Devotion
How to Be Enrolled in the Brown Scapular
Catholic devotion · 6 steps
The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: what it is, how to ask a priest for enrolment, what the rite says, how to wear and replace it, and the Marian life it commits you to.
6 steps · About 10 minutes
The Brown Scapular is a small garment of two pieces of brown wool cloth joined by cords and worn over the shoulders, front and back — a miniature of the scapular that forms part of the Carmelite habit. Wearing it is a sign of belonging to the family of Carmel and of entrusting oneself to the Blessed Virgin, whom the Carmelites honour under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Tradition holds that Our Lady gave the scapular to Saint Simon Stock in 1251 with the promise of her protection, and the Church has approved the devotion for centuries while teaching, in the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, that the scapular is a sign of consecration to Mary, to be worn with a real commitment to live as she lived, and never a charm. Saint John Paul II, who wore it from his youth, wrote to the Carmelites in 2001 that it holds two truths together: Mary's constant protection, and the wearer's resolve to imitate her.
What you need
- A cloth Brown Scapular — a religious-goods shop, a Carmelite community or many parishes will have one
- A priest or deacon willing to enrol you, using the approved rite
- A few minutes after Mass, or an appointment; the rite itself is short
- A resolve to wear it and to pray daily to Our Lady
When to pray it
Enrolment can happen at any time; parishes and Carmelite churches often enrol groups on 16 July, the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or at the close of a Marian devotion. Once enrolled, you wear the scapular always and keep some daily prayer to Our Lady.
Steps
Step 1: Understand what the scapular is
The scapular is a sacramental — a sacred sign instituted by the Church which disposes us to receive grace — and specifically a sign of consecration to the Blessed Virgin under her title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy describes it as an external sign of the filial relationship between the Mother of God and the faithful who entrust themselves to her, and asks that it be worn with a true Marian devotion and an effort to live the Gospel. The tradition of the promise to Saint Simon Stock — that Our Lady would protect those who die wearing her scapular — has been permitted by the popes as an expression of confidence in her intercession; it is not a doctrine, and no cloth substitutes for a life of faith. What the Church offers you in the scapular is a habit, in the old sense: a garment that says whose you are.
Tips
- Enrolment is once for life. When the cloth wears out you simply put on a new scapular; it does not need to be blessed or the enrolment repeated, though many like to have the new one blessed.
- After enrolment with the cloth scapular, a scapular medal — the Sacred Heart on one side, Our Lady on the other — may be worn instead, by a concession of Saint Pius X in 1910. The cloth remains the fuller sign.
- The scapular commits you, it does not replace you. A wearer who lives in serious sin without repentance should not expect the cloth to do what only grace and conversion do.
- If you cannot find a priest quickly, ask at the parish office: any priest may enrol, and Carmelite communities enrol regularly.