This brown scapular was part of my parents’ belongings. I knew what it was but never looked into its origins until recently. Now that I’m settled back into my catholic religion, I found it interesting.
When I googled “Scapular”, this brown scapular came up immediately, as it is the most common form and is called the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. One patch shows Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and the other shows St. Simon Stock. It’s also most likely the oldest.
I found this information from a website called Catholic Company:
Simon Stock was part of the Carmelite order and in 1251, on July 15th, Mary the Virgin Mother appeared to him with a scapular in hand and told him, among other things, that “whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire.” This Carmelite Order originated in the late 12th or early 13th century on Mount Carmel, Palestine where European hermits gathered near the “spring of Elijah” to live a contemplative life. They fled Europe in 1238 because of Saracen invasions but then in the mid 1400s they moved back shifting from hermits to friars. They became known as the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Originally, a scapular was, and still is, a piece of clothing that someone in a religious order puts over their habit. That’s called a Monastic Scapular. These smaller scapulars are called Devotional but the principle is still the same, it’s worn over the shoulders. That is where “scapular” comes from – scapula.
Another part of the brown scapular is something called the “Sabbatine privilege” which states that Mary will intercede and pray for those in Purgatory who in early life wear the brown scapular in good faith. If you wear one, it should be blessed by a priest. I don’t intend to wear this, but will know what it is, and its significance now.
Brown is not the only color, but the only one I’ve every seen. A green scapular is the Scapular of Conversion and was created in 1840. It carries promises of strengthening faith, protection against Satan, a happy death for Catholics and especially for the conversion of those outside the church.
A red scapular is the Scapular of the Passion and it originated from an apparition in 1846 to a Sister of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Jesus revealed to her a scapular and promised to all who wear it that on every Friday he would grant an increase of faith, hope and charity. Interesting!
A blue scapular is the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception. The Venerable Ursula Benicasa, founders of the Order of Theatine Nuns (born around 1550 and died in 1618), had the blue scapular revealed to her by Jesus in a vision as a means to honor the Immaculate Conception.
There are others – Scapular of the Most Sacred Heat of Jesus, Scapular of Our Lady of Ransom, Scapular of St. Michael the Archangel, Scapular of St. Joseph, and Five-Fold Scapular.
There is even a scapular medal that a person invested in the brown scapular can wear instead. It can replace multiple scapulars but it has to be blessed with each individual blessing of the various scapulars. Whew. Have you ever heard the word “scapular” so many times in your life? The medal must consist of the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side and a presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, usually Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on the other side.
Fun geographical fact – there is a neighborhood, or village, in a nearby town called Mount Carmel and it is the site of the first meeting house for the town of Hamden. It was named due to the resemblance of a range of hills nearby to the Mount Carmel mentioned in the bible.
Those hills go by another more familiar name for us locals, Sleeping Giant. It’s a state park here in Connecticut that looks like a giant laying down.
It’s like I was meant to learn about this brown scapular.
Have you ever seen one or had one? Let me know in the comments.
Thoughts From The Passenger Seat 