Our Lady of Mount Carmel march delayed by rain in Cleveland

CLEVELAND - Rain and thunder temporarily delayed the annual procession celebrating the Catholic Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

But shortly after 1:30 p.m., the skies started to clear, and dozens of parishioners with umbrellas, altar boys, and onlookers began to march outside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in the Gordon Square District of Cleveland's west side Detroit Shoreway neighborhood.

By 2 p.m., the procession was marching through the smoke of hundreds of firecrackers set off in celebration at W. 67th Street and Herman Avenue.

The paraders then returned to the church grounds where the annual Italian Festival continues through Sunday evening.

Traditionally, immediately after noon mass, a procession behind a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary winds through the historically Italian neighborhood behind the church.

The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is officially celebrated on July 16 throughout the Catholic Church. The feast is a recognition of the Virgin Mary as patroness of the Carmelite religious order -- which dates back to the 12th century.