Devotion to the brown scapular
Monday, July 11, 2022
*Anne DiBernardo
Editor’s note: The brown scapular is a sign of devotion to Mary under her title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The devotion began on July 16, 1251, when Our Lady appeared to a Carmelite priest, St. Simon Stock, in Aylesford, England. She handed him a brown woolen scapular and promised that “whosoever dies in this garment shall not suffer eternal fire.” In time, the Church extended the privilege of wearing the brown scapular to all the laity who are willing to be invested with it and who perpetually wear it. Those who wear the scapular demonstrate that they venerate, love and trust in Mary’s protection every moment of the day.
Two years ago, after encountering a series of what seemed to be never-ending roadblocks, I decided to double down on my devotion to the Blessed Mother. I carved out time for St. Louis de Montfort’s 33-day preparation for total consecration to Jesus through Mary. I had attempted it 25 years ago, but never got through it.
After my consecration day on May 31, the feast of the Visitation, I noticed a calming sense of peace and relief because I knew that now I truly belonged to Mary. I stopped frowning about circumstances beyond my control and I knew Our Lady was directing me, because I transformed my dismal attitude about many matters that made me feel unhappy.
It was not about sloppy things suddenly becoming neat and easy, or having my prayers answered instantaneously. Rather, I was learning how to “Joan-up.” It wasn’t about me anymore and I understood that maybe that recurring dream I kept having about showing up for class on the last day to the final exam, only to realize I had skipped the entire semester, might really be about all of those unused gifts and wasted time worrying about when God would finally answer that one prayer.
Along with total consecration came ongoing spiritual formation, which included adherence to our Lady’s request at Fatima to make reparation for the grave offenses and sacrileges committed against God, and to prevent Russia from spreading her errors throughout the world. She made this request during the last of her six apparitions to the three shepherd children, on Oct. 13, 1917, when she appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel holding a brown scapular.
I knew I needed to make a concerted effort to attend Mass on Saturdays while praying my daily rosary and fasting.
There was just one thing missing.
Wearing the brown scapular, which I received when I made my first Communion, was something I struggled with for many years. After speaking with other devoted Catholics, I realized that I am not alone. Many Catholic women struggle with wearing the scapular.
The first nudging that I should put the scapular back on came from a coworker who wears her scapular every day. She shared an intriguing account about something that occurred when she was having her new photo ID taken. The administrator had been taking photos of employees all week without any issues but this time she got an unusual error message. The system detected another face, and she was unable to take a photo. The only other image on my coworker was her photo ID on the lanyard hanging below her waist, but she removed it anyway. The error message continued. Reluctantly, she removed her scapular, which was laying closer to her neck. The photo was taken without any issues.
Both she and the administrator agreed it was strange, and the administrator reminisced about the scapular her grandmother wore every day of her life until she died.
The following Sunday, while at the traditional Latin Mass at St. Augustine Church and Student Center in Coral Gables, Msgr. Oscar Castañeda urged everyone, “Wear the brown scapular and never take it off!”
My mom and I exchanged that “we are so busted” look as though we had been caught cheating on a test. I grabbed the two new brown scapulars I had been carrying inside my purse and draped them over our heads. Between the two of us, we have gone through several scapulars over the last 30 years, but we stop wearing them when they break or begin to interfere with our clothes, mostly due to the sin of vanity.
Later that week, I encountered a post on Instagram about the brown scapular. It was the first post in my feed and the first comment I saw was from a young woman who said wearing the brown scapular changed her life. This was the third lightning bolt in the same week about the brown scapular.
A millennial I know, Tatyana Talamas, said her parents raised her with a devotion to the scapular, but she never wore it around her neck because she was concerned with the look.
“I would keep it tucked somewhere discreetly, but then I did some research and thought I should actually wear it,” she said. “Because it is a sign that you are always thinking of the Virgin Mary, that motivated me even more to wear it visibly.”
She even began making them to give away as Christmas gifts for her family.
With the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16, here is a time-sensitive opportunity to proclaim her message of urgency: Wear the brown scapular and never take it off.
