Beloved by those of Italian heritage who have worshiped in Christ the King Parish, Long Branch, for generations, the annual Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel unfolded again in mid-July with a three-day Triduum of Masses capped by a procession and communal dinner.

But this year, Masses and feast alike were enriched by the languages and cuisines of faithful of many nationalities who now call Christ the King – created by the merger of the communities of St. John the Baptist, Our Lady Star of the Sea and Holy Trinity parishes – their spiritual home.

The concluding Mass on July 13 and procession with Father Daniel Peirano, pastor, fellow clergy drew about 200 parishioners who followed behind a venerable, litter-borne statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel carrying her crowned infant through the neighborhood around Holy Trinity Church, a worship site of Christ the King.

The procession followed the closing Mass celebrated, as is customary, by Msgr. Sam A. Sirianni, pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Freehold, who grew up in Holy Trinity Parish and attended his first Mount Carmel feasts there as a child.

In a subsequent telephone interview, Msgr. Sirianni, director of the diocesan Office of Worship, spoke of the changes the merger has brought to the celebration. Because of the Italian origins of the feast, a tradition of the observance was to hold the Masses in Italian. But this year, he said, the Masses were in different languages – Portuguese, Spanish and English, widening the linguistic scope to reflect the diversity of the parish, Msgr. Sirianni said.

And the food prepared for the large dinner always held after the concluding Mass mirrored the diverse nature of those attending as well. “The foods have always been prepared by the parishioners,” said Msgr. Sirianni, who noted that along with “all kinds of Italian dishes, there were Brazilian and Spanish foods this year. Everyone enjoyed sharing an ethnic potluck,” he said.