Our Lady of Mount Carmel's Brown Scapular

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  When I think of Our Lady of Mount Carmel I think of the brown scapular.  The brown scapular is a modified version of Our Lady's own garment. It represents Our Lady's personal protection to those that wear it.

During the last apparition of Fatima.  Our Lady appeared on October 13th 1917 dressed in the brown robes of Our Lady of Mount Carmel crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth.  In her hands she held a brown Scapular and baby Jesus was upon her knee.  The brown scapular is a sign of personal consecration to our Lady.  Lucy later explained that "the Scapular and the Rosary are inseparable."

St. Simon Stock

Years earlier on July 16, 1951 Our Lady reportedly appeared to Saint Simon Stock and made Our Lady's Scapular promise, "Whosoever dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire".


The devils revealed to Francis of Yepes, the brother of St. John of the Cross, that three things especially tormented them.  The first is the Name of Jesus; the second, the name of Mary; and the third, the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.  "Take off that habit, " they cried to him, "which snatches so many souls from us.  All those clothed in it die piously and escape us."(from Pieta Prayer Book)

Bl John Paul II

I had read that Bl. John Paul II was given a brown scapular when he received his first communion and wore it the rest of his life.  When he was shot and operated on in 1981, he told doctors not to remove the brown scapular he was wearing.


St. Alphonsus said: "Just as men take pride in having others wear their livery, so the Most Holy Mary is pleased when Her servants wear Her Scapular as a mark that they have dedicated themselves to Her service, and are members of the Family of the Mother of God."


What should I do when I purchase a Scapular?
In order to receive the spiritual blessings associated with the Scapular, it is necessary to be formally enrolled in the Brown Scapular by either a priest or a lay person who has been given this faculty. Once enrolled, the enrollment is for life and need not be repeated. Anyone, adult or infant, who has not previously been enrolled may be enrolled in the Brown Scapular. Participation in this devotion is open to non-Catholics as well. 
Procedure for Blessing and Investiture of Your Scapular