Sacramentals
The Mighty Brown Scapular: The Most Venerated Scapular of all
Source: The Sisters of Carmel
History
In the year 1251, in the town of Aylesford in England, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite. She handed him a brown woolen scapular and said, “This shall be a privilege for you and all Carmelites, that anyone dying in this habit shall not suffer eternal fire.” In time, the Church extended this magnificent privilege to all the laity who are willing to be invested in the Brown Scapular of the Carmelites and who perpetually wear it.
The Scapular is a Silent but, powerful prayer...
As Our Lord taught us to say the Our Father, Our Blessed Mother taught us the value of the scapular. When we use it as a prayer, Our Lady draws us to the Sacred Heart of Her Divine Son. It is good, therefore, to hold the scapular in the hand. A prayer offered while holding the Scapular is as perfect as a prayer can be. It is especially in time of temptation that we need the powerful intercession of God’s Mother. The evil spirit is utterly powerless when the wearer of a scapular faces temptation, calling upon the Holy Virgin in this silent devotion. “If you had recommended yourself to me, you would not have run into such danger,” was Our Lady’s gentle reproach to Blessed Alan de la Roche, one of her devoted servants
Enrollment In The Confraternity:
To be eligible for the scapular promise, one must be enrolled in the Brown Scapular Confraternity. This is a simple ceremony which can be performed by any priest (see below). The members of the Confraternity have the added benefit of sharing in all the spiritual benefits of the Carmelite Order.
According to a statement made by the Carmelite Fathers at the National Scapular Center, every priest now has the right to invest the faithful in the Brown Scapular and to substitute the rosary in lieu of the Little Office (see below).
The scapular must be 100% wool without plastic casing and should not be pinned or affixed to clothing. It is worn over the head, under one’s clothes, with one square of wool hanging on the chest and the other on the back. Pictures are not necessary.
The Sabbatine Privilege:
The Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel has promised to save those who wear the scapular from the fires of hell; She will also shorten their stay in purgatory if they should pass from this world still owing some debt of punishment.
This promise is found in a Bull of Pope John XXII. The Blessed Virgin appeared to him and, speaking of those who wear the Brown Scapular, said, “I, the Mother of Grace, shall descend on the Saturday after their death and whomsoever I shall find in purgatory I shall free so that I may lead them to the holy mountain of life everlasting.”
The Blessed Virgin assigned certain conditions which must be fulfilled:
1.Wear the Brown Scapular continuously.
2.Observe chastity according to one’s state in life (married/single).
3.Recite daily the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin OR Observe the fasts of the Church together with abstaining from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays OR With permission of a priest, say five decades of Our Lady’s Most Holy Rosary OR With permission of a priest, substitute some other good work.
**Pope Benedict XV, the celebrated World War I Pontiff, granted 500 days indulgence for devoutly kissing your scapular.
Procedure for Blessing & Investiture
(Latin & English versions)
LATIN:
Priest - Ostende nobis Domine misericordiam tuam.
Respondent - Et salutare tuum da nobis.
P - Domine exaudi orationem meum.
R - Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
P - Dominus vobiscum.
R - Et cum spiritu tuo.
P - Oremus. Domine Jesu Christe, humani generis Salvator, hunc habitum, quem propter tuum tuaeque Genitricis Virginis Mariae de Monte Carmelo, amorem servus tuus (ancilla tua) devote est delaturus(a), dextera tua sancti+fica, ut, eadem Genitrice tua intercedente, ab hoste maligno defensus(a), in tua gratia usque ad mortem perseveret: Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
THE PRIEST SPRINKLES WITH HOLY WATER THE SCAPULAR AND THE PERSON(S) BEING ENROLLED. HE THEN INVESTS HIM (THEM), SAYING:
P - Accipe (accipite) hunc, habitum benedictum precans (precantes) sanctissimam Virginem, ut ejus meritis illum perferas (perferatis) sine macula, et te (vos) ab omni adversitate defendat, atque ad vitam perducat aeternam. Amen.
AFTER INVESTITURE THE PRIEST CONTINUES WITH THE PRAYERS:
P - Ego, ex potestate mihi concessa, recipio te (vos) ad participationem omnium bonorum spiritualium, quae, cooperante misericordia Jesu Christi, a Religiosis de Monte Carmelo peraguntur. In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Bene+dicat te (vos) Conditor caeli at terrae, Deus omnipotens, qui te (vos) cooptare dignatus est in Confraternitatem beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo: quam exoramus, ut in hora obitus tui (vestri) conterat caput serpentis antiqui, atque palmam et coronam sempiternae hereditatis tandem consequaris (consequamini). Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
R - Amen.
THE PRIEST THEN SPRINKLES AGAIN WITH HOLY WATER THE PERSON(S) ENROLLED.
ENGLISH:
Priest - Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy.
Respondent - And grant us Thy salvation.
P - Lord, hear my prayer.
R - And let my cry come unto Thee.
P - The Lord be with you.
R - And with your Spirit.
P - Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, sanctify + by Thy power these scapulars, which for love of Thee and for love of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Thy servants will wear devoutly, so that through the intercession of the same Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and protected against the evil spirit, they persevere until death in Thy grace. Thou who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
THE PRIEST SPRINKLES WITH HOLY WATER THE SCAPULAR AND THE PERSON(S) BEING ENROLLED. HE THEN INVESTS HIM (THEM), SAYING:
P - Receive this blessed scapular and beseech the Blessed Virgin that through Her merits, you may wear it without stain. May it defend you against all adversity and accompany you to eternal life. Amen.
AFTER INVESTITURE THE PRIEST CONTINUES WITH THE PRAYERS:
P - I, by the power vested in me, admit you to participate in all the spiritual benefits obtained through the mercy of Jesus Christ by the Religious Order of Mount Carmel. In the name of the Father + and of the Son + and of the Holy Ghost. + Amen.
May God Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and earth, bless + you, He who has deigned to join you to the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel; we beseech Her to crush the head of the ancient serpent so that you may enter into possession of your eternal heritage through Christ our Lord.
R - Amen.
THE PRIEST THEN SPRINKLES AGAIN WITH HOLY WATER THE PERSON(S) ENROLLED.
The Miraculous Medal
Source: Central Association of the Miraculous Medal
Mary Appears to St. Catherine Labouré - 1830
Rue du Bac Chapel, Paris
Late one night, St. Catherine Labouré was awakened by a soft voice calling, “Sister, sister, sister.” Guided to the chapel, she encountered the Blessed Mother, who sat near the altar and spoke with her tenderly. St. Catherine knelt at Mary’s feet, resting her hands in Mary’s lap, and later described it as “the sweetest moment of my life.”
Four months later, Mary appeared again, standing on a globe, rays of light streaming from her hands. Framed by the words, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee,” Mary asked Catherine to have a medal struck in her honor, promising great graces for all who wore it with devotion.
The First Medals Are Struck: Paris, France 1832
With approval of the Catholic Church, the first medals were made in 1832 and distributed in Paris. Only 10 of the original medals are known to exist, and one of them is housed at The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
Almost immediately, the blessings that Mary promised showered down on those who wore her medal, and soon all of France was clamoring for what the people referred to as the “Miraculous Medal.”
Use of the Medal spread from country to country, and, at the time of St. Catherine’s death in 1876, more than a billion medals had been made. Today, the Medal is still drawing down from God blessings for body and soul.
"The Miraculous Medal, the only medal designed by Mary herself, is not a good luck charm or a superstition. But rather, the Medal is a reminder of Mary's powerful intercession for our time and circumstances. May each of us heed her call to “come to the foot of the altar” and ask for God's graces with confidence." ~ Sr. Elizabeth Ann Sjoberg, DC
The Green Scapular - Knownw as "The Conversion Scapular"
Its power draws on the faith & confidence of the giver yet benefits the recipient.
What is the Green Scapular?
The Green Scapular was given to the world by the Blessed Virgin Mary through a series of apparitions to Sister Justine Bisqueyburu, a Daughter of Charity, in the early 1840’s in Paris, France. On the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, Sept. 8th, 1840, the Mother of Jesus Christ appeared holding in her right hand her Immaculate Heart, mounted by flames and holding in her other hand a scapular.
The scapular consisted of a simple piece of green cloth, rectangular in shape, hanging from a green string. On one side was an image of Mary dressed in a long white gown which reached to her bare feet. Over this she wore a light blue mantle. However, she wore no veil. Instead, her beautiful hair hung loosely about her; and in her hands she held her Heart from the top of which burned abundant flames. Her bearing was enhanced by a heavenly, majestic beauty. On the other side of the scapular was pictured her Immaculate Heart, all ablaze and transparent as crystal, with rays pouring out that appeared more dazzling than the sun. This Heart, pierced with a sword, was encircled by an inscription in the form of an oval and topped by a golden Cross. The inscription read:
“Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us, now and
at the hour of our death.”
At the same time an interior voice revealed to Sister Justine that Jesus desired to establish among mankind a more tender and confident appreciation and love of His Most Beloved Mother by means of devotion to her through the title of her Immaculate Heart. When invoked under this title and through this holy image, Our Mother Mary would obtain great favors from her Divine Son - especially in the areas of health of mind, heart, body and soul.
Mary wanted copies of the scapular made as soon as possible and distributed with great confidence. However, certain questions needed to be answered. What circumstances were necessary to make the scapular effective? Was there a special blessing for it? Was there a ceremony for enrolling persons in its use? Were there any obligations for those who used it? Was the scapular for use only by certain groups of people or in certain situations?
To resolve these difficulties it was decided that Sister Justine would ask Our Lady herself what God’s Holy Will was in these matters. Mary replied that this scapular is not like others (it is not based on a religious habit) but is simply two holy images on a single piece of green material. Therefore, no special formula is required to bless it or enroll someone in its use. It suffices that it be blessed by a priest and worn by the one whom we desire to benefit by Our Blessed Mother’s intercession. If, on the other hand, the person is unable to receive it and/or pray its prayer, then the scapular may be kept nearby or for them.
If the person who is the intended beneficiary does not say this prayer, then anyone else can say it for them. The Green Scapular may be used anywhere, for anyone. Miraculous changes have taken place in work environments and other public places.
We have also seen miraculous gifts of healing given by our Mother Mary for people of all faiths, even non-Christians. Such is the mercy, power, and love of Jesus’ Mother!
There is one short prayer that is said, at least once a day (although saying it often is encouraged):
“Immaculate heart of Mary, pray for us now
and at the hour of our death.”
The greatest graces are attached to the use of the Green Scapular; but these graces are more or less great in proportion to the degree of confidence of the person praying. This was the meaning of the different levels of brightness of the rays which fell from the Mother of God’s hands during her last apparition.
Has the Green Scapular helped others?
Favors obtained by invoking Our Blessed Mother under this title have been truly remarkable. We have seen miracles of health, peace and renewal of faith. At a major national medical center near Washington, D.C. two people were cured of fatal diseases, just a few days from death! Elsewhere, through the Green Scapular devotion, others who were on the verge of suicide were given the wisdom to understand why they were so miserable - and the strength to make the changes necessary to bring true happiness and hope into their lives. Most importantly, there were truly wonderful graces bringing people in various circumstances to Faith in Jesus Christ. People involved in dangerous relationships saw their bad companions change for the better or else the relationship ended. Public environments (such as business, work or schools) witnessed an increase of purity in speech, modesty in dress and charity in behavior.
Source: The Society of the Green Scapular
