Around 1880, East Harlem was the center of immigration from southern Italy. These poor people left family, language and culture behind them. But they did carry their religious fervor with them. They longed for some comfort from home. Gradually a group of men, remembering the festivals formerly celebrated in the southern Italian Kingdom of Two Sicilies, formed themselves into the Mount Carmel Society, to hold a religious “Festa” or Feast to Our Lady. This was hoped to become similar to the ones they had known. In a very humble setting, the men and their families venerated a painting of Our Lady, and prayed a Rosary in Her honor. They had no priests available for Mass, and thusly they celebrated the Lady. Gradually word of the devotion began to attract pilgrims. The Society felt enabled to replace the painting with a Statue of Our Lady, the one enshrined in our church today. Cardinal McCloskey, Archbishop of New York, realized the need for a church for this community and invited the Italian, German and English speaking Pallottine Fathers to construct such. The Pallottines sent the very able Father Kirner, who raised the money, bought the land and supervised the construction. The Statue was eventually purchased from the Society for an exorbitant-for the times- $100.00! The area selected for construction was surrounded by the East Harlem “Little Italy” then the largest in the US, with some earlier Germans who had moved north from Yorkville. One must also remember, Italians were not always welcome in other Catholic churches. In fact, they often had to worship in the basements of established Catholic churches, as they were “too rough”, or “unclean”, or unable to “understand” the preaching at main Masses. Many times, these basements did not provide chairs or kneelers for the congregants. Mt Carmel, as a parish, was born to attend to their spiritual needs. Our Lady of Mount Carmel, was declared the original Italian National Shrine Parish for the United States and the Americas. It long has provided spiritual comfort, and a sense of home for the Italian Community. The church was built at night during 1884 by Italian men, who had finished a hard day’s work. The women, so devoted to the Blessed Mother, prepared food, carried bricks and even helped push the wheel barrows. Each had a private reason, some asked for a favor, some worked in Thanksgiving: All saw their work as prayer. Unfortunately, dear Father Kirner, so devoted to our Shrine lost his life, during the construction of the first parish school, when an unfinished wall collapsed upon him. It is important to remember that Mt. Carmel became the center of Italians in New York City. Gradually, celebrations of the many towns of Southern Italy, the Madonna Incoronata, Madonna Addolorata, Saints Cosmo and Damiano, San Felice, St. Joseph, St. Anthony, Santa Elena di Laurino, etc. were added to the yearly celebrations held at the Shrine. In the current years, devotions of other ethnics, such as the Virgin of the Cloud from Ecuador, Our Lady of Providence from Puerto Rico, Our Lady of Guadalupe from Mexico, and Santa Nino and the Black Nazarene from the Philippines have become at home here. Today, increasing numbers of Haitians, Filipinos, Asians and Latinos have joined in the yearly celebrations in honor of Our Lady. The Shrine remain a house of devotion and prayer.