Celtic Carmelites
A Prayer Community of the Celtic Rite Old Catholic Church
ABOUT OUR CREST...
ABOUT OUR CREST...
If you are familiar with the Roman Catholic Carmelites, you will see we share a majority of the traditional crest. We have a few differences and some of our meanings are different than those of the Roman Rite.
First, we have the Celtic Cross at the center of the crest, indicating our complete devotion to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and the Celtic cross reminds us of our identity apart from Roman Catholicism.
The Celtic Trinity symbol represents our devotion to each Member of the Holy Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The fiery sword represents the passion with which the prophet Elijah defeated the priests of Baal (1Kings18:20-40). Traditionally the Carmelites have embraced Elijah as our spiritual founder and the Celtic Carmelites strive to embrace the zeal for the Lord God of Hosts as Elijah demonstrated against Ahab and the priests of Baal.
The crown in the Roman Rite refers to Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Earth and the protector of the Carmelite Order. We view the Crown as the Lordship of Jesus over us (a biblically sound interpretation). Without the Sacrifice of the Cross, we would remain lost in our sins and not have the joy of our salvation.
Like the Roman Rite, the background represents Mount Carmel, the site where Elijah retreated to for prayer after he, through the power of God, defeated the priests of Baal. Mount Carmel was the home of early Christian hermits who studied Holy Scripture and meditated on the Word of God. During the Crusades, the mountain became a sanctuary for soldiers and sojourners weary of war and fighting. They established a community of believers dedicated to living the Gospels until the Moors conquered the mountain in the late 12th Century and the Christians were forced to flee to Europe.
The traditional Scripture verse on the banner of the crest is from 1Kings 19:10, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts." We endeavor to have a wholehearted identity with this verse yet felt the need to distinguish ourselves from the Roman Catholic Carmelites and found the banner a useful place to identify ourselves.
The Roman Catholic Carmelites place a great emphasis on their devotion to Mary (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) as their model and protector. While we absolutely believe Mary is an exemplary example of Christianity at its finest, and we strive to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ in our very being, we believe firmly in the Holy Trinity as our sole source for adoration, intercession, and devotion.