ON MOUNT CARMEL 

Today we visited Mt. Carmel, which overlooks the town of Haifa.  As we were driving up the mountain to visit the monastery we made a stop to look over the hillside to the Bahai temple.  It sported an impressive golden dome and was surrounded by enormous gardens.  This might be familiar to some of us who are not far from Evanston where another one of their temples is located.  There are, reportedly, only ten temples in the world and they are renown for their architectural beauty.

            Mt. Carmel and its chapel likewise were extraordinarily beautiful.  It was built upon the cave where the prophet Elijah prayed and encountered God.  We were privileged to celebrate Holy Mass there and had some time to pray at the foot of Elijah’s cave.  It turned out to be a busy day as we also traveled to the coast into a city known for its medieval fortifications, Akko.  There were ancient walls and fortresses built by the Crusaders seeking to protect the religious sites in the Holy Land.  Much of these structures in the city of Akko (or Acre) were still intact, attesting to its sturdiness and durability.