Our Lady of the Carmen of Queilen

Marian title of Queilen (The Lakes)

It does not contain in reliable sources specific and documented information about a titled Marian advocation "Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Queilen" in the department of Los Lagos, Colombia. The search in repertory of churches, Colombian dioceses and temple guides only give generic references to parishes and churches of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in various locations, but none in a population called Queilen in that area of Colombia.

Main data

Origin and history

It does not contain in reliable sources specific and documented information about a titled Marian advocation "Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Queilen" in the department of Los Lagos, Colombia. The search in repertory of churches, Colombian dioceses and temple guides only give generic references to parishes and churches of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in various locations, but none in a population called Queilen in that area of Colombia.

However, the existence of Queilén (or Queilen) as a town in the Chiloé archipelago, Los Lagos region, Chilewith Marian tradition and historical temples, while there is no official record of a municipality or correction called Queilen in the department of Los Lagos in Colombia in recent ecclesial or tourist databases. Consequently, the data on a specific advocation "Our Lady of Carmen de Queilen (Chiloé, Los Lagos, Chile), patron of the coastal commune" should be considered historical and documentary reinvestigation pending, and for now there is not enough confirmation available in accessible ecclesial, academic or encyclopedic sources.

In the absence of specific documentation, it can only be said, in general, that the devotion to the Virgin of Carmen has spread widely in Chile and Colombia, especially in coastal and port areas, where the Virgin of Carmen is also invoked as "Star of the Sea" and patron of the sailors. In many Latin American coastal communities, its 16 July is accompanied by land processions and maritime activities, but for Queilen / Queilén the specific information does not consist of verifiable sources and must be managed as data to be confirmed.

The image and the sanctuary

A precise and documented description of the concrete image of Our Lady of Carmen venerated in Queilen / Queilén (type of size, material, detailed iconography, author or antiquity). There is also no official reference to a "Iglesia del Carmen" in Queilen (Chiloé) which can be classified with certainty as a national sanctuary, diocesan or minor basilica.

In general terms, the images of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Latin American field they are often represented as dress up image, with Carmelite habit (brown and white), scapular in the hands and the Child Jesus also dressed in similar habit, both with a crown regia, in accordance with the iconography spread by the Order of Carmen. However, for Queilen / Queilén this data is not specifically documented and can only be considered a general reference to traditional Carmelite iconography.

Sponsorship and coronation

No official declaration of canonical patronage of "Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Queilen" on the commune or municipality, neither by diocesan decree, nor by pontifical document, nor by records of episcopal conferences. In many places in Chile and Colombia, the Virgin of Carmen is a patron of cities, dioceses or institutions (for example, she was declared patron of the Diocese of Istmina- Tadó in 1990). However, there is no specific mention of Queilen / Queilén in the accessible documentation.

With regard to a possible canonical coronation, there is no documented canonical coronation of this advocation linked to Queilen / Queilén neither in repertory of Marian coronations nor in recent ecclesial news. It should therefore be strictly stated: does not contain a documented canonical coronation for this advocation.

Party and devotion

In the Roman calendar and in the Carmelite tradition, the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Carmen the 16 July. This date, widely observed in Chile and Colombia, can be considered as the fiesta principal habitual of the Virgin of Carmen also in Queilen / Queilén, although there is no detailed description of the celebrations of this town in the sources consulted.

It is very common practice in coastal communities that the Feast of the Virgin of Carmen includes processions with the image on the streets and, when there is maritime tradition, tours or blessings at sea or on the coaston which protection is requested for fishermen, sailors and their families. However, for Queilen / Queilén the reference to "procession and maritime activities" should be considered as information to be confirmed, as there is no verifiable journalistic or ecclesial record to describe it with precision (number of participants, route, organization, etc.).

Link to the Rosary

No revised source specific and documented practice which uniquely links "Our Lady of the Carmen of Queilen" to the prayer of the Rosary (for example, the Rosary's own co-fradies of that parish, promises linked to a certain number of rosaries, etc.).

However, Carmelite spirituality and devotion to the Virgin of Carmen are deeply linked to the Marian and contemplative prayerin which the Rosary occupies a central place: to meditate on the mysteries of Christ from the hand of Mary strengthens the life of grace and fidelity to the baptismal promises. Where the Virgin of Carmen is venerated, the Rosary is often a privileged medium for ask for their protection, intercede for the navigators and the familiesand to build trust in God's mercy. Although there is no specific data for Queilen / Queilén, the Rosary is presented as an ordinary and fruitful way to accompany this Marian devotion and to live it in continuity with the Church's tradition.