Why “Our Lady of Mount Carmel”?
Our parish’s first pastor, Rev. Charles Warren Currier, fostered a lifelong devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and it is believed it is he who chose to name the church in her honor. In fact in 1890 he published a book chronicling the history of Carmel in America: “A History of the Discalced Carmelites in the United States”
Our community, our History
Original Our Lady of Mount Carmel church circa 1893
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is more than 130 years old! Our roots in the Essex community go back to the late 1800s when we were a tiny parish of mostly industrious farmers of Western European descent dedicated to their love of their faith and the church. There was no physical church until July 16, 1893, the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, when the cornerstone of a small wooden structure was laid and OLMC Essex was raised.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel church at its dedication in 1938
The current Spanish mission style building that stands today was dedicated in 1938, the fulfilled dream of Father Nicholas Jaselli who modeled it after a church he saw while visiting El Paso, Texas.
The Lower Church at OLMC
Did you know that OLMC has an “upper church” and a “lower church”? The main, upper church is the sanctuary that everyone is familiar with, where mass is celebrated weekly. Downstairs in that same building though, is what’s known as the “lower church”. Dedicated earlier in 1938 by Father Jaselli, the lower church serves today as the location for Children’s Liturgy of the Word as well as special prayer services and other spiritual events.
In the below video, Msgr. Bob Hartnett (retired) shares much more of the history of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish!
“May this work serve to perpetuate the memories of the past, to honor our departed ones, and to increase zeal for their eternal interests in the hearts of the living!”
From Carmel in America by Rev. Charles W. Currier, first pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel