Dear Friends of Carmel Mission,
Please join us at the 11:00am mass next Sunday, February 17th, 2019, as we welcome our new Bishop of Monterey, Most Reverend Daniel E. Garcia, to our Mission. As you know, Bishop Danny has been appointed by Pope Francis, and comes to us from the Diocese of Austin, Texas.
At the conclusion of the 11:00am mass next Sunday, Bishop Danny has graciously accepted our invitation to re-bless our magnificent statue of Our Lady of Bethlehem. This is entirely right and fitting, since the entire Diocese of Monterey is under the protection and patronage of Our Lady of Bethlehem.
I thank Bishop Danny in advance, and I’m asking that as many of you as possible, dear Friends of Carmel Mission, will attend. The restoration of this beautiful statue was made possible by our Carmel Mission Docents Association, who contributed the bulk of the necessary funding, and whose members were represented on the restoration committee, under the leadership of our Museum Manager, Jewel Gentry.
My deepest gratitude to all who are involved in this project. It is part of the necessary work that we continuously undertake to enhance, restore and preserve the treasures that are part of our heritage here at Carmel Mission.
Some recent research on the provenance of the statue of Our Lady of Bethlehem, indicates that it was most likely crafted in Portugal in the 15th Century, and brought here by St. Junipero and his companions. Could it be the oldest statue of Our Blessed Mother in the United States?
I thank our skillful and knowledgeable conservators, who carried out such a remarkable restoration.
If you have not yet seen the restored statue, please join us next Sunday at 11:00 mass.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Our Lady of Bethlehem, pray for us.
Fr. Paul
Pastor at Carmel Mission