Keep the Tradition Alive

Support the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Denver, CO.

Make a donation.

The Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Feast & Procession, a 130+-year-old Italian-Catholic tradition in Denver, declined in the 2000s but was restored to its former glory in 2024. What was once a mere shadow of its former self came back with a vengeance, complete with a marching band, traditional Italian feast music, Mass in Italian, and more. Donations help pay for the band, flowers, photography/videography, and any other logistical/admin costs. Your gift ensures this revived legacy continues!

$
3% Cover the Fee

Donations are NOT tax-deductible.

 FAQs

  • No. Little Italy of Denver, LLC is a for-profit company. While your donation is not tax-deductible, it is still much appreciated and makes a huge difference.

  • Our feast is authentically Catholic AND Italian featuring:

    • Italian feast music, commissioned by the early Italian community specifically for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel;

    • A torsello (an ornamental cloth suspended behind the Mt. Carmel statue), commonly used in Italy and historically used at Mt. Carmel Church;

    • Mass in Italian;

    • An expanded route which takes us onto a main thoroughfare for maximum exposure;

    • and MAJOR involvement from Colorado’s younger Italian community

    That was only the first year. We plan to get bigger and more authentic every year!

  • Contrary to popular belief, NONE of this money goes to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. It goes into Little Italy of Denver’s specially designated donation account and from there, it is used to pay for anything associated with the feast including but not limited to: band fees, permits, flowers, other decorations, and marketing. Anything left over will be donated to Mt. Carmel Church. Money in this account is ONLY used for feast expenses.

    If you’d like to see a breakdown of expenses for 2024, click here.

  • For 131 years, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Catholic Church has been a bastion of Italian culture. Founded in 1894 by and for Italian immigrants, the church is one of the last remaining pieces of North Denver's former Little Italy. It survived a devastating fire, anti-Italian and anti-Catholic prejudice, and every disaster of the 20th century. The first part of the 21st century brought a different hardship as the practice of Italian traditions waned, the area gentrified, and nearly every Italian business in the former Italian enclave closed. Now, we are in the midst of a revival, which started last year with the 130th Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

    The Procession, which has been a tradition in the area since the church's founding and a tradition among Italian-Catholics for centuries, has suffered greatly due to declining attendance and the weakening of Italian culture in America. But we changed that last year thanks to your generosity! We'd like to keep the momentum going and bring even more of the old school back this year. We want to make the Procession as Italian as possible in honor of our heritage and the church's patroness, la Madonna del Carmine.

  • The 2026 Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel will be on Sunday, July 19th. Mass in Italian & English begins at 2:00pm with the Procession following. The street festival is from 4:00pm–9:00pm.

  • The feast is at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Catholic Church, 3549 Navajo St. Denver, CO 80211.