A Wimple is a garment worn around the neck and chin, and which usually covers the head.

Its use developed among women in early medieval Europe . At many stages of medieval culture it was unseemly for a married woman to show her hair. A wimple might be elaborately starched, and creased and folded in prescribed ways, even supported on wire or wicker framing (cornette).

Italian women abandoned their headcloths in the 15th century, or replaced them with transparent gauze, and showed their elaborate braids. Both elaborate laundry and elaborate braiding demonstrated status, in that such grooming was being performed by others. Today the wimple is worn by some nuns who still don the traditional habit. [1]

Headscarves or head scarves or scarves are scarves covering most or all of the top of a woman's hair and her head. Headscarves may be worn for a variety of purposes, such as for warmth, for sanitation, for fashion or social distinction; with religious significance, to hide baldness, out of modesty, or other forms of social convention.

[edit] Types
Headscarves may have specific religious significance. Observant married Jewish women, for example, are required to cover their hair, often employing scarves, known as tichels or snoods, in compliance with the code of modesty known as tzniut. Headscarves were also worn by married Christian women in medieval Europe, and even by some of the unmarried. This headcovering habit is better known as a wimple in English.

16th century wimple.

Elizabeth II wearing babushka-type headscarf at a meeting with Ronald Reagan, 1982. Headscarves and veils are most commonly used by Observant Muslim women. The Muslim religious dress include burqa, chador, niqab, dupatta, and others. The Arabic word hijab, which refers to modest behaviour or dress in general, is often used to describe the headscarf worn by Muslim women. The hijab is worn for religious purposes. Some reasons for Muslim women wearing the hijab would be for modesty and allowing a woman to be judged by her morals, character, and ideals instead of her appearance. A "head dress" could also be worn by men. The most common, keffiyeh, is worn by men (most commonly Middle Eastern) for cultural purposes rather than religious. Some English speakers use the word "babushka" (grandma in Russian) to indicate the headscarf tied below the chin, as commonly worn in Eastern Europe. In most parts of Eastern Europe, headscarves are used mainly[citation needed] by elderly women (grandmothers) and this led[citation needed] to the use of the "babushka" term. Women in Russia show their convictions to Russian Orthodoxy by wearing headscarves to church. In Chile, Mapuche women wear headscarves tied behind the head. A plain red or scarlet headscarf was worn by female commissars and other women aligning themselves with Bolshevism in times of Russian revolution and civil war. A head tie is an elaborate ornamental head covering worn by women of western and southern Africa. Many women with medical hair loss, due to chemotherapy, alopecia or other causes, utilize scarves as protective head coverings.

Women

Nuns also use veil

A veil over the hair rather than the face forms part of the headdress of some orders of nuns or religious sisters; this is why a woman who becomes a nun is said "to take the veil". In medieval times married women normally covered their hair outside the house, and nun's veils are based on secular medieval styles, reflecting nuns position as "brides of Christ". In many orders, a white veil is used as the "veil of probation" during novitiate, and a dark veil for the "veil of profession" once first or solemn vows are taken the color scheme varies with the color scheme of the habit of the order. A veil of consecration, longer and fuller, is used by some orders for final profession of solemn vows. Nuns are the female counterparts of monks, and many monastic orders of women have retained the veil. Regarding other orders of religious sisters who are not cloistered but who work as teachers, nurses or in other "active" apostolates outside of a nunnery or monastery, some wear the veil, while some others have abolished the use of the veil, a few never had a veil to start with, but used a bonnet-style headdress even a century ago, as in the case of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. The fullest versions of the nun's veil cover the top of the head and flow down around and over the shoulders. In Western Christianity, it does not wrap around the neck or face. In those orders that retain one, the starched white covering about the face neck and shoulders is known as a wimple and is a separate garment. The Catholic Church has revived the ancient practice of allowing women to profess a solemn vow as consecrated virgins. These women are set aside as sacred persons who belong only to Christ and the service of the church. They are under the direct care of the local bishop, without belonging to a particular order and receive the veil as a sign of consecration. There has also been renewed interest in the last half century in the ancient practice of women and men dedicating themselves as anchorites or hermits, and there is a formal process whereby such persons can seek recognition of their vows by the local bishop a veil for these women would also be traditional.

Some Anglican women's religious orders also wear a veil, differing according to the traditions of each order. A veil is an article of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, that is intended to cover some part of the head or face. One view is that as a religious item, it is intended to show honor to an object or space. The actual sociocultural, psychological, and sociosexual functions of veils have not been studied extensively but most likely include the maintenance of social distance and the communication of social status and cultural identity.[1][2] In Islamic society, various forms of the veil have been adopted from the Arab culture in which Islam arose. Christian headcovering is the veiling of the head by women in a variety of Christian traditions. Some cover only in church or while praying; most never cover their heads all the time. They refer to 1 Corinthians 11, or to custom, as the basis for their practice. Many contemporary Christians, however, see no need for this practice.
Hebrew Bible

Genesis 24:65, Numbers 5:18 and Isaiah 47:2 are references in the Old Testament referring to a headcovering for women. Although specific references to an instruction to cover the head are not found until later rabbinical writings on tzniut, "modesty" (Shulchan Aruch, Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's Stone of Help 115, 4; Orach Chayim 75,2; Even Ha'ezer 21, 2 4).[1]
[edit] New Testament

1 Corinthians 11:4-16 contains the only reference in the New Testament referring to a headcovering for women and to an absence of a headcovering for men. Various early Church Fathers, such as Hermas,[2] Clement of Alexandria,[3] Jerome,[4] Augustine of Hippo[5] and Tertullian[6] also mentioned women's headcoverings.[non-primary source needed] Early Christian art shows women wearing headcoverings.[7] During the ensuing centuries, women definitely wore the head coverings during the church service, especially when praying or prophesying (1Corinthians 11:5). However, during the twentieth century, the practice of headcovering gradually disappeared from many churches, which dropped their requirement that women cover their heads during worship services. At different points in history, the style of the covering varied.[8]
[edit] Catholicism

The requirement that women cover their heads in church was introduced as a universal law for the Latin Rite of the Church for the first time in 1917 with canon 1262 [9] of its first Code of Canon Law. It was not addressed in the 1983 revision of the Code, which declared the 1917 Code abrogated.[10] According to the new Code, former law only has interpretive weight in norms that are repeated in the 1983 Code; all other norms are simply abrogated. There is no provision made for norms that are not repeated in the 1983 Code.[11] Some have argued that it is still obligatory,

advancing several grounds for their opinion, including the claim that headcovering for women is a centennial and immemorial custom (cf. canon 5 of the Code of Canon Law)[12][13] It was never universally obligatory for members of the Eastern Catholic Churches. In countries where women no longer as a matter of course wear hats when going outdoors, most Catholic women do not wear headcoverings in church, but many Traditionalist Catholic women do.[14] The forms range from a mantilla to a hat or a simple headscarf. For men, the 1917 Code of Canon Law prescribed that they should uncover their heads unless approved customs of peoples were against it. In the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church it is obligatory for bishops to wear the zucchetto headcovering during certain parts of the liturgy, while use of the biretta, once obligatory for all diocesan clergy (as opposed to members of religious institutes), remains permitted for them. In all rites of the Catholic Church, bishops wear a mitre or a corresponding headcovering in church. Nevertheless, the mitre is removed in certain parts of the liturgy, and the zucchetto is also removed during the Eucharistic Prayer, which is always done uncovered, even for bishops, cardinals or the Pope.[citation needed]
[edit] Protestantism

Among the early Protestant reformers, Martin Luther's wife, Katherine, wore a headcovering and John Knox and John Calvin both called for women to wear headcoverings.[15][16][17] Other commentators who have advocated headcovering include Matthew Henry, A. R. Fausset, A. T. Robertson, Harry A. Ironside[18] and Charles Caldwell Ryrie.[19]

[edit] Current practice

Amish women wearing coverings.

Headcovering, at least during worship services, is still promoted or required in a few denominations and among the more traditional Catholics. Some Anabaptist denominations, including the Amish, Old Order Mennonite and Conservative Mennonites, the Old German Baptist Brethren,[20] the Hutterites,[21] and the Apostolic Christian Church; some Pentecostal churches, such as the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, The Pentecostal Mission, and the Christian Congregation in the United States; the Plymouth Brethren; and the more conservative Scottish Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed churches. Though most Protestant denominations have

no official expectation that women cover, some individuals choose to practice headcovering according to their understanding of 1 Corinthians 11.[citation needed]
[edit] Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012)

Some Eastern Catholic, as well as Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, require women to cover their heads while in church, while others do not. In some cases, the choice may be individual, or vary within a country or jurisdiction; for example, most Orthodox women in Greece or Finland will not wear a head covering in church, but a widow might. In a country like the United States, where there is no prevailing custom, the decision to cover is made personally, often in consultation with one's spiritual father or mother. The male clergy of the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches often have long hair and untrimmed beards if they are monastics, but married clergy often have standard haircuts. Eastern Orthodox clergy of all levels have head coverings, sometimes with veils in the case of monastics or celibates, that are donned and removed at certain points in the services. However, in U.S. churches they are less commonly worn. Bishops, Archimandrites and Archpriests wear mitres when wearing their liturgical vestments, which have their own rules concerning donning and doffing. Orthodox nuns wear a head covering called an apostolnik, which is worn at all times, and is the only part of the monastic habit which distinguishes them from Orthodox monks.
[edit] Jehovah's Witnesses

Within the congregation, a female Jehovah's Witness may only lead prayer and teaching when no baptized male is available to, and must do so wearing a head covering.[22][23][24] Female head covering is not required when evangelizing or when participating in congregation meetings or Bible study courses being led by another, or any aspect of Christian or family life.[25] Jehovah's Witnesses males are instructed to remove headcoverings when they represent even a small group in public prayer. A male Witness may or may not choose to remove his headcovering while praying privately or listening to another's public prayer, according to "the dictates of his personal conscience".[26]

[edit] Reasons
Those espousing the practice of headcovering have used Apostle Paul's appeal to universal principles in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 to argue that since the passage mentions every man and every woman, as well as the universal order of creation, this passage must apply to all Christians

in all ages and of all cultures.[citation needed] Also, some Christians[who?] wear head coverings because Sarah (Abraham's wife) Genesis 20:16 and Rebekah (Isaac's wife) Genesis 24:65 wore head coverings.[27] They hold that the Bible is not merely referring to hair, long hair, or submission, but rather a literal cloth headcovering.[citation needed] They support this understanding from the original Greek, which uses two different words: one meaning covering, referring to the woman's head, i.e., her husband, and the other meaning veiling, referring to a literal cloth covering.[citation needed] 1 Corinthians 11:6 is also cited to refute the notion that the headcovering intended by Paul is merely long hair, ("For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.") because it would be akin to saying "If a woman has short hair, let her hair be cut short."[28]

[edit] Objections
Some Christians[who?] interpret the passage as a cultural mandate that was only for the first-century Corinthian church. Therefore, they say, women no longer need to cover their heads.[citation needed] Other Christians believe that long hair is intended to be the headcovering (see 1 Corinthians 11:1415).[29] Still others believe that a womans husband is her covering[citation needed]. Yet another view, propagated by feminist theologian Katharine Bushnell, holds that 1 Corinthians 11 itself even teaches that women should not cover their heads at all.[30] The term scapular (from Latin scapulae, "shoulders") as used today refers to two specific, yet related, Christian Sacramentals, namely the monastic and devotional scapulars, although both forms may simply be referred to as "scapular".[1][2] The "monastic scapular" appeared first, perhaps as early as the 7th century in the Order of Saint Benedict.[3] It is a somewhat large length of cloth suspended both front and back from the shoulders of the wearer, often reaching to the knees. It may vary in shape, color, size and style. Monastic scapulars originated as aprons worn by medieval monks, and were later extended to habits for members of religious organizations, orders or confraternities. Monastic scapulars now form part of the habit of monks and nuns in many Christian orders.[4][5] The "devotional scapular" is a much smaller item and evolved from the monastic scapular. These may also be worn by individuals who are not members of a monastic order and the Roman Catholic Church considers them sacramentals. The devotional scapular typically consists of two small (usually rectangular) pieces of cloth, wood or laminated paper, a few inches in size which may bear religious images or text. These are joined by two bands of cloth and the wearer places one square on the chest, rests the bands one on each shoulder and lets the second square drop down the back.[6][7] In many cases, both forms of the scapular come with a set of promises for the faithful who wear them. Some of the promises are rooted in tradition, and others have been formally approved by religious leaders. For instance, for Roman Catholics, as for some other sacramentals, over the centuries several popes have approved specific indulgences for scapulars.[8] [
Devotional scapular Main article: Rosary and scapular

Rosary and scapular

Devotional scapulars are sacramentals, primarily worn by Roman Catholics and some Lutherans, designed to show the wearer's pledge to a confraternity, a saint, or a way of life, as well as reminding the wearer of that promise. Some devotional scapulars bear images, or verses from scripture. Devotional scapulars typically consist of two rectangular pieces of cloth, wool or other fabric that are connected by bands. One rectangle hangs over the chest of the wearer, while the other rests on the back, with the bands running over the shoulders. Some scapulars have extra bands running under the arms and connecting the rectangles to prevent them from getting dislodged underneath the wearer's top layer of clothes. The roots of devotional scapulars can be traced to the gathering of laity into confraternities for spiritual direction, whereby the faithful would be assigned some badge or token of affiliation and devotion. The image or message on the scapular usually reflects the order's focus, tradition or favored devotion.[37] Devotional scapulars and the indulgences attached to them grew along with the growth of Catholic confraternities during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1611, the Servite order's confraternity and their Black Scapular of the Seven Dolours of Mary received indulgences from Pope Paul V.[38] By the early 20th century the devotional scapular had gained such a strong following among Catholics worldwide that the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914 stated: "Like the Rosary, the Brown Scapular has become the badge of the devout Catholic."[39] In the 1917 reported apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared "with a Rosary in one hand and a scapular in the other". Lucia Santos (one of the three Fatima children) stated that the Virgin Mary told her: "The Rosary and the Scapular are inseparable".[40][41][42] In the United States "Scapular Magazine" helped enroll one million Americans to pray the Rosary based on the Fatima messages. [43] The Rosary and the devotional scapular continue to be linked in the 21st century.[44] While a number of scapulars (e.g. the Holy Face Scapular, also known as The Veronica) are entirely Christocentric, the most widespread scapulars such as the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception relate to Marian devotions and consecrations.[45] The official teachings of the Catholic Church indicate that the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel is one of the most highly recommended Marian devotions. This has been the case

through the centuries, and more recently with popes such as Venerable Pius XII, Paul VI and Blessed John Paul II, who stated that he received his first Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel at age ten when his Marian devotion was taking shape and he continued to wear it into his papacy.[46] The Rosary and the Scapular are inseparable" was a sentiment expressed by Lucia Santos, one of the three children who reported the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Ftima (Portugal) in 1917, and later the Pontevedra apparitions (Spain) in 1925.[1] In these apparitions, the Virgin Mary reportedly called herself The Lady of the Rosary and in one of the final Ftima appearances on October 13, 1917 had a brown scapular in one hand and a rosary in the other. The Lady of the Rosary, reportedly encouraged the praying of the Rosary and the wearing of the brown scapular.[2] One author states that the Fatima messages do not just prophesy dangers, but include a package of solutions in which the Rosary and the scapular are revealed as "mystical weapons of defense".[3] As for all Sacramentals, the use of the Rosary and the Scapular are optional for Roman Catholics. They have been supported, encouraged and linked by a number of Catholic figures such as popes, saints and cardinals. Specific indulgences have been associated with them.[4][5] While the exact origins of both the Rosary and the Scapular are subject to debate among scholars, Catholic traditions maintain that both Sacramentals were given by the Virgin Mary to Saints during the 13th century.[6][7][8] Historical records document their growth during the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe. By the early 20th century they had gained such a strong following among Catholics worldwide that the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914 stated: "Like the Rosary, the Brown scapular has become the badge of the devout Catholic."[9] This article reviews the history, Mariology and the parallel development of the Rosary and the Scapular as key Sacramentals in the Roman Catholic Church.

Devotions and promises

Rosary and Scapular Although the Rosary and the Scapular are primarily viewed as devotional elements of Catholicism, traditions and beliefs on the power of Sacramentals have associated specific promises and indulgences with each one. Some historians suggest that the combined effect of the devotional elements and the benefits of salvation associated with them made the Rosary and the Scapular favored Sacramentals among Roman Catholics.[10] However, although many of the faithful choose to pray the Rosary and wear the scapular, and various Catholic figures encourage these

sacramentals, the linking of the Rosary and the Scapular is not formally reflected in Church doctrine. Carmelite tradition has held that in 1251 the Virgin Mary made the "Scapular Promise" to St. Simon Stock regarding the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, namely: "whoever dies clothed in this habit shall not suffer the fires of Hell."[11][12] The Sabbatine privilege, was associated with an apocryphal Papal Bull allegedly by Pope John XXII. The Vatican has denied the validity of this document[13] but has given the Carmelites permission to preach that Mary's merits and intercession would help those "who have departed this life in charity, have worn in life the scapular, have ever observed chastity, have recited the Little Hours of the Blessed Virgin, or, if they cannot read, have observed the fast days of the Church, and have abstained from flesh meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays." [14][15] Catholic tradition holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary made fifteen specific promises to Christians who pray the rosary.[16][17][18] The fifteen rosary promises range from protection from misfortune to meriting a high degree of glory in heaven. Lucia dos Santos, one of the three children who reported the Our Lady of Ftima messages stated that: "There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary."[19] In his book The Power of the Rosary Rev. Albert Shamon discusses the promises attributed to the rosary in various reported visions such as Our Lady of Ftima and Meugorje.[20

Parallel histories

Blessed Jacinta Marto, one of the three children who reported the Ftima visions in 1917

Scholarly debates on the origins of these Sacramentals are not conclusive. For instance, while Richard Copsey questioned the fact that any apparition took place with respect to the Scapular,[21] Benedict Zimmerman proposed that an apparition did take place in the 13th century, but was to another Carmelite brother and it was later attributed to St. Simon Stock, and that the vision was not

of the Virgin Mary, but of a recently deceased Carmelite.[22] The Carmelite Order states on their website "Although the historicity of the scapular vision is rejected, the scapular itself has remained for all Carmelites a sign of Mary's motherly protection and as a personal commitment to follow Jesus in the footsteps of his Mother, the perfect model of all his disciples." [23] Some scholarly sources question the authenticity of the apparition to Saint Dominic also. [24][25] Yet some authors lend their support to the vision of Saint Dominic.[26][27] Regardless of the scholarly debates about the exact date of the first appearance of either the Rosary or the Scapular, historical records indicate that devotions to both Sacramentals followed specific historical stages which included initial pre-Reformation introductions, promotion and growth as a response to the challenges of the Reformation and entertwined incidents such as being jointly recommended by the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Ftima.
[edit] Early history

Carmelite tradition holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock at Cambridge, England in 1251 in answer to his appeal for help for his oppressed order and recommended the Brown Scapular to him.[28] The Brown Scapular has clearly been a key element of Carmelite history since the late 13th century, for the Carmelite Constitution of 1294 considers it a serious fault to sleep without the scapular and the Constitution of 1369 stipulates automatic excommunication for Carmelites who say Mass without a scapular.[29] According to some Catholic tradition, the rosary was given to Saint Dominic in an apparition by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year 1214 in the church of Prouille, the Marian apparition receiving the title of Our Lady of the Rosary.[30] However, many scholarly researchers suggests a more gradual and organic development of the rosary, and some even attribute it to Bl. Alanus de Rupe.
[31]

"Madonna with the Rosary" by Murrillo, 1650.

A key element in the spread of the Rosary in 16th century Rome was the Battle of Lepanto (1571), in which the Christian side included the Papal States. Pope Pius V ordered Catholics to pray the Rosary prior to the battle, held a rosary procession in St. Peter's Square and then instituted the feast of "Our Lady of Victory" to commemorate the victory. Two years later Pope Gregory XIII changed the title to "Feast of the Holy Rosary". Pope Paul VI later changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary.[32] The introduction of the feast (and the accompanying implicit papal approval) allowed Catholic artists to depict the Rosary and in the 17th century, the Rosary began to appear as an element in key pieces of Roman Catholic Marian art, often in art that depicts the Virgin Mary, e.g. Murrillo's Madonna with the Rosary at the Museo del Prado in Spain. Other Scapulars and accompanying promises began to appear in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception that dated to 1617 was eventually granted a significant number of indulgences, and many graces were promised to those who would honor the Immaculate Conception by wearing the Blue Scapular and live chastely according to their state in life. The Carmelite tradition of the Sabbatine Privilege in the 16th century, coincided with the challenges faced by the Church in Rome with respect to the Protestant Reformation which had started in the early part of the 16th century. The Sabbatine Privilege's focus on the Purgatory, was viewed favorably by a number of Catholic preachers for it clarified the concept of Purgatory for the ordinary Catholics in Italy and was viewed as anti-Protestant.[33] The introduction of the Sabbatine Privilege had a positive impact on the popularity of the Scapular, and the growth of the

Carmelites, and over the centuries helped the devotion to the Scapular reach a height that the Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages called it "one of the main Marian devotions of Christendom".[34]
[edit] 18th and 19th centuries

Saint Bernadette Soubirous of the Lourdes Apparitions, 1858.

Both the Rosary and the Scapular increased in popularity from the very beginnings of the 18th century, as Roman Catholic Mariology as a whole grew. In 1708, Pope Clement XI ordered the feast of the Immaculata for the whole Church and the feast of the Rosary was introduced in 1716, with the feast of the Seven Sorrows following in 1727. This period also witnessed a significant amount of growth in Marian confraternities. The approval of the Confraternity of the Scapular for every diocese throughout the Catholic world helped the spread of that devotion, reaching its culmination in 1726 via the extension of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (July 16) to the universal Church. Not only the Carmelites, but other orders such as the Servite established Scapular confraternities and received papal support for indulgences. These confraternities led to much popular support for the Scapular.[35][36] The beginning of the 18th century was also an important period for the future of the Rosary. The fact that a 27 year old Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was ordained to the priesthood in Paris in June 1700 was not in itself remarkable at the time. However, the writings of Montfort in the remaining 16 years of his life had a significant impact on the spread of the Rosary and influenced the Marian views of several popes who later continued to quote him in their encyclicals. Montfort's philosophy outlined in his book God Alone and his approach to the Rosary discussed in his book Secret of the Rosary have been considered key elements of Marian spirituality by several popes. The Confraternities of the Rosary also enjoyed a period of growth in the 18th century. A small number of such confraternities had started sometime in the 15th century, through the preachings of Blessed Alan de Rupe. Their numbers began to grow in the 18th century, largely under the

supervision of the Dominicans, which also helped create a more uniform format for the Rosary. An important Apostolic Constitution on the Rosary Confraternity was issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1898.[37] In the 19th century, the reported Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes (who carried a Rosary, and asked for the praying of the Rosary) gathered significant attention, and increased sensus fidelium, thereby providing momentum for the spread of the Rosary. During the 19th century a number of other Scapulars were approved. The white Scapular of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was approved by Pope Pius IX in 1877 and the white Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel received the approval of Leo XIII in 1893 for the purpose of invoking Mary's guidance upon its wearer. The black Scapular of Our Lady Help of the Sick, (for the Confraternity founded by St. Camillus de Lellis) was approved by Pius IX. in 1860.
[edit] 20th century

The beginnings of the 20th century witnessed growth for Catholic Mariology and was dominated by a genuine Marian enthusiasm both at the papal and popular levels. In 1904, in the first year of his Pontificate, Pope Pius X established the dogma of Immaculate Conception with the encyclical Ad Diem Illum. The papal enthuusiasm culminated in the Dogma of the Assumption by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

Venerable Marie Martha Chambon

As the devotion to the Holy Rosary and its mysteries continued in this atmosphere, a number of other Rosary based prayers were introduced with different formats and with more of a Christocentric tone. The Rosary of the Holy Wounds which focuses on the Wounds of Jesus was introduced by Venerable Marie Martha Chambon, a nun in France who died in 1907, and who had reported visions of Jesus as early as 1866.[38][39][40] Another rosary based prayer that eventually gained significant following was the Chaplet of Divine Mercy by Faustina Kowalska who also reported visions of Jesus and Mary in 1935 and was later declared a saint.[41][42][43][44] The spread of the devotion to both the Rosary and the Scapular was influenced by Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Ftima reported by three Portuguese children in 1917.[45] The reported Fatima messages place a strong emphasis on the Rosary and in them the Virgin Mary was

identified as The Lady of the Rosary.[46] The visions and messages also encouraged the wearing of the Brown Scapular. When one of the Ftima visionaries Lucia Santos was later asked why the Virgin Mary had appeared with the Brown Scapular in the last public vision at Ftima, Santos replied:[47] "She meant that all Catholics should wear the Scapular as part of the Ftima message. One could not follow this message unless he or she wore the Brown Scapular.

Our Lady of Ftima Basilica bearing the images of Francisco and Jacinta Marto.

The Our Lady of Ftima Basilica attracts a large number of Catholics, and every year pilgrims fill the country road that leads to the shrine with crowds that approach one million on May 13 and October 13, the significant dates of Ftima apparitions.[48] The entrance to the Ftima Sanctuary, to the south of the rectory, is a segment of the Berlin Wall intended to emphasize the belief that the Rosary prayers influenced the fall of the Berlin Wall related to the Consecration of Russia based on the Ftima messages.[49] In the 18th and 19th centuries the Rosary and Scapular Confraternities with thousands of members grew the devotion to these Sacramentals. In the 20th century, Marian organizations with millions of members performed a similar task. The Legion of Mary was formed in Ireland in 1921 and currently has three million active members and ten million auxiliary members. Each meeting of the Legion includes praying the Rosary, and the Legion encourages members to partake in Marian prayers and increase their devotion to the Holy Spirit.[50] [51] The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima was formed in 1946 in the United States and through "Scapular Magazine" helped enroll one million Americans to pray the Rosary based on the Ftima messages regarding the Consecration of Russia. The Blue Army eventually reached a larger audience of several million members.[52][53][54]

The 20th century also witnessed unprecedented growth in the number of volunteer-based lay Marian devotional organizations for the free distribution of Sacramentals such as the Rosary. For example Our Lady's Rosary Makers which was formed with a $25 donation for a typewriter in 1949 now has about twenty thousand volunteers who have distributed hundreds of millions of free rosaries to Catholic missions worldwide.[55][56] The only change to the fundamental structure of the Rosary in the last 1500 years happened in 2002 when Pope John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries. The Luminous Mysteries consider Christs public ministry from the time of his baptism to his Passion and fill the gap in the previous mysteries.[57][58] To celebrate the 25th year of his papacy, John Paul II issued his encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae, encouraged Catholics to pray the Rosary more often and announced a "Year of the Rosary". He stated that he declared the twelve months from October 2002 to October 2003 The Year of the Rosary in order to: "Put my 25th anniversary under the contemplation of Christ at the school of Mary".[59]

[edit] Mariology

Our Lady of Mount Carmel statue in Chile with a Brown Scapular, an example of the use of the Scapular in Marian art

While a number of Scapulars (e.g. the Holy Face Scapular) are entirely Christocentric, the most widespread Scapulars such as the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception relate to Marian devotions and consecrations.[60] The official teachings of the Catholic Church indicate that the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel is one of the most highly recommended Marian devotions. This has been the case through the centuries, and more recently with popes such as Paul VI and John Paul II. Devotion to the Virgin Mary expressed by wearing the Brown Scapular developed over time and has proven to be resilient

through the centuries. It has resisted attempts made in various points in history to diminish its value, and the faithful have kept coming back to it. Although the Carmelite constitution of 1281 prescribed that the Scapular should be worn to bed under penalty of a serious fault, the initial reason was not entirely Marian. At the time, the Scapular was seen as signifying the "yoke of Christ" which signified obedience and removing it was like removing the yoke of Christ, i.e. rebelling against authority. However, over time the Scapular took an increasingly Marian tone, became identified with Carmelite piety toward The Virgin Mary and the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel began to be called the Scapular feast. .[61]
[edit] Basis and grace

The Mariological basis of the Scapular devotion is effectively the same as Marian consecration, as discussed in the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium of Pope Paul VI, namely the role of the Virgin Mary as "the mother to us in the order of grace" and Mediatrix of all graces which allows her to intercede for "the gift of eternal salvation".[62][63] Pope Leo XIII, also known as the Rosary Pope, presented a similar Mariological view in his encyclicals Supremi Apostolatus Officio and Octobri Mense, that were devoted to the Rosary, in which he called the Virgin Mary the mediator of peace with God and stated that she was the "dispenser of all Heavenly graces."[64][65][66] As stated by Christian P. Ceroke:[67] "The wearing of the Scapular fosters a true devotion to Mary that is based on her supernatural mission in the redemption of mankind. Two Marian doctrines are proposed in the devotion of the Brown Scapular: Mary's Spiritual Maternity and her Mediation of Grace." In his 2002 Apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae Pope John Paul II expressed a similar Mariologiical sentiment with respect to the grace obtained from the Rosary:[68]
"Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer."

Pope Leo XIII

[edit] Papal endorsements

The Rosary and the Scapular have received papal endorsements through the centuries. Pope Leo XIII (the Rosary Pope) was concerned about attempts to destroy the faith in Christ, and, if possible, to ban him from the face of the earth.[69] The destruction of the ethical order would then lead to disaster and war, so Leo XIII dedicated the human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. But in his analysis (based on the writings of Louis de Montfort who was beatified by Leo XIII) the re-Christianisation was not possible without Mary. So Leo XIII promulgated Marian devotions via ten encyclicals on the Rosary and instituted the Catholic custom of daily rosary prayer during the month of October. In 1883 he also created the Feast of Queen of the Holy Rosary.[70] Leo XIII also approved a number of Scapulars. In 1885 he approved the Scapular of the Holy Face, (also known as The Veronica) and elevated the Priests of the Holy Face to an archconfraternity.[71] He also approved the Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel and the Scapular of St. Joseph, both in 1893, and the Scapular of the Sacred Heart in 1900.[72] Pope Pius XI encouraged the wearing of Scapulars and said: "The Sabbatine Privilege is the greatest of all privileges of the Mother of God, even extending after death"[11]

Saint Teresa of Avila wearing the monastic Carmelite Brown Scapular, depicted by Rubens, 1615.

Pope John Paul II stated that: [73] Scapular is essentially a habit which evokes the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary in this life and in the passage to the fullness of eternal glory. Pope John Paul II stated that he received his own first Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel at age ten when his Marian devotion was taking shape and he continued to wear it into his papacy. When he gained consciousness before being operated on to remove the bullet that wounded

him in St. Peter's Square on 13 May 1981 he instructed the doctors not to remove his Brown Scapular during the operation.[74]

Parallel histories

Blessed Jacinta Marto, one of the three children who reported the Ftima visions in 1917

Scholarly debates on the origins of these Sacramentals are not conclusive. For instance, while Richard Copsey questioned the fact that any apparition took place with respect to the Scapular,[21] Benedict Zimmerman proposed that an apparition did take place in the 13th century, but was to another Carmelite brother and it was later attributed to St. Simon Stock, and that the vision was not of the Virgin Mary, but of a recently deceased Carmelite.[22] The Carmelite Order states on their website "Although the historicity of the scapular vision is rejected, the scapular itself has remained for all Carmelites a sign of Mary's motherly protection and as a personal commitment to follow Jesus in the footsteps of his Mother, the perfect model of all his disciples." [23] Some scholarly sources question the authenticity of the apparition to Saint Dominic also. [24][25] Yet some authors lend their support to the vision of Saint Dominic.[26][27] Regardless of the scholarly debates about the exact date of the first appearance of either the Rosary or the Scapular, historical records indicate that devotions to both Sacramentals followed specific historical stages which included initial pre-Reformation introductions, promotion and growth as a response to the challenges of the Reformation and entertwined incidents such as being jointly recommended by the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Ftima.
[edit] Early history

Carmelite tradition holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock at Cambridge, England in 1251 in answer to his appeal for help for his oppressed order and recommended the Brown Scapular to him.[28] The Brown Scapular has clearly been a key element of Carmelite

history since the late 13th century, for the Carmelite Constitution of 1294 considers it a serious fault to sleep without the scapular and the Constitution of 1369 stipulates automatic excommunication for Carmelites who say Mass without a scapular.[29] According to some Catholic tradition, the rosary was given to Saint Dominic in an apparition by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year 1214 in the church of Prouille, the Marian apparition receiving the title of Our Lady of the Rosary.[30] However, many scholarly researchers suggests a more gradual and organic development of the rosary, and some even attribute it to Bl. Alanus de Rupe.
[31]

"Madonna with the Rosary" by Murrillo, 1650.

A key element in the spread of the Rosary in 16th century Rome was the Battle of Lepanto (1571), in which the Christian side included the Papal States. Pope Pius V ordered Catholics to pray the Rosary prior to the battle, held a rosary procession in St. Peter's Square and then instituted the feast of "Our Lady of Victory" to commemorate the victory. Two years later Pope Gregory XIII changed the title to "Feast of the Holy Rosary". Pope Paul VI later changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary.[32] The introduction of the feast (and the accompanying implicit papal approval) allowed Catholic artists to depict the Rosary and in the 17th century, the Rosary began to appear as an element in key pieces of Roman Catholic Marian art, often in art that depicts the Virgin Mary, e.g. Murrillo's Madonna with the Rosary at the Museo del Prado in Spain. Other Scapulars and accompanying promises began to appear in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception that dated to 1617 was eventually granted a

significant number of indulgences, and many graces were promised to those who would honor the Immaculate Conception by wearing the Blue Scapular and live chastely according to their state in life. The Carmelite tradition of the Sabbatine Privilege in the 16th century, coincided with the challenges faced by the Church in Rome with respect to the Protestant Reformation which had started in the early part of the 16th century. The Sabbatine Privilege's focus on the Purgatory, was viewed favorably by a number of Catholic preachers for it clarified the concept of Purgatory for the ordinary Catholics in Italy and was viewed as anti-Protestant.[33] The introduction of the Sabbatine Privilege had a positive impact on the popularity of the Scapular, and the growth of the Carmelites, and over the centuries helped the devotion to the Scapular reach a height that the Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages called it "one of the main Marian devotions of Christendom".[34]
[edit] 18th and 19th centuries

Saint Bernadette Soubirous of the Lourdes Apparitions, 1858.

Both the Rosary and the Scapular increased in popularity from the very beginnings of the 18th century, as Roman Catholic Mariology as a whole grew. In 1708, Pope Clement XI ordered the feast of the Immaculata for the whole Church and the feast of the Rosary was introduced in 1716, with the feast of the Seven Sorrows following in 1727. This period also witnessed a significant amount of growth in Marian confraternities. The approval of the Confraternity of the Scapular for every diocese throughout the Catholic world helped the spread of that devotion, reaching its culmination in 1726 via the extension of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (July 16) to the universal Church. Not only the Carmelites, but other orders such as the Servite established Scapular confraternities and received papal support for indulgences. These confraternities led to much popular support for the Scapular.[35][36]

The beginning of the 18th century was also an important period for the future of the Rosary. The fact that a 27 year old Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was ordained to the priesthood in Paris in June 1700 was not in itself remarkable at the time. However, the writings of Montfort in the remaining 16 years of his life had a significant impact on the spread of the Rosary and influenced the Marian views of several popes who later continued to quote him in their encyclicals. Montfort's philosophy outlined in his book God Alone and his approach to the Rosary discussed in his book Secret of the Rosary have been considered key elements of Marian spirituality by several popes. The Confraternities of the Rosary also enjoyed a period of growth in the 18th century. A small number of such confraternities had started sometime in the 15th century, through the preachings of Blessed Alan de Rupe. Their numbers began to grow in the 18th century, largely under the supervision of the Dominicans, which also helped create a more uniform format for the Rosary. An important Apostolic Constitution on the Rosary Confraternity was issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1898.[37] In the 19th century, the reported Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes (who carried a Rosary, and asked for the praying of the Rosary) gathered significant attention, and increased sensus fidelium, thereby providing momentum for the spread of the Rosary. During the 19th century a number of other Scapulars were approved. The white Scapular of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was approved by Pope Pius IX in 1877 and the white Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel received the approval of Leo XIII in 1893 for the purpose of invoking Mary's guidance upon its wearer. The black Scapular of Our Lady Help of the Sick, (for the Confraternity founded by St. Camillus de Lellis) was approved by Pius IX. in 1860.
[edit] 20th century

The beginnings of the 20th century witnessed growth for Catholic Mariology and was dominated by a genuine Marian enthusiasm both at the papal and popular levels. In 1904, in the first year of his Pontificate, Pope Pius X established the dogma of Immaculate Conception with the encyclical Ad Diem Illum. The papal enthuusiasm culminated in the Dogma of the Assumption by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

Venerable Marie Martha Chambon

As the devotion to the Holy Rosary and its mysteries continued in this atmosphere, a number of other Rosary based prayers were introduced with different formats and with more of a Christocentric tone. The Rosary of the Holy Wounds which focuses on the Wounds of Jesus was introduced by Venerable Marie Martha Chambon, a nun in France who died in 1907, and who had reported visions of Jesus as early as 1866.[38][39][40] Another rosary based prayer that eventually gained significant following was the Chaplet of Divine Mercy by Faustina Kowalska who also reported visions of Jesus and Mary in 1935 and was later declared a saint.[41][42][43][44] The spread of the devotion to both the Rosary and the Scapular was influenced by Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Ftima reported by three Portuguese children in 1917.[45] The reported Fatima messages place a strong emphasis on the Rosary and in them the Virgin Mary was identified as The Lady of the Rosary.[46] The visions and messages also encouraged the wearing of the Brown Scapular. When one of the Ftima visionaries Lucia Santos was later asked why the Virgin Mary had appeared with the Brown Scapular in the last public vision at Ftima, Santos replied:[47] "She meant that all Catholics should wear the Scapular as part of the Ftima message. One could not follow this message unless he or she wore the Brown Scapular.

Our Lady of Ftima Basilica bearing the images of Francisco and Jacinta Marto.

The Our Lady of Ftima Basilica attracts a large number of Catholics, and every year pilgrims fill the country road that leads to the shrine with crowds that approach one million on May 13 and October 13, the significant dates of Ftima apparitions.[48] The entrance to the Ftima Sanctuary, to the south of the rectory, is a segment of the Berlin Wall intended to emphasize the belief that the

Rosary prayers influenced the fall of the Berlin Wall related to the Consecration of Russia based on the Ftima messages.[49] In the 18th and 19th centuries the Rosary and Scapular Confraternities with thousands of members grew the devotion to these Sacramentals. In the 20th century, Marian organizations with millions of members performed a similar task. The Legion of Mary was formed in Ireland in 1921 and currently has three million active members and ten million auxiliary members. Each meeting of the Legion includes praying the Rosary, and the Legion encourages members to partake in Marian prayers and increase their devotion to the Holy Spirit.[50] [51] The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima was formed in 1946 in the United States and through "Scapular Magazine" helped enroll one million Americans to pray the Rosary based on the Ftima messages regarding the Consecration of Russia. The Blue Army eventually reached a larger audience of several million members.[52][53][54] The 20th century also witnessed unprecedented growth in the number of volunteer-based lay Marian devotional organizations for the free distribution of Sacramentals such as the Rosary. For example Our Lady's Rosary Makers which was formed with a $25 donation for a typewriter in 1949 now has about twenty thousand volunteers who have distributed hundreds of millions of free rosaries to Catholic missions worldwide.[55][56] The only change to the fundamental structure of the Rosary in the last 1500 years happened in 2002 when Pope John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries. The Luminous Mysteries consider Christs public ministry from the time of his baptism to his Passion and fill the gap in the previous mysteries.[57][58] To celebrate the 25th year of his papacy, John Paul II issued his encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae, encouraged Catholics to pray the Rosary more often and announced a "Year of the Rosary". He stated that he declared the twelve months from October 2002 to October 2003 The Year of the Rosary in order to: "Put my 25th anniversary under the contemplation of Christ at the school of Mary".[59]

[edit] Mariology

Our Lady of Mount Carmel statue in Chile with a Brown Scapular, an example of the use of the Scapular in Marian art

While a number of Scapulars (e.g. the Holy Face Scapular) are entirely Christocentric, the most widespread Scapulars such as the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception relate to Marian devotions and consecrations.[60] The official teachings of the Catholic Church indicate that the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel is one of the most highly recommended Marian devotions. This has been the case through the centuries, and more recently with popes such as Paul VI and John Paul II. Devotion to the Virgin Mary expressed by wearing the Brown Scapular developed over time and has proven to be resilient through the centuries. It has resisted attempts made in various points in history to diminish its value, and the faithful have kept coming back to it. Although the Carmelite constitution of 1281 prescribed that the Scapular should be worn to bed under penalty of a serious fault, the initial reason was not entirely Marian. At the time, the Scapular was seen as signifying the "yoke of Christ" which signified obedience and removing it was like removing the yoke of Christ, i.e. rebelling against authority. However, over time the Scapular took an increasingly Marian tone, became identified with Carmelite piety toward The Virgin Mary and the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel began to be called the Scapular feast. .[61]
[edit] Basis and grace

The Mariological basis of the Scapular devotion is effectively the same as Marian consecration, as discussed in the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium of Pope Paul VI, namely the role of the Virgin Mary as "the mother to us in the order of grace" and Mediatrix of all graces which allows her to intercede for "the gift of eternal salvation".[62][63] Pope Leo XIII, also known as the Rosary Pope, presented a similar Mariological view in his encyclicals Supremi Apostolatus Officio and Octobri Mense, that were devoted to the Rosary, in which he called the Virgin Mary the mediator of peace with God and stated that she was the "dispenser of all Heavenly graces."[64][65][66] As stated by Christian P. Ceroke:[67] "The wearing of the Scapular fosters a true devotion to Mary that is based on her supernatural mission in the redemption of mankind. Two Marian doctrines are proposed in the devotion of the Brown Scapular: Mary's Spiritual Maternity and her Mediation of Grace." In his 2002 Apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae Pope John Paul II expressed a similar Mariologiical sentiment with respect to the grace obtained from the Rosary:[68]
"Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer."

Pope Leo XIII [edit] Papal endorsements

The Rosary and the Scapular have received papal endorsements through the centuries. Pope Leo XIII (the Rosary Pope) was concerned about attempts to destroy the faith in Christ, and, if possible, to ban him from the face of the earth.[69] The destruction of the ethical order would then lead to disaster and war, so Leo XIII dedicated the human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. But in his analysis (based on the writings of Louis de Montfort who was beatified by Leo XIII) the re-Christianisation was not possible without Mary. So Leo XIII promulgated Marian devotions via ten encyclicals on the Rosary and instituted the Catholic custom of daily rosary prayer during the month of October. In 1883 he also created the Feast of Queen of the Holy Rosary.[70] Leo XIII also approved a number of Scapulars. In 1885 he approved the Scapular of the Holy Face, (also known as The Veronica) and elevated the Priests of the Holy Face to an archconfraternity.[71] He also approved the Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel and the Scapular of St. Joseph, both in 1893, and the Scapular of the Sacred Heart in 1900.[72] Pope Pius XI encouraged the wearing of Scapulars and said: "The Sabbatine Privilege is the greatest of all privileges of the Mother of God, even extending after death"[11]

Saint Teresa of Avila wearing the monastic Carmelite Brown Scapular, depicted by Rubens, 1615.

Pope John Paul II stated that: [73] Scapular is essentially a habit which evokes the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary in this life and in the passage to the fullness of eternal glory. Pope John Paul II stated that he received his own first Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel at age ten when his Marian devotion was taking shape and he continued to wear it into his papacy. When he gained consciousness before being operated on to remove the bullet that wounded him in St. Peter's Square on 13 May 1981 he instructed the doctors not to remove his Brown Scapular during the operation.[74]

History

Abba Antony of Egypt depicted wearing a brown monastic scapular and cloak.

Painting of Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church wearing the Carmelite Brown Scapular, by Rubens, 1615, Museum of Art History, Vienna.

The exact origin of the scapular as a practical garment continues to be debated by scholars.[10] However, many sources agree that the scapular emerged from an apron-like piece of cloth worn by monks. Item 55 of the Rule of Saint Benedict, dating to the 7th century, clearly refers to the use of the scapular.[4][11][12][13] In the Western Church the key elements of a monk's habit eventually became the tunic, the cincture, the scapular and the hood. A nun's costume included the tunic, the scapular and the head veil.[14] Some authors interpret the scapular as a symbolic apron based on the fact that monks and nuns, when engaged on some manual labor, tend to cover it with a protective apron or

carefully tuck it up or throw the front length back over their shoulder to prevent it from getting in the way.[15] The fact that specific promises and indulgences were attached to the wearing of scapulars helped increase their following, as was seen with the early example of the Brown Scapular, habit of the Carmelites, which included the traditional promise that those wearing it piously would be spared the fires of Hell.[16] This promise was based on the Carmelite tradition that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock at Cambridge, England in 1251 in answer to his appeal for help for his oppressed order and recommended the Brown Scapular of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel to him and promised salvation for the faithful who wore it piously.[17][18][19] However, this issue is subject to debate among scholars. Today historians question whether this Marian apparition took place at all, others argue that it was another Carmelite brother who witnessed the apparition.[20][21] The Carmelite Order states on their website "Although the historicity of the scapular vision is rejected, the scapular itself has remained for all Carmelites a sign of Mary's motherly protection and as a personal commitment to follow Jesus in the footsteps of his Mother, the perfect model of all his disciples." [22]

Photograph of Saint Thrse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church, in the Carmelite Brown Scapular, 1895.

Regardless of the scholarly debates regarding the exact origin of the Brown Scapular, it is clear that it has been a part of the Carmelite habit since the late 13th century, and the Carmelite Constitution of 1294 considers it a serious fault to sleep without a scapular and the Constitution of 1369 stipulates automatic excommunication for Carmelites who say Mass without a scapular.[23] A scapular promise historically known as the Sabbatine privilege, was associated with an apocryphal Papal Bull allegedly by Pope John XXII. It states that through her special intercession, on the Saturday following their death, Mary will personally liberate and deliver the souls of

devotees out of Purgatory. The Vatican has denied the validity of this document since 1613 and forbade the Carmelites to preach the Sabbatine privilege, an admonition which they did not always adhere to.[24] At the same time however the Church gave the Carmelites permission to preach that Mary's merits and intercession would help those "who have departed this life in charity, have worn in life the scapular, have ever observed chastity, have recited the Little Hours of the Blessed Virgin, or, if they cannot read, have observed the fast days of the Church, and have abstained from flesh meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays." [25] Today, the Carmelite Orders, while encouraging a belief in Mary's general aid and prayerful assistance for their souls beyond death and commending devotion to Mary especially on Saturdays which are dedicated to her, explicitly state in their official catechetical materials that they do not promulgate the Sabbatine privilege, and are at one with official church teaching on the matter.[26][27] Historically, however, belief in the Sabbatine Privilege had a positive impact on the popularity of the scapular, and the growth of the Carmelites, and over the centuries helped the devotion to the scapular reach a height that the Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages called it "one of the main Marian devotions of Christendom".[4] Historical records clearly document the growth of the Brown Scapular devotion during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries in Europe. The Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception that dates to 1617 was eventually granted a significant number of indulgences, and many graces were promised to those who would honor the Immaculate Conception by wearing the Blue Scapular and live chastely according to their state in life. In 1885 Pope Leo XIII approved the Scapular of the Holy Face, (also known as The Veronica) and elevated the Priests of the Holy Face to an archconfraternity.[28] He also approved the Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel and the Scapular of St. Joseph, both in 1893, and the Scapular of the Sacred Heart in 1900.[29]

[edit] Varieties
[edit] Monastic scapular

21st century Cistercian monks in their habit (with hoodless black monastic scapular).

Carthusians in white hooded scapulars, by Francisco de Zurbarn, 1630-1635.

Today, the monastic scapular is part of the garb, the habit, of many Christian religious orders, of both monks and nuns. It is an outer garment about the width of the chest, from shoulder to shoulder. It hangs down in the front and back almost to the feet, but is open on the sides (it was originally joined by straps at the waist). It may seem similar to the analavos worn in the Eastern tradition but is unrelated to them. Historically, the monastic scapular was at times referred to as scutum (i.e. shield), as it was laid over the head, which it originally covered and protected with one portion (from which the hood afterwards developed). A specific aspect of the use of the monastic scapular from its earliest days was obedience and the term jugum Christi, i.e. "yoke of Christ", was used to refer to it. The term "yoke of Christ" signified obedience and removing a scapular was like removing the yoke of Christ, i.e. rebelling against authority. For instance, the Carmelite constitution of 1281 prescribed that the Scapular should be worn to bed under penalty of serious fault. And the constitution of 1369 included automatic excommunication for a Carmelite saying mass without a scapular.[23][30][31] Over the centuries the religious orders adapted the basic scapular as they considered appropriate for themselves, as a result of which there are now several distinct designs, colors, shapes and lengths in use. For example, the Dominican Order and Carthusians attached a hood to their scapular, rather than keeping the former a separate item of their habit. And the color selection could change over time, for instance prior to 1255 the Augustinian scapulars for novices were black and those of the lay brethren were white, but thereafter all scapulars but those of the lay brethren had to be white.[32] In some cases the monastic scapular was used to distinguish the rank or level of the wearer within a religious order. For instance in some Byzantine monastic practices two levels of fully professed monk or nun exist: those of the "little habit" and those other of the "great habit", these being more senior and not having to do manual labor. In these cases, the "great habit" was simply

distinguished from the "little habit" by the addition of a scapular decorated with the instruments of the Passion.[33] Just as the stole is the vestment that came to mark the office of a priest, the monastic scapular became the equivalent for those in the monastic life and even today, a long scapular identifies its wearer as a member of a religious order. It is a symbol of the confraternal way, combining in itself the principle of ora et labora (prayer and work); and so the form was later adopted by pious laity who wished to have an open sign of their devotion.
[edit] Non-monastic reduced scapular

Some authors suggest that the tradition of wearing a reduced form of a non-monastic scapular started in the 11th century with Saint Peter Damian and the monastic scapular was gradually transformed from an item of clothing that was part of the habit of monks and nuns to a smaller sacramental item that expressed devotion by individuals, called oblates, who lived in the world, but wished to be affiliated with a monastery.[34] In the Middle Ages, it became common for Christian faithful to share in the spirituality of the new mendicant orders in an auxiliary sense, sometimes called Third Orders because they were founded after the initial orders of the friars and nuns. Although these people (called Tertiaries) were permitted to wear the "tertiary habit", because they had not taken religious vows they were not usually permitted to wear the full habit of the order. With time, it was considered a high honor and great privilege to be granted a small cloth attached by bands which would be worn over the torso in the same manner as the full monastic scapular. Confraternities came to be formed in which people would be granted the wearing of this item as a mark of their sharing in the good works of a particular order.[35] Among Franciscans, they were known as Cordbearers, due to their also wearing a small cord around the waist in imitation of the one worn by the friar. After the disruptions of religious life during the period of the French Revolution and the Napoleanic invasions of France and Italy, wearing of the tertiary habit became prohibited. Thus it eventually became common that a smaller form of an order's scapular would be bestowed upon the non-monastic. Rather than a full length of cloth, it consisted of two rectangles (several inches wide, and much larger than a modern devotional scapular) of wool joined by bands in some fashion. These are still worn today by the "Third Order" members of the Franciscans, Carmelites, and Dominicans. In order to gain the benefits of the order, the members must wear these scapulae constantly. However, in 1883 in his "Constitution On the Law of the Franciscan Third Order" called Misericors Dei Filius, Pope Leo XIII declared that wearing either these medium-sized scapulae of the "Third Order" or the miniature forms of the smaller devotional scapular entitled the wearer equally to gain the indulgences associated with the order.[36] Some religious orders still give a short version (sometimes called the "reduced scapular", but this usage is archaic) of their large scapular to non-monastics that are spiritually affiliated with them. Such short scapulars are designed to be unobtrusive and can be worn under regular clothing at home and at work.
[edit] Devotional scapular Main article: Rosary and scapular

Rosary and scapular

Devotional scapulars are sacramentals, primarily worn by Roman Catholics and some Lutherans, designed to show the wearer's pledge to a confraternity, a saint, or a way of life, as well as reminding the wearer of that promise. Some devotional scapulars bear images, or verses from scripture. Devotional scapulars typically consist of two rectangular pieces of cloth, wool or other fabric that are connected by bands. One rectangle hangs over the chest of the wearer, while the other rests on the back, with the bands running over the shoulders. Some scapulars have extra bands running under the arms and connecting the rectangles to prevent them from getting dislodged underneath the wearer's top layer of clothes. The roots of devotional scapulars can be traced to the gathering of laity into confraternities for spiritual direction, whereby the faithful would be assigned some badge or token of affiliation and devotion. The image or message on the scapular usually reflects the order's focus, tradition or favored devotion.[37] Devotional scapulars and the indulgences attached to them grew along with the growth of Catholic confraternities during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1611, the Servite order's confraternity and their Black Scapular of the Seven Dolours of Mary received indulgences from Pope Paul V.[38] By the early 20th century the devotional scapular had gained such a strong following among Catholics worldwide that the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914 stated: "Like the Rosary, the Brown Scapular has become the badge of the devout Catholic."[39] In the 1917 reported apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared "with a Rosary in one hand and a scapular in the other". Lucia Santos (one of the three Fatima children) stated that the Virgin Mary told her: "The Rosary and the Scapular are inseparable".[40][41][42] In the United States "Scapular Magazine" helped enroll one million Americans to pray the Rosary based on the Fatima messages. [43] The Rosary and the devotional scapular continue to be linked in the 21st century.[44] While a number of scapulars (e.g. the Holy Face Scapular, also known as The Veronica) are entirely Christocentric, the most widespread scapulars such as the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception relate to Marian devotions and consecrations.[45] The official teachings of the Catholic Church indicate that the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel is one of the most highly recommended Marian devotions. This has been the case

through the centuries, and more recently with popes such as Venerable Pius XII, Paul VI and Blessed John Paul II, who stated that he received his first Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel at age ten when his Marian devotion was taking shape and he continued to wear it into his papacy.[46]

Our Lady of Mount Carmel statue in Chile with a Brown Scapular, an example of the use of the scapular in Marian art

The Catholic Encyclopedia lists 18 small scapulars approved by the Church:[47]

1. The White Scapular of the Most Blessed Trinity (1193) 2. The White Scapular of Our Lady of Ransom (1218) 3. The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (1250) 4. The Black Scapular of the Seven Dolours of Mary (1255) 5. The Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception 6. The Red Scapular of the Most Precious Blood 7. The Black Scapular of the Passion (1720) 8. The Red Scapular of the Passion (1846) 9. The Black Scapular of Help of the Sick (1860) 10.The White Scapular of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (1877) 11.The Blue and Black Scapular of St. Michael the Archangel (1880) 12.The Scapular of St. Benedict (1882) 13.The Scapular of the Holy Face (1885) 14.The White Scapular of the Our Lady of Good Counsel (1893) 15.The White Scapular of St. Joseph (1898) 16.The White Scapular of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (1900) 17.The Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1901) 18.The White Scapular of St. Dominic (1903)

Of all the types recognized by the Church the best-known, and perhaps the most popular, is the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, sometimes referred to as the Brown Scapular from the color of its bands. The brown scapular is associated with the Sabbatine Privilege, which promises

that the Virgin Mary will deliver from Purgatory those who wear the scapular piously on the first Saturday after their death.[48] The wearing of a devotional scapular has been viewed as a constant meditation by Bishop Leo De Goesbriand:[49]: "Wherever I am, whatever I am doing, Mary never sees me without seeing upon my body an evidence of my devotion to her." From a spiritual viewpoint, Father Etienne Richer argues that devotional scapular is one of key Roman Catholic sacramentals that harmonize with Catholic Liturgy in the meditative process.[50]

[edit] Investment, blessing and rules

Though each scapular has its own particular qualifications and usage, the Church has set down certain rules that pertain to all types, be they monastic or devotional. A scapular associated with a confraternity must be invested by an ordained representative of that group. A scapular associated with a mystery or devotion may simply be blessed by a priest and given to the wearer. To receive the benefits or indulgences granted the scapular generally must be worn constantly. It may be placed aside for a time but, during that period, the wearer does not receive the scapular's benefits. Should the wearer take up the wearing of it again, the benefits are again conferred. A devotional scapular must be in good repair with both bands intact. Multiple scapulae may be worn on the same bands, but the bands must be the color of those prescribed by the scapular with the most preeminence, and that scapular must be foremost with the others behind in order of precedence. If a scapular becomes damaged to the point where it cannot be in good repair, it must be replaced. However, it is not necessary for the wearer to be reinvested as it is the devotion of the wearer, not the object itself, that confers the benefit of the scapular.

Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

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Our Lady of Mount Carmel statue in Chile with a Brown Scapular Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, and the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (also known as the Brown Scapular), is the habit of that Order.[1] In its small form, it is widely popular within the Catholic Church as a sacramental and has probably served as the prototype of all the other devotional scapulars. The liturgical feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16, is popularly associated with devotion to the Scapular. According to the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship, the Brown Scapular 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."[2]

Contents
[hide]

1 Origin and History of the Devotion 2 Historical difficulties 3 Promises of the Scapular 4 Beliefs associated with the Scapular 5 Appearance 6 Enrollment in the Brown Scapular 7 Third Order and Confraternity 8 Teaching of the Catholic Church about the Brown Scapular

9 Notes and references 10 See also 11 External links

[edit] Origin and History of the Devotion

In its origin as a practical garment, a scapular was a type of work apron, frequently used by monks, consisting of large pieces of cloth front and back joined over the shoulders with strips of cloth. It forms part of the habit of some religious orders including the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, the Carmelites. The first Carmelite hermits who lived on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land in the 12th century are thought to have worn a belted tunic and striped mantle typical of pilgrims; when the Carmelites moved to Europe in the mid 13th century and became a mendicant order of friars they adopted a new habit that included a brown belted tunic, brown scapular, a hood called a capuche, and white mantle.[3] According to traditional accounts, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared at Cambridge to St. Simon Stock, who was Prior General of the Carmelite Order in the middle of the 13th century.[4] The earliest reference to this tradition, dating from the late 14th century, states that "St. Simon was an Englishman, a man of great holiness and devotion, who always in his prayers asked the Virgin to favor his Order with some singular privilege. The Virgin appeared to him holding the Scapular in her hand saying, 'This is for you and yours a privilege; the one who dies in it will be saved.'"[5] In the Middle Ages, a habit was a very essential part of the identity of members of religious orders. To remove one's habit was tantamount to leaving the Order.[3] The Carmelite Constitution of 1369 stipulates automatic excommunication for Carmelites who say Mass without a scapular, while the Constitutions of 1324 and 1294 consider it a serious fault to sleep without the scapular.[6] According to Hugh Clarke, O.Carm, "The origins of the Scapular devotion are to be found in the desires of lay people during the Middle ages to be closely associated with the Carmelite Order and its spirituality."[7] It was customary for laypeople who belonged to confraternities, sodalities, or third orders affiliated with the religious orders to wear some sign of membership, frequently some part derived from the religious habit such as a cord, cloak or scapular.[8] During part of their history, the lay affiliates of the Carmelites wore the white mantle which the friars wore, or even the full habit.[3] The small brown scapular and Mary's promise of salvation for the wearer, began to be promoted to the laity in the form we are familiar with today by Giovanni Battista Rossi, prior general of the Carmelites from 1564-1578.[9] The Carmelite scapular is said to have been very widespread in European countries at the end of the 16th century.[10] In 1600, the Carmelite Egidio Leoindelicato da Sciacca published a book called "Giardino Carmelitano" which includes the formulas of blessing for the Fratelli and Sorelle della Compagnia della Madonna del Carmine (laypeople who received the complete habit of the order) and the formula for the blessing of the scapular for the Devoti della Compagnia Carmelitana. This is the earliest apparent form of blessing for the small scapular. It is also noteworthy that the formula for the sisters contains no reference to the scapular, while in that for the brothers there is a special blessing for the scapular.[11]

[edit] Historical difficulties

With modern scholarship shedding light on the first centuries of the Carmelite Order, very great difficulty has arisen for the historicity of Our Lady's scapular vision to St. Simon Stock. The first mention of the vision appears in the late 14th century, almost 150 years after the date in 1251 when it is sometimes stated to have occurred,[12] and is not noted in the earliest accounts of St. Simon Stock's life and miracles. The history of the Carmelite habit and legislation and discussion relating to it within the Order during that time span, do not mention nor seem to imply a tradition about the Blessed Virgin giving the Scapular to the Carmelites, nor do the notable Carmelite writers of the 14th century, such as John Baconthorpe, mention the scapular. History even records an instance in 1375 when an English Carmelite named Nicholas Hornby engaged in a public debate with a Dominican friar in which Hornby ridiculed Dominican claims to have received their habit from the Blessed Virginthis was a claim common to several different orders in the Middle Ages. Hornby showed no sign of being aware of any similar claim that had been made by a fellow English Carmelite in the preceding century.[3][13] Amidst confusing evidence, it has been suggested[4] that some other Carmelite than Saint Simon Stock had a mystical vision, the story of which was later associated with him. A Dominican history compiled by Gerard of Frachet in 1259-1260 tells of the 1237 drowning death of a holy Dominican, Blessed Jordan of Saxony, off the coast of Acre, Israel (near Mount Carmel), and mentions "a certain brother of the Order of Carmel" who was tempted to abandon his vocation because God had permitted this to happen to so holy a man; Bl. Jordan was said to have appeared then to the brother in a vision, reassuring him that "all who serve the Lord Jesus Christ to the end will be saved." Gerard concludes: "the brother himself, and the prior of the same Order, brother Simon, a religious and truthful man, have related these things to our friars." This story which bears a notable similarity to the traditional story of the scapular vision and promise of salvation, with obvious differences, is one of very few known references to Saint Simon Stock written during his lifetime.[9] It has also been pointed out that in the Middle Ages, careful history of the kind we expect today was an exception to the rule, and it was very common to clothe spiritual and theological beliefs in the form of a story.[13] Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD, writes that "from a scholar's historical point of view, we must admit that there is a lack of documentary evidence that would demonstrate irrefutably the truth or historicity of the apparition. At the same time, there exists no cogent reason for denouncing the apparition as false and definitively denying its truth."[14] The Carmelite Order (O.Carm) states on their website that even if the apparition is not historical, "the scapular itself has remained for all Carmelites a sign of Mary's motherly protection and as a personal commitment to follow Jesus in the footsteps of his Mother, the perfect model of all his disciples."[15]

[edit] Promises of the Scapular

The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or "Brown Scapular". The earliest form of the Scapular promise states simply that wearers of the brown scapular, the Carmelite habit, will be saved. In the first place this meant Carmelite religious who remained faithful to their vocation. Later the small Brown Scapular became popular with the laity as a sacramental. The nature of the spiritual help associated with the Brown Scapular came to be described in greater detail and specificity. A traditional formulation of the Scapular Promise is "Take this Scapular. Whosoever dies wearing it shall not suffer eternal fire. It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger and pledge of peace."[16] At times the scapular has been preached as an easy way to heaven, which has led to criticism of the devotion.[17] Devotees of the Brown Scapular have sometimes been accused of straying into superstition.[18] The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that sacramentals such as the Brown Scapular "do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church's prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it."[19] Believers in the traditional scapular promise sometimes argue that Mary's intercession either grants conversion, final perseverance, and/or last rites to the wearer, to secure the assurances of the Scapular Promise. Possibly another argument is that the scapular is despised by faithless and godless souls, rejecting the Virgin's promise, and so they come nowhere near to wearing it. Another argument is that in cases of stubborn unrepentant sinners the scapular will somehow, miraculously or not, be taken off the wearer, this was suggested by Saint Claude de la Colombire.
[20]

The 1912 Catholic Encyclopedia states that a list of indulgences, privileges, and indults of the Scapular Confraternity of Mount Carmel was approved on July 4, 1908, by the Congregation of Indulgences.[11]

[edit] Beliefs associated with the Scapular

In this statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the Infant Jesus at Saint Leonard of Port Maurice Church, one of the souls in purgatory begging for Mary's intercession appears to be wearing a Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. A central belief about the Brown Scapular is its signification of the wearer's consecration to Mary. In 1951, Venerable Pope Pius XII wrote in an Apostolic letter to the Carmelites on the 700th anniversary of the vision of St. Simon Stock, that he hoped the Scapular would "be to them a sign of their consecration to the most sacred heart of the Immaculate Virgin."[21] One of the beliefs most influential in popularizing the brown scapular devotion was a promise known as the Sabbatine privilege. It was associated with an apocryphal Papal Bull allegedly written in 1322 by Pope John XXII. It states that Pope John XXII had a vision of Our Lady granting that through her special intercession, Mary will come down to personally deliver the souls of Carmelites and Confraternity members out of Purgatory on the first Saturday after their death ("Sabbatine" means Saturday), as long as they fulfill certain conditions including wearing the brown scapular.[22] The Vatican has denied the validity of this document since 1613, but didn't forbade the Carmelites "to preach that the Christian people may piously believe in the help which the souls of brothers and members, who have departed this life in charity, have worn in life the scapular, have ever observed chastity, have recited the Little Hours [of the Blessed Virgin], or, if they cannot read, have observed the fast days of the Church, and have abstained from flesh meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays (except when Christmas falls on such days), may derive after death especially on Saturdays, the day consecrated by the Church to the Blessed Virgin through the unceasing intercession of Mary, her pious petitions, her merits, and her special protection."[11] These elements are reflected in older versions of the requirements of enrollment in the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular.[23] Today, the Carmelite Orders, while encouraging a belief in Mary's aid and prayerful assistance for their souls beyond death and commending devotion to Mary especially on Saturdays which are

dedicated to her, explicitly state in their official catechetical materials that they do not promulgate the Sabbatine privilege, and are at one with official Church teaching on the matter.[24] But the Church didn't condemn anyone who believe in the Sabatine privilege, which belongs in the field of private revelations.

[edit] Appearance
The scapular must consist of two pieces of brown cloth with one segment hanging on the wearer's chest, and the other hanging on his/her back. These pieces are joined by two straps or strings which overlap each shoulderhence the word "scapular" (shoulder blade). Images sewn onto the Brown Scapular are unnecessary. In the past the scapular was required to be 100% wool but this is no longer required; the habits of the Carmelite religious are also now typically made of other, less expensive and more durable materials.[13] It is normally worn under the clothes but not pinned to undergarments. Because wool deteriorates rapidly in tropical climates, since 1910 those properly invested into a confraternity may wear a properly blessed scapular medal with the depiction of Jesus with his Sacred Heart on one side and Mary on the obverse.[25] However, Pope Saint Pius X expressed his preference for the cloth scapular. Pope Benedict XV has also proclaimed the Church's strong preference for cloth to be worn rather than the medal. This preference is because cloth is important to the sign value of the scapular as a garment, a habit.[13]

[edit] Enrollment in the Brown Scapular

Any Catholic priest may invest a baptised Catholic with the Brown Scapular. Lay people may not bless a Scapular. There is a form of the blessing and investiture in the Book of Blessings which will normally be found in any Catholic parish.[6] The most recent Rite for the Blessing of and Enrollment in the Scapular, approved in 1996 by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, is available in booklet form, the "Catechesis and Ritual for the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel", published in 2000 and distributed by ICS Publications.[26] The rite can also be found on the website of the Carmelite Order. The short form of the investiture is as follows: Receive this Scapular, a sign of your special relationship with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, whom you pledge to imitate. May it be a reminder to you of your dignity as a Christian, in serving others and imitating Mary. Wear it as a sign of her protection and of belonging to the Family of Carmel, voluntarily doing the will of God and devoting yourself to building a world true to his plan of community, justice and peace.[8][24][27] According to a 1996 doctrinal statement approved by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, "Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is bound to the history and spiritual values of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and is expressed through the scapular. Thus, whoever receives the

scapular becomes a member of the order and pledges him/herself to live according to its spirituality in accordance with the characteristics of his/her state in life."[28]

[edit] Third Order and Confraternity

Like the other mendicant orders such as the Franciscans, the Carmelites formed a "Third Order" for lay people (the "First Order" being the friars, the "Second Order" the nuns), either married or single, who wished to participate deeply in the spirituality and charism of the order, but remain in their secular state of life. Those belonging to the Ancient Observance (O.Carm) branch of the Carmelites are today known as Lay Carmelites, those belonging to the Discalced (OCD) branch of the Carmelites are known as Secular Carmelites, members of both branches belong to communities which meet together regularly for prayer and spiritual formation. The small Brown Scapular is the habit of these Carmelite laity, with a larger ceremonial Scapular normally worn outside the clothes at community meetings and official functions. There is also a Confraternity of the Brown Scapular. According to the 1996 version of the rite of enrollment, "The scapular confraternity of Carmel is an association of the faithful who strive for the perfection of charity in the world in the spirit of the Carmelite Order, participate in the life of the Order and its spiritual benefits in an intimate communion of thought, ideals, and works together with Mary."[29] In Europe in the past there was often a local Confraternity group which met for fellowship and spiritual formation. Today, at least in North America, those enrolled by a priest into the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular typically have no visible group to belong to, nor is any record kept anymore of people thus enrolled.[13] Some Carmelites such as Fr. Redemptus Valabek, O.Carm, have lamented that there is no longer a central registry of names of people enrolled in the Confraternity, and called for a return to the practice and renewed awareness of the scapular's connection to the Carmelite community and its spirituality.[30][31] The current rite of enrolment in the Brown Scapular also permits for persons to be enroled in the scapular without joining a Confraternity or other group.[32]

[edit] Teaching of the Catholic Church about the Brown Scapular

Carmelite scholar Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD summarizes the Catholic Church's official position about the Brown Scapular thus: With regard to the scapular as a conventional and sacred sign, the Church has intervened at various times in history to clarify its meaning, defend it, and confirm the privileges. From these Church documents there emerges with sufficient clarity the nature and meaning of the Carmelite scapular. 1. The scapular is a Marian habit or garment.[33] It is both a sign and pledge. A sign of belonging to Mary; a pledge of her motherly protection, not only in this life but after death.

2. As a sign, it is a conventional sign signifying three elements strictly joined: first, belonging to a religious family particularly devoted to Mary, especially dear to Mary, the Carmelite Order; second, consecration to Mary, devotion to and trust in her Immaculate Heart;[34] third an incitement to become like Mary by imitating her virtues, above all her humility, chastity, and spirit of prayer. This is the Church's officially established connection between the sign and that which is signified by the sign. No mention is made of the vision of St. Simon Stock or of that of Pope John XXII in relation to the Sabbatine privilege, which promises that one will be released from Purgatory on the first Saturday after death.[14] The rosary (from Latin rosarium, meaning "rose garden")[1] or "garland of roses"[2] is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary. The prayers consist of repeated sequences of the Lord's Prayer followed by ten prayings of the Hail Mary and a single praying of "Glory Be to the Father" and is sometimes accompanied by the Fatima Prayer; each of these sequences is known as a decade. The praying of each decade is accompanied by meditation on one of the Mysteries of the Rosary, which recall the life of Jesus Christ. The traditional 15 Mysteries of the Rosary were standardized, based on the long-standing custom, by Pope St. Pius V in the 16th century. The mysteries are grouped into three sets: the joyful mysteries, the sorrowful mysteries, and the glorious mysteries. In 2002, Pope John Paul II announced five new optional mysteries, the luminous mysteries, bringing the total number of mysteries to 20.

Theological significance

Our Lady of Lourdes appearing at Lourdes with Rosary beads.

The rosary is part of the Catholic veneration of Mary, which has been promoted by numerous popes, especially Leo XIII, known as "The Rosary Pope", who issued twelve encyclicals and five apostolic letters on the rosary and added the invocation Queen of the most Holy Rosary to the Litany of Loreto. Pope Pius V introduced the rosary into the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar as the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, celebrated on October 7. Most recently, on May 3, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI stated that the Rosary is experiencing a new springtime: "It is one of the most eloquent signs of love that the young generation nourish for Jesus and his Mother."[4] To Benedict XVI, the rosary is a meditation on all important moments of salvation history.[4] Before him, Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae[5] built on the "total Marian devotion" pioneered by Saint Louis de Montfort. Pope Pius XII and his successors actively promoted the veneration of the Virgin in Lourdes and Fatima, which is credited with a new resurgence of the rosary within the Catholic Church.[6] The theologian Romano Guardini defined the Roman Catholic emphasis on the rosary as "participation in the life of Mary, whose focus was Christ".[7] His statement echoed the view that in Roman Catholic Mariology the path to Christ is through Mary, with Mariology being inherent in Christology; a sentiment also expressed by saints such as Louis de Montfort who was a strong rosary advocate.[8][9] Pope Leo XIII also viewed the rosary as a vital means to participate in the life of Mary and to find the way to Christ (see the section on Rosary Pope below).[10] Many similar prayer practices exist in other Christian communities, each with its own set of prescribed prayers and its own form of prayer beads, such as the prayer rope in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. These other devotions and their associated beads are usually referred to as "chaplets". The rosary is sometimes used by other Christians, especially in Lutheranism, the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Church. Other Protestants, however, such as Baptists and Presbyterians, do not use it and actively discourage their members from using this method of prayer.
[edit] Devotions and spirituality Main article: Rosary devotions and spirituality

The Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary and the Virgin of the Rosary

Devotion to the rosary is one of the most notable features of popular Catholic spirituality.[11] Pope John Paul II placed the rosary at the very center of Christian spirituality and called it "among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation."[12][13] Saints and popes have emphasized the meditative and contemplative elements of the rosary and provided specific teachings for how the rosary should be prayed, for instance the need for "focus, respect, reverence and purity of intention" during rosary recitations and contemplations.[14] From the sixteenth century onwards, rosary recitations often involved "picture texts" that assisted meditation. Such imagery continues to be used to depict the mysteries of the rosary. Saints have stressed the importance of meditation and contemplation. Scriptural meditations on the rosary build on the Christian tradition of Lectio Divina, (literally divine reading) as a way of using the Gospel to start a conversation between the soul and Christ. Padre Pio, who was devoted to the rosary, said: "Through the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds him."[15] References to the rosary have been part of a number of reported Marian Apparitions spanning two centuries. The reported messages from these apparitions have influenced the spread of rosary devotions worldwide.[16][17] In Quamquam Pluries Pope Leo XIII related rosary devotions to Saint Joseph and granted indulgences for adding a prayer to St. Joseph to the Rosary during the month of October.[18]

[edit] History

Main article: History of the rosary

There are differing views on the history of the rosary. According to tradition, the rosary was given to Saint Dominic in an apparition by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year 1214 in the church of Prouille. This Marian apparition received the title of Our Lady of the Rosary.[19] In the 15th century it was promoted by Blessed Alanus de Rupe (aka Alain de la Roche or Saint Alan of the Rock), a learned Dominican priest and theologian, who established the "15 rosary promises" and started many rosary confraternities. However, most scholarly research suggests a more gradual and organic development of the rosary.[20] The practice of meditation during the praying of the Hail Marys is attributed to Dominic of Prussia (13821460), a Carthusian monk, who called it "Life of Jesus Rosary" [6] The German monk from Trier added a sentence to each of the 50 Hail Marys, using quotes from scriptures.[6][21] In 1569, the papal bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices by the Dominican Pope Pius V officially established the devotion to the rosary in the Catholic Church.[22][23] From the 16th to the early 20th century, the structure of the rosary remained essentially unchanged. [20] There were 15 mysteries, one for each of the 15 decades. In the 20th century the addition of the Fatima Prayer to the end of each decade became more common. There were no other changes until 2002 when John Paul II instituted five optional new Luminous Mysteries.

Rosary beads
Main article: Rosary based prayers This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2010)

A 16th century rosary found on board the carrack Mary Rose The rosary provides a physical method of keeping count of the number of Hail Marys said. The fingers are moved along the beads as the prayers are recited. By not having to keep track of the count mentally, the mind is more able to meditate on the mysteries. A five decade rosary contains five groups of ten beads (a decade), with additional large beads before each decade.[34] The Hail Mary is said on the ten beads within a decade, while the Our Father is said on the large bead before each decade. A new mystery is meditated upon at each of the large beads. Some rosaries, particularly those used by religious orders, contain 15 decades, corresponding to the traditional 15

mysteries of the rosary. Both five and 15 decade rosaries are attached to a shorter strand, which starts with a crucifix followed by one large, three small, and one large beads before connecting to the rest of the rosary.

A Saint Michael Rosary The praying of the rosary is started on the short strand, reciting the Apostle's Creed at the crucifix, an Our Father at the first large bead, three Hail Marys on the next three beads (for faith, hope and charity), then a Glory be to the Father on the next large bead. The praying of the decades then follows. Although counting the prayers on a string of beads is customary, the prayers of the rosary do not actually require a set of beads, but can be said using any type of counting device, by counting on one's fingers, or by counting by oneself without any device at all. Since the beginning of the 21st century, some people have begun to pray the rosary on their iPods or by watching rosary meditations on YouTube or other websites.

A sterling silver rosary. The beads can be made from a wide variety of materials including wood, bone, glass, crushed flowers, semi-precious stones such as agate, jet, amber, or jasper, or precious materials including coral, crystal, silver, and gold. Rosaries are sometimes made from the seeds of the "rosary pea" or "bead tree". Today, the vast majority of rosary beads are made of glass, plastic, or wood. Early rosaries were strung on strong thread, often silk, but modern ones are more often made as a series of chain-linked beads. Our Lady's Rosary Makers produce some 7 million rosaries annually that are distributed to those in economic and spiritual need.[35] It is especially common for beads to be made of material with some special significance, such as jet from the shrine of St. James at Santiago de Compostela, or olive seeds from the Garden of

Gethsemane. Beads are sometimes made to enclose sacred relics, or drops of holy water. A set of blessed rosary beads is a sacramental. In addition to a string of beads the rosary comes in other forms for ease of use. A ring rosary is a finger ring with eleven knobs on it, ten round ones and one crucifix. A rosary bracelet is one with ten beads and often a cross or medal as well. The most modern form is the rosary card. A rosary card is either one with a "handle" that moves like a slide rule to count the decade, or it has a whole rosary with bumps similar to Braille. Rosary beads are at times used to say Roman Catholic rosary based prayers which do not primarily involve the Hail Mary and the mysteries of the rosary. Examples include the Chaplet of Divine Mercy introduced by Saint Faustina Kowalska and the Rosary of the Holy Wounds introduced by the Venerable Sister Mary Martha Chambon.[36] These prayers often use rosary beads, but their words and format do not correspond to the usual mysteries. Both Saint Faustina Kowalska and the Venerable Sister Mary Martha Chambon attributed these prayers to Jesus as part of their visions of Jesus Christ.[37]

[edit] Rosary and Scapular

Main article: Rosary and scapular

Rosary and Scapular "The Rosary and the Scapular are inseparable" were words attributed to the Virgin Mary by Lucia Santos, one of the three children who reported the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Ftima in 1917 and later the Pontevedra apparitions in 1925, Ftima, Portugal and Pontevedra in Galicia, Spain.[38] In these apparitions, the Virgin Mary reportedly called herself The Lady of the Rosary and in one of the final Ftima appearances on October 13, 1917 had a Brown Scapular in one hand and a Rosary in the other. The Lady of the Rosary, reportedly encouraged the praying of the Rosary and the wearing of the Brown scapular.[39][40] Throughout history, the Rosary and the Scapular as Roman Catholic Sacramentals for devotions and prayers have been supported, encouraged and linked by a number of Catholic figures such as popes, saints and cardinals and specific promises and indulgences have been associated with them.
[41][42][43]

Following their joint growth in the 18th and 19th centuries, by the early 20th century the Rosary and the devotional Scapular had gained such a strong following among Catholics worldwide that the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914 stated: "Like the Rosary, the Brown Scapular has become the badge of the devout Catholic."[44] In the mid 20th century, the United States "Scapular Magazine" helped enroll one million Americans to pray the Rosary based on the Our Lady of Fatima messages.[45] The Rosary and the devotional scapular continue to be linked in the 21st century.[46]

[edit] Rosary Pope

One of the forces that drove the spread of the rosary during the 19th century among Roman Catholics was the influence of the Rosary Pope, a title given to Pope Leo XIII (18781903) because he issued a record twelve encyclicals and five Apostolic Letters on the rosary, instituted the Catholic custom of daily rosary prayer during the month of October, and in 1883 added the invocation Queen of the most Holy Rosary to the Litany of Loreto.[47] Leo XIII, the Rosary Pope, explained the importance of the rosary as the one road to God, from the father to the Son, to his Mother, and from her to the human race. He emphasized that no human creature can change this and therefore there exists only one road for the faithful, to the mother and from her to Christ and through Christ to the father. The rosary is a vital means to participate in the life of Mary and to find the way to Christ.[10] This emphasis on the path through Mary to Christ (which was also a basis for some of Louis de Montfort's writings) has since been a key direction in Roman Catholic Mariology, with Mariology being viewed as inherent in Christology, and the rosary paving that path.[48][49] Rosary as a family prayer was supported by Pope Pius XII in his encyclical Ingruentium Malorum: "The custom of the family praying of the Holy Rosary is a most efficacious means.[50]

[edit] Power and promises

A series of articles on

Roman Catholic Mariology

General articles Overview of Mariology Veneration of the Blessed Virgin History of Mariology Expressions of devotion Art Hymns Music Architecture

Specific articles Apparitions Saints Popes Societies Hearts of Jesus & Mary Consecration to Mary

The rosary has been featured in the writings of Roman Catholic figures from saints to popes and continues to be mentioned in reported Marian apparitions, with a number of promises attributed to the power of the rosary. As early as the 15th century, through Saint Dominic and Blessed Alan de Rupe the Blessed Virgin Mary made 15 specific promises to Christians who pray the rosary.[51] The Fifteen rosary promises range from protection from misfortune to meriting a high degree of glory in heaven.[52] In support of this statement Cardinal Patrick Joseph Hayes of New York provided his imprimatur to this effect.[53] In the 18th century, the French priest Louis de Montfort elaborated on the importance of the Rosary and its power in his widely read book the Secret of the Rosary.[54] He emphasized the power of the Rosary and provided specific instructions on how it should be prayed, e.g. with attention, devotion and modesty (reverence), with reflective pauses [55] between the beads and smaller pauses between phrases of the prayers.[56] If one is a member of the Confraternity of the Rosary, a spiritual association of the Catholic Church entrusted to the Dominican Order whose members promise to pray 15 decades of the rosary each week, one may receive a number of plenary indulgences throughout the year in addition to participating in the prayers, Masses and apostolic works of the Dominican Order.

[edit] Penance or reparation

Praying the rosary may be prescribed by priests as a form of penance after confession. Penance in this form is not generally intended as a "punishment"; rather, it is meant to encourage reflection upon and spiritual growth from past sins.[57] Some forms of the Roman Catholic rosary are aimed at reparation for the sins of others. An example is the Rosary of the Holy Wounds first introduced at the beginning of the 20th century by the Venerable Sister Mary Martha Chambon, a Roman Catholic nun of the Monastery of the Visitation Order in Chambry, France.[36] This rosary is somewhat similar in structure to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, is said on the usual rosary beads and is intended as an Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ for the sins of the world.[58]

[edit] Wearing the Rosary

One Catholic catechism instructs the faithful to wear the rosary as "it will help them to love Jesus more" and serve as a "protection from Satan."[59] Many households who cannot afford Christian artwork or a crucifix often hang up a rosary in their place.[60] George Washington Browlow, a painter, often delineated people wearing the rosary in his artwork.[60]

Many religious orders wear the rosary as part of their habit. A rosary hanging from the belt often forms part of the Carthusian habit.[61] A person may be wearing a rosary as a statement of faith, to keep it handy for praying throughout the day, or to avoid losing it.[62] Nevertheless, Canon 1171 asks individuals to treat all sacramentals reverently.[63]

[edit] Single-decade rosaries

Irish penal rosary

A Single-decade ring rosary

An alternative design. England and Ireland were severed from Rome under Henry VIII by 1540. In Ireland, where separate allegiance to Rome still existed, severe legal penalties were prescribed against practicing Roman Catholics. Small, easily hidden rosaries were used to avoid identification. Sometimes rather than a cross, other symbols of specific meanings were used:

Hammer: nails of the cross; Nails: crucifixion; Spear: wound; Halo: crown of thorns; Cords: scourging; Chalice: Last Supper; Rooster: crowing/resurrection.

These rosaries, especially the smaller ring-type, have since become known as soldiers' rosaries, because they were often taken into battle by soldiers, most notably during World War I. These

single-decade rosary variations can be worn as a ring or carried easily. A rosary ring is a ring worn around the finger with 10 indentations and a cross on the surface, representing one decade of a rosary. This is often worn as jewelry (such as Basque ring rosary) and used through the day. Some ring rosaries use a small bearing on the inside of the ring to permit easy turning. A finger rosary is similar to a ring, but is a bit larger. Rosaries like these are used by either rotating or just holding them between a finger and thumb while praying. A hand rosary is a decade in a complete loop, with one bead separated from ten other beads, this is meant to be carried while walking or running, so as not to entangle the larger type. Credit card-sized Rosaries have also appeared, especially among members of militaries, where holes or bumps represent the prayers and the persons praying move their fingers along the bumps to count prayers. Single-decade rosaries are also called chaplets.

[edit] Manufacturing and distribution

Rosaries are in rare cases made of expensive materials from gold and silver to mother of pearl and Swarovski black diamond designs. Yet most rosaries used in the world today for praying are made of simple plastic or wooden beads connected by cords or strings. Roman Catholic missionaries in Africa have reported that rosaries made of tree bark have been used there for praying for the lack of conventional rosaries. It is widely reported that the demand for rosaries in third world countries far outweighs the supply. Plastic beads are inexpensive to make, but not easy to assemble. Hence the major cost component for making simple rosaries is the assembly effort. A large number of inexpensive rosary beads are manufactured in Asia, especially in China and Taiwan, although Italy has a strong manufacturing presence in moderate cost and high end rosaries. Assembled rosaries are often purchased as retail religious items. Yet literally hundreds of millions of rosaries have been made and distributed free of charge by Roman Catholic volunteers worldwide. A number of rosary making clubs exist around the world for the purpose of making and distributing rosaries to missions, hospitals, prisons, etc. free of charge. The largest such nonprofit organization in the United States is Our Lady's Rosary Makers whose 17,000 members annually distribute roughly 7 million free rosaries. Many other volunteer-based clubs and groups exist worldwide and distribute tens of millions of free rosaries every year.

Nuns

Polish nun wearing a white cornette and habit in 1939

The religious habit of Roman Catholic nuns typically consists of the following elements:
White coif: This is the garment's headpiece and includes the white cotton cap secured by a bandeau and a white wimple or guimpe of starched linen, cotton, or (today) polyester to cover the cheeks and neck. It is sometimes covered by a thin layer of black crape. The cornette was another type of coif. Black veil: This element is worn pinned over the coif head coverings and could be worn down to cover the face or up to expose it. The headpiece sometimes includes a white underveil as well. Holy habit: This is the central piece of the garment, also commonly referred to as a tunic. It is a loose dress made of black serge fabric pleated at the neck and draping to the ground. It can be worn pinned up in the front or in the back to allow the nun to work. Woolen belt: The habit is often secured around the waist with a belt made of woven black wool. Rosary: The nun's rosary of wooden beads and metal links hangs from the belt by small hooks. Sleeves: The habit contains two sets of sleeves, the larger of which can be worn folded up for work or folded down for ceremonial occasions or whenever entering a chapel. Cross: A cross of silver traditionally hangs from a black cord around the nun's neck. Ring: Nuns who have taken final or "perpetual" vows indicate this status by wearing a simple silver ring on the left hand. Underskirts: The complete vestment includes two underskirts, a top skirt of black serge trimmed with cord and a bottom skirt of black cotton.

Scapular: This symbolic apron hangs from both front and back; all orders wear it over the habit, and Benedictine nuns also wear it over the belt, whereas other orders wear it tied under the belt. Shoes: Simple functional black shoes are the usual footwear. Card: This stiff black covering is worn over the coif when the nun leaves the convent to prevent the coif from becoming wet or soiled. Suitcase: Nuns often travel with a small black hand-held bag containing personal items and toiletries. Apron: A variety of styles of aprons can be worn over the habit to protect it during work activities.

Different orders adhered to different styles of dress; these styles have changed over time. In the 12th century the German abbess Hildegard von Bingen, for example, advocated a style for her nuns that included extravagant and lavish white silk habits worn with golden head pieces designed to present the nun to Christ in her most beautiful form.