It was on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land that the fiery prophet Elijah challenged the false prophets of Baal. By prayer and sacrifice he won the people of Israel back to the worship of the one true God.
Since Old Testament times, seekers after the face of the Living God dwelt on this Holy Mount in the spirit of Elijah. One such group of hermits gathered there at the end of the twelfth century. Inheriting the rich tradition that had gone before them, they looked to Elijah as Father and Leader.
They gathered daily for Mass in an oratory dedicated to the Virgin Mary and pondered the Word of God in their cells, living in allegiance to Jesus Christ. They thus came to be known as the "Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary."
I Kings 17:2-4