonderful," she said of being able to walk the streets. "I love everything about it."
The full procession came back after several of the faithful made requests for it to return, with Monsignor Ronald C. Bocian giving his approval. He was among the participants, walking behind the statue of "Our Lady."
Tom Talerico said it was great for the tradition to continue, adding that he hopes it will continue going for "another 107 years."
The feast, which falls on July 16, honors the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and remembers the traditions that go back to the small towns of Italy. The procession in Shenandoah has been taking place yearly since 1904, originating at the former Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, an ethnic Italian parish.
The day marks the date in 1251 when the Brown Scapular, a sacramental made of two pieces of cloth attached by cords worn over the shoulders, was given by the Blessed Virgin to St. Simon Stock.
The procession and feast day coincided with the parish's block party, which took place Friday through Sunday on West Cherry Street.
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