The Meaning Behind the Carmel of Reno Logo

Logo symbols: cross, stars, mountains, and water in the shape of the letter ‘M’ enclosed in a circle.

The flowing design along the bottom of the logo is meant to symbolize three things: mountains, water and the letter ‘M’ – all very important symbols for Christians as well as for Carmelites.

The Carmelite Order traces its origin to Mount Carmel in the Holy Land where the early hermits gathered around the Spring of Elijah.

Jesus is the Living Water who revealed himself to the Samaritan woman at the well and to the disciples on the mountain of Tabor.

Our monastery is dedicated to Our Lady of the Mountains. Looking out our chapel windows, we are surrounded by mountains.

As members of the Carmelite Order we are always referred to simply as ‘Carmelites.’ But our formal title is Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.

Thus mountains, water and the letter ‘M’ are all important symbols of our roots.

Logo Shape

Every religious Order has a crest, or a shield, that represents their particular spirituality. It is most often represented in the form of a shield. We chose to fashion our Carmelite logo in a round shape because the circle represents many things so important to our community: Eucharist, inclusivity, the earth and the unity we are called to as followers of Jesus.

The Cross

The cross is at the center of the design as it is the center of our faith as followers of Jesus. You will notice that the broken arch mirrors the arch at the entrance to our monastery symbolizing that the strength of the arch can only be broken by the greater strength of the cross.

The Stars

The 3 stars represent the 3 historic periods of the Carmelite Order: the smallest star represents our ancient spiritual roots on Mount Carmel, the next larger star represents the founding of the Discalced Carmelite Order by our foundress, St. Teresa and the largest star represents the Order today. We move from the ancient to the modern reality of the Order symbolized by the size of the stars.