Fun at the Carmelite Fair

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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The Il Lum Kung Fun Kwoon Chinese Lion Dance entertains the audience during the 2017 Carmelite Fair.

The 2017 Carmelite Fair was held Sept. 17 on the grounds of the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Holladay. The annual fair, run by volunteers, provides a significant percentage of the monastery’s budget.

The day opened with a Mass celebrated by the Most Rev. Oscar A. Solis.

As he began his homily, Bishop Solis said his mother told him that the path to holiness was hard, but if “you want to be holy quick, go to the nuns,” so whenever he has the chance to celebrate Mass with the nuns, he goes running to them.

 At noon, three of the nuns joined fair participants in  prayer. Then, on behalf of all of the sisters, Sister Therese Bui welcomed participants.

“We would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us,” she said. “Our vocation is to pray for the whole world. ... We pray for every one of you. We are here to support you in a spiritual way, so we thank you for your support in return, and we ask God to bless you.”

Top finishers of the Run for the Nuns 5K were: Men – Keaton Yoshinaga, Caleb Childers and Nathan Painter; Women – Rachel Pezel Gill, Cammi Gustaveson and Maria Stokes.

Prize winners: third prize – Michelle Cortigiano; second prize – Eileen Grahmann; first prize –  Peter Strzelec;  car – Lisa Harvey.

A Sept. 23 golf tournament also will  support the nuns.