August 7, 2022

“The Rosary and the Brown Scapular are inseparable! You can't have one without the other.”

St. Sr. Lúcia de Jesus Rosa dos Santos, one of the three visionaries of Fatima, Portugal, 1917.

Dear St. Martin of Tours Parishioners and Friends,

At her last apparition in Fatima, Portugal on October 13, 1917, Our Lady actually revealed herself as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. She came dressed in a brown Carmelite habit and holding the Rosary in one hand and the Brown Scapular in the other. A scapular (image right) is like a cloth “sandwich” that you wear under your clothes, with one square in front, another on the back. It’s a miniaturized version of the very large scapular worn by religious.

The Scapular’s history begins with a vision of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to St. Simon, a Carmelite priest who lived in England in the 13th century. Our Lady appeared to St. Simon while he was in prayer, and after giving him the Brown Scapular, told him the obligations and promises associated with it. She then communicated her desire for him to spread this devotion far and wide so that all Catholics wear it with devotion.

The devotion caught on rapidly and by the Twentieth Century wearing the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel became almost universally practiced. In mission territories especially, the Rosary and the Scapular became the two signs of a Catholic. We even have a martyr saint (Blessed Isidore Bakanja, 1887-1909, a Boanji from modern-day Zaire, Feast Day July 16) who was beaten to death be cause he refused to take his scapular off.

There are great spiritual promises granted for wearing the Scapular. In addition to special protection from Our Lady throughout life, the greatest promises are these two:

1. The person who wears the Brown Scapular with devotion will not suffer eternal hellfire, and
2. After death, if the soul goes to Purgatory, that soul will be released from Purgatory on the very next Saturday.

Yes, Purgatory still exists, and there is time in Purgatory, though it’s not the same as time here: In Purgatory time feels longer.

Thus, I am encouraging all members of St. Martin of Tours Parish (and any other Catholic who wishes) to be enrolled in the Scapular. What does that mean—to be enrolled? There is a very brief ceremony performed by the priest that lasts less than one minute, which concludes with the priest placing the Scapular on the persons to be enrolled. After the enrollment, you can wear the scapular under your clothing, which is what I do. At our weekly Holy Hour, Sunday evening at 6:30, on the Vigil of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sunday, August 14), I will be enrolling all who come in the Brown Scapular. Please consider the value of doing this.

With such promises come obligations. Our Lady says one must wear the Scapular with devotion. Once one is enrolled in the Scapular, what must one do? It means the following must be adhered to as much as possible:

1. Pray the rosary every day.
2. Offer as a sacrifice all the sufferings of our daily lives.
3. Be chaste according to your state in life.

So far, so good. We should be doing these things already. (If as a married or single person you don’t know really what being chaste means, it’s very simple. All sexual acts may only be done morally if they are performed within marriage (hence, no premarital sex, no adultery, no pornography, etc., and all licit sexual acts must be open to life, i.e. no artificial contraception.)

Then there are three more obligations which demand a real commitment:

1. Offer communions of reparation on the first 5 Saturdays.*
2. Consecrate yourself to the Blessed Virgin Mary.**
3. Pray what is called “The little office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

This last obligation is really very delightful! It’s a prayer book with special morning and evening prayers to pray. I will provide anyone interested with this prayer book.

I hope that many of you will want to be involved in this work of prayer and devotion! So many of our parishioners are retired and have so many family members to pray for, and here is something that can move mountains and save souls. Yes, this scapular devotion is not good only for your soul, it is good for the souls of all whom you love! Our Lady, being a mother and member of the Holy Family understands families! She often calls one or two members of a family to save the entire family through prayer and sacrifice. That person could indeed be you. Prayer can do anything. Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary can do anything and all the time.

Let’s all do our best to honor Our Lady and save souls.

In Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,

*I have referred to this many times before in other bulletins. If you want to refresh your memory, go to our parish website and pull up the bulletin from May 2, 2021. This is something that you only need to do one time in your life, but it requires a commitment for five consecutive first Saturdays of the month.

**Because this properly involves 33 days of payer and a final act of consecration (which you can do on your own), it can be difficult for many. So if this is something you cannot do just yet, please do not let this stop you from enrollment in the scapular! When you are ready to do a self-consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary go to our parish website and click the link right in front of you that says “How to Consecrate Yourself to the Blessed Virgin Mary.” Or go directly to the website https://militiaoftheimmaculata.com/