In the fall of 1864, two Carmelite priests travelled from Germany to the United States to minister to German farmers who had settled in Kansas.

By 1874, the Roman Catholic religious order wanted to expand from the Midwest.

At the time there was a large German population in the Buffalo, N.Y., area but the bishop at the time said there were more than enough priests to minister to locals and suggested the order look north of the border.

The Carmelites met with Archbishop John Lynch of Toronto, who welcomed them with open arms and in 1875 gave them a sprawling 4.86-hectare parcel of land in Niagara Falls, just above the Horseshoe Falls.

It became home to what is now known as Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre.

Carmelites have been serving the Catholic community in Niagara since 1875 in various

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