The pews of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Williamsburg were packed July 16 as Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio celebrated a bilingual Mass honoring the parish feast day in English and Italian. “Today is a day that those devotees of Our Lady of Mount Carmel are really, very happy,” Bishop DiMarzio said. “It’s her feast day. It’s a day that they show their love and devotion to Our Lady in different ways.”

That love and devotion were on full display throughout the parish’s 11-day festival for Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which ran July 10 to July 21. However, on the actual feast day, Catholics took a more devotional approach, dedicating themselves to prayer through the Holy Eucharist and rosary.