Help Renew the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Procession in Denver

For 130 years, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Catholic Church has been a bastion of Italian culture. Founded in 1894 by and for Italian immigrants, the church is one of the last remaining pieces of North Denver's former Little Italy. It survived a devastating fire, anti-Italian and anti-Catholic prejudice, and every disaster of the 20th century. The first part of the 21st century brought a different hardship as the practice of Italian traditions waned, the area gentrified, and nearly every Italian business in the former Italian enclave closed. Now, we are in the midst of a revival, starting with the 130th Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The Procession, which has been a tradition in the area since the church's founding and a tradition among Italian-Catholics for centuries, has suffered greatly due to declining attendance and the weakening of Italian culture in America. But, we're going to change that! This year, we're bringing the old school back and making the Procession as Italian as possible in honor of our heritage and the church's patroness, la Madonna del Carmine.

The 130th Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel will be on Sunday, July 21st. Mass begins at 2:30pm MST, followed by the Procession at 3:30pm MST, and the bazaar (food, games, etc.) from 4pm–9pm MST. All are located at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 3549 Navajo St. Denver, CO 80211.

Volunteers from the church's Men's Club, Altar & Rosary Society, and more are generously donating their time, but reviving traditions costs money unfortunately. We are asking the community to help us offset costs for the Procession so that we can make a memory into a reality while instilling pride in our Italian community.

Our expected costs include:

To ensure a successful event, we would greatly appreciate your donations. Your timely support will help us book the marching band and other vendors. Any leftover funds will go toward an even bigger, better Feast & Procession in 2025!

Please reach out with any questions. If you can't donate, no worries! You can help us by sharing this page with your family and friends! And don't forget to join us on Sunday, July 21st at 2:30pm for a good old Italian time!