The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Dear Parishioners,

I will be leaving for my canonical retreat this week at Sacred Heart Retreat Center in Denver, CO.  I am very excited to have the space and time to let the Lord speak to my heart!  I will also be starting my vacation time immediately following the retreat and be back July 31st.  Please know that I will be praying for you all and I humbly ask for your prayers for me as well!  Further, if you have a sacramental emergency, please call St. George in Morse Bluff at 402-666-5280.

This weekend, our parishes will have the enrollment into the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  The Brown Scapular is a garment which signifies the sharing in the practices and spiritual benefits of the Carmelite order, a religious group of both men and women.  It was to St. Simon Stock in 1251AD that our Blessed Mother offered the Brown Scapular, a piece of cloth worn over the shoulders, as a sign of consecration to Mary and a symbol of her maternal protection.  Over the years, many of the lay faithful desired to share in this devotion to Mary and were received into the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular.

The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, according to the Carmelite tradition, was presented by Our Lady to St. Simon Stock, the then Father General on July 16, 1251.  Our Lady gave St. Simon a scapular for the Carmelites with the following promise, saying : "Receive, My beloved son, this habit of thy order: this shall be to thee and to all Carmelites a privilege, that whosoever dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire .... It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace."Another important aspect of wearing the Scapular is the Sabbatine Privilege. This concerns a promise made by Our Lady to Pope John XXII. In a papal letter he issued, he recounted a vision that he had had. He stated that the Blessed Virgin had said to him in this vision, concerning those who wear the Brown Scapular: "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."Many popes and saints have strongly recommended wearing  the Brown Scapular to the Catholic Faithful. Pope Pius XII  said: "The Scapular is a practice of piety which by its very simplicity is suited to everyone, and has spread widely among the faithful of Christ to their spiritual profit." In our own times, Pope Paul VI said: "Let the faithful hold in high esteem the practices and devotions to the Blessed Virgin ... the Rosary and the Scapular of Carmel" and in another place referred to the Scapular as: "so highly recommended by our illustrious predecessors." According to Church tradition, there are three conditions necessary to participate in this Privilege and share in the other spiritual benefits of the Scapular: wear the Brown Scapular, observe chastity according to your state in life, and pray the Rosary or some other good work. In addition to the Sabbatine Privilege, enrollment in the Brown Scapular also makes a person part of the Carmelite family throughout the world. They therefore share in all of the prayers and good works of the Carmelite Orders.In order to receive the spiritual blessings associated with the Scapular, it is necessary to be formally enrolled in the Brown Scapular. The enrollment is made only once by a priest or authorized person. The Scapular can be replaced afterwards by a medal, which has on one side the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the other, the image of Mary.May our Blessed Mother watch over and protect you all!

In Christ, Fr. Luke Fleck