Confraternity of the Brown Scapular
The Brown Scapular (photo courtesy of The Catholic Company)
St. Padre Pio said, “Abandon yourself into the hands of Mary and she will take care of you.” For centuries, the faithful have abandoned themselves to Mary by symbolically placing themselves under her mantle by devoutly wearing the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, more commonly called the Brown Scapular.
This humble sacramental, worn draped over the neck, is “an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer” (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments)
It was originally championed by St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite friar, after receiving it in a vision from Our Lady. Since then, Carmelite priests (and now any priest) have enrolled millions of souls in the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular. All those enrolled and who wear the brown scapular devoutly are spiritually placed under Our Lady’s mantle and will receive her promise of special intercession and protection.