Top photo caption: Msgr. Mullelly and Father Ariel Robles concelebrate the Mount Carmel Guild’s 2026 Founders’ Day Mass in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, West Trenton. Courtesy photosFriends and supporters of Mount Carmel Guild gathered for the inner-city Trenton agency’s annual Founder’s Day Mass March 15 in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, West Trenton.
Friends and supporters of Mount Carmel Guild gathered for the inner-city Trenton agency’s annual Founder’s Day Mass March 15 in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, West Trenton.
Msgr. Thomas Mullelly, diocesan episcopal vicar of clergy and consecrated life and director of seminarians, was principal celebrant of the Mass and homilist and Father Ariel Robles, parish pastor, concelebrated.
In his homily, Msgr. Mullelly tied the Guild’s mission of service with the First Reading and the Gospel, which recounts Jesus healing the blind man. Msgr. Mullelly noted that the miracle is not simply about restoring physical sight but about learning to “truly see, to recognize the humanity and worth of those who society may fail to notice.”
Mount Carmel Guild, which was founded in 1920 by Bishop Thomas J. Walsh, third bishop of Trenton, carries out its mission of serving those in need through its open-choice food pantry, that provides case management and community support services and administers a Home Health Nursing Program, which offers free in-home nursing visits to eligible seniors seeking to remain healthy and independent in their own homes.
“Each week, the Guild serves hundreds of households, representing thousands of individuals every month across Mercer County,” said Daren Miller, the Guild’s executive director. “Behind every one of these numbers is a person – a child, a senior or a family navigating difficult circumstances. Our work is simply to see them, to accompany them and to respond with care.”
Miller noted that food insecurity continues to affect many households across New Jersey, particularly in urban communities such as Trenton. He underscored the importance of organizations that provide both immediate assistance and long-term support.
“As Mount Carmel Guild marks more than a century of service, we remain guided by the same Gospel call that inspired our founders,” Miller said. “It is faith made visible through service and love expressed through action.”