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A History of the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception
This painting, the work of Marian Fr. John Niezabitowski (1744-1804), represents one of the main goals of the Marians: assisting suffering souls in Purgatory. It is displayed in the Marian monastery in Skorzec, Poland.
What is a scapular?
The scapular (the word comes from the Latin scapula — meaning an arm, shoulders, and back) is a garment consisting of two wide, rectangular pieces of material, without sleeves, slipped over the head onto the habit of a religious. It is a part of the religious dress of some orders like the Benedictines or the Dominicans. Sometimes a hood, in the East known as the analobo, is attached to the scapular. This type of dress was introduced in the 5th century by St. Benedict as a scapolare propter opera — that is, an apron worn to protect the habit during physical work.
Over time this scapolare underwent some changes. It gradually became longer, and the material from which it was made changed as well. It was no longer a protective garment but a symbol, a sign of dedication to God. Spiritual writers spoke of it as iugum Christi — the yoke of Christ. In the 12th century, the Rules of the Servites, Benedictines in certain abbeys, and Carmelites required that the monks wear their scapulars while they slept as a source of spiritual protection through the night.
In the Middle Ages, when many lay people wished to participate in some way in the spiritual life of the religious orders, various religious associations like "Third Orders," "Confraternities," and "Oblates" were established. The sign of acceptance into the spiritual community was the vesting of the scapular to identify its members as belonging to each distinctive, religious order.
Types of Scapulars
Various types of scapulars exist depending on what religious order they are associated with. The origin of most of them is connected with an apparition of the Blessed Mother ordering a particular monk to promote a particular type of scapular. A few can be mentioned here: the "blue" scapular of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the oldest scapular, the "white" scapular of the Trinitarians of the Holy Trinity, dates back to the year 1200; the "brown" Carmelite scapular originated in 1251; and the "black" scapular of the Servites of the Blessed Mother of Sorrows in 1255.
St. Beatrice da Silva Meneses
(1426–1492)
The majority of the scapulars have a particular affinity with the Mother of God, not only because they were connected with a particular Marian apparition, which then began the tradition of a particular scapular, but also because of the devotion associated with the practice of wearing a scapular and the indulgences attached to it. The most revered, known, and popular among the Marian scapulars is the Carmelite one. Its origin is shrouded in legend. According to spoken tradition and the Chronicles of the Carmelite Order, the Virgin Mary personally gave this scapular to the venerable and especially devout Superior General of the Carmelites, Saint Simon Stock, in 1251. The Blessed Mother is believed to have promised that whoever wore the Carmelite scapular would not suffer the fires of hell.
At first, people wore the scapular over their clothing or armor, and with particular pride on solemn occasions. But over time the visible, showy piety became more discreet, and people began to wear the scapular under their clothing. Consequently, it had to become somewhat smaller in size, but its basic design remained the same: two pieces of cloth joined by ribbons, which were vested over the head. Sometimes the material was decorated with an embroidered or painted picture. The scapular was now hidden from the eyes of others so when it became exposed or revealed — like in the famous painting by Matejko showing the prostrate figure of Reytan with the scapular visible on his bare chest — it became a powerful witness to people.
The scapular was always vested by persons authorized to do so and always according to strictly defined ceremonies ending with a special blessing. The acceptance of the scapular meant, in each case, the assumption of specific responsibilities which, in their essence, referred to the rule of life of a particular religious community.
The Church has always looked favorably upon scapulars, endowing them with indulgences, defining their prerogatives, establishing conditions of investiture, and even designating their shape, size, and the method of wearing them. On December 6, 1910, by the decree of the Congregation of the Holy Office, Pope Pius X permitted the substitution of each scapular with a medal bearing the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The regulations regarding its investiture in this new form, and the indulgences and blessings connected with it, remained unchanged.
The idea of allowing lay people to participate in the spiritual life of religious orders has at all times been something positive and precious in the eyes of the Church. By receiving a scapular, lay people inherited a "miniature habit," expressed in the gesture of receiving a "new vestment" — even if this vestment was only symbolic (the scapular was also called "a miniature habit").
The Blue Scapular
The Blue Scapular originated in Spain and is connected with the person of St. Beatrice da Silva Meneses (1426-1492). At first, a lady-in-waiting at the court of the Catholic Queen Isabella I of Castile, Spain, she subsequently became a Cistercian nun. In 1484, she founded the Order of Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary (Conceptionists) in Toledo, Spain. The new order was approved by Pope Julius II in 1511.
One of the requirements of the Rule of Life for this order was to wear the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception beneath the Order's white habit. The growing popularity of this form of devotion to Mary among the faithful encouraged the Conceptionist Sisters to approach the Holy See with the request for special indulgences and privileges for all those who piously wore their scapular.
A century later the practice of wearing the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception began to spread in Italy. There the Venerable Servant of God, Ursula Benincasa (1547-1618), founded the Congregation of the Oblates of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year 1583. The rule of this order was approved by Pope Gregory XV on April 7, 1623.
In 1617, in Naples, Italy, on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, after receiving Holy Communion, Sister Ursula had a vision of the Blessed Mother clothed in a white garment over which she wore another garment of azure blue. In her arms, Mary held the Infant Jesus. She was surrounded by many people, all attired in a similar manner.
The Blessed Mother addressed Sister Ursula with these words: "Cease weeping, Ursula, and change your sighs into heartfelt joy. Listen attentively to what Jesus, whom I am holding in my lap, will say to you."
Then Jesus revealed to Sister Ursula that she would found a convent where 33 nuns would live a life of solitude and seclusion and be dressed in the same attire as the Blessed Virgin Mary of her vision. The Savior promised many special graces and spiritual gifts to those who would zealously follow this way of life.
Sister Ursula besought the Lord to extend these favors also to those who, living in the world, would have a special devotion to the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, observe chastity according to their state of life, and wear a small blue scapular. As a sign that her prayer had been heard, Jesus showed Sister Ursula during this ecstatic vision a multitude of angels distributing the scapulars over the entire earth. This scene is captured artistically in a fresco at the Theatine Sisters' Convent in Naples.
Overwhelmed with joy, Sister Ursula personally made scapulars similar to those which she saw in her vision, asked to have them blessed, and distributed them among the faithful. It was still during the Servant of God's lifetime that the practice of wearing the Blue Scapular began to spread quickly. After Ursula's death, her spiritual daughters recognized the promotion of this scapular as the special mission of their order. On August 7, 1793, Pope Pius VI acknowledged the heroic virtues of Ursula, and proclaimed her a Venerable Servant of God.
In 1633, the Theatine Fathers, on the occasion of their general chapter, recognized the Oblates of the Immaculate Conception and the community of contemplative nuns founded according to the vision of Venerable Ursula as branches of their order. From that time both communities mentioned accepted the title Theatines of the Immaculate Conception of the BVM. Thereupon the Theatine Fathers also began to propagate the devotion of the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception, a task given to them officially by Pope Clement X on January 30, 1671. At the Theatine Fathers' request, he granted privileges and indulgences to the Blue Scapular in a special apostolic brief. These were similar in scope to those obtained by the Conceptionist Sisters in the 15th century. Another Pope, Clement XI, endowed this scapular with other indulgences which he mentioned in his apostolic letter dated May 12, 1710.
The Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception
Father Stanislaus of Jesus Mary Papczyński, the Founder of the Marians, considered the spreading of devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. one of his Order's principal goals.
By a special brief of March 20, 1681, Pope Innocent XI granted Fr. Papczyński the privilege of establishing Confraternities of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. attached to Marian churches. These confraternities were to come to the aid of souls suffering in Purgatory, for the Founder of the Marians associated the devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. with rendering assistance to the departed. Being in earnest about the idea of devoting himself to the loving slavery of Mary, he wanted not only to live free from evil and sin himself, but also to support, in the matter of purification from the stain of sin, all those who are suffering in Purgatory.
The last chapter of The Rule of the Ten Evangelical Virtues of the B.V.M., upon which the Marian Order was approved by the Holy See in 1699, obliged the Marian religious to wear the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. They wore it beneath their white habit. Committed by virtue of their calling to spread devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mother, they wished also to popularize its use among the faithful.
It is a good thing when a specific religious community is able to be recognized by some particular symbol. The Venerable Servant of God Fr. Casimir of St. Joseph Wyszyński recognized such a need with regard to the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.—the privilege of the erecting of which, attached to churches of the Order, Fr. Papczyński had obtained. Certainly for this reason he was the first among the Marians to approach the Theatine Fathers in Rome with the request that they grant the necessary authorization for investing the faithful with the Blue Scapular. He obtained that authorization in 1733 with the obligation of renewing it every three years. At that time the Servant of God was residing in Rome, holding the office of Procurator General of the Marians. The Theatine Fathers alone at the time had the authority, granted to them by the Apostolic See, to delegate other priests to invest the faithful with the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception. Father Wyszyński desired to make the wearing of the Blue Scapular and the prescribed practices associated with it one of the elements of piety of the above-mentioned Confraternity. From that time on, the members of “the Scapular, that is, of our Confraternity," (as the Marians themselves later began to call the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception of the BVM) were inscribed in the Register of the Confraternity, and, as a sign of belonging to it, received the Blue Scapular.
Painting by A. Padrao from the second half of the 18th century in the Marian monastery on Mount Balsamão, which symbolically depicts Fr. Casimir Wyszynski as the Marian who established the Order in Portugal.
In the Marian monastery in Goźlin [Poland] there was kept a Register of the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception BVM dating back to the 18th century. The Confraternity members, mostly Marian benefactors, among whom there were many well-known personages, used to render various services at the church there during "holy days." As a Confraternity Statute stated, their "first and principal duty, bound by a special promise, is to revere, promote, and defend the honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. As an external sign they are to wear a scapular of a white color embellished with a blue color.This scapular is a sign as well as a token of the Most Holy Virgin Mary’s protection." A Register of the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception from the Marian monastery on Mount Balsamão in Portugal from the year 1774, similar to the one from Goźlin, is kept today in the General Archives of the Congregation of Marians in Rome. On its greatly yellowed pages there appear several hundred names and surnames of people whom the Marians invested with the Blue Scapular. In time, the Confraternities of the Immaculate Conception established at Marian churches also began to be called "scapular confraternities." The first mention we have in Marian historical documents of an establishment of a Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception is from the 26th of June, 1734. It offers information about the official introduction of this confraternity at the Marian church in Puszcza Mariańska [the Marian Forest, the first Marian monastery].
The Theatine Fathers repeatedly renewed for the Marians the privilege granted for the first time to Fr. Wyszyński. On August 30, 1751, through the good offices of the Venerable Fr. Casimir, the Theatines again granted the privilege of investiture with the Blue Scapular—this time to the Superior General and to six other Marian Fathers in Poland. Before leaving for Portugal, the Venerable Servant of God once more obtained from the Superior General of the Theatines on May 5, 1753, the privilege of spreading the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception, this time in the region of the Kingdom of Portugal. More than 20 years later, the continuator of Fr. Wyszyński’s activity in Portugal, Fr. Alexis Fischer, approached the Theatine Fathers in Rome by means of a letter with the request for a renewal of the full powers of investiture granted in 1753. His letter is dated January 26, 1776.
Political upheavals of the first half of the 19th century were undoubtedly the reason for the difficulties in communication with the Theatines in Rome regarding the further spreading of the Scapular by the Marians in Poland. Thus, it becomes understandable why on February 20, 1841, Fr. Jan Dziewulski addressed a petition directly to the Holy See for permission for the further spreading of the Blue Scapular by the Marians. In the 19th century three zealous Marian priests, conspicuous for their intellectual and spiritual formation: Fathers Stanisław Pórzycki, Jerzy Naruszewicz and Alexander Wilczyński, were particularly singled out for merit in the promotion of "our Confraternity" attached to churches served by the Order. Let the statistical data from the year 1888 regarding the deanery in Mariampole, Lithuania, give witness to what fruits the pastoral activity of these fathers and of other Marians, who followed their example, accomplished. At that time the Marians had three monasteries in Lithuania: in Mariampole, Mirosław, and Igłówka. They also conducted pastoral ministry in neighboring churches. There were ninety-nine different confraternities active in the fifteen churches located within the deanery at that time. In each one of these churches there existed, besides several others, also the Confraternity of the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.
A detail from a painting by A. Padrao shows Mary as Our Lady of Balsamão holding the Blue Scapular in her hand.
The confraternities existing in the Marian churches exerted a considerable influence over the religious life and Marian devotion within their own parishes and in the surrounding areas. They contributed to the moral renewal of the public and exhorted it to engage in charitable activities. They were likewise instrumental in the sanctification of their members by encouraging frequent confession and participation in Holy Mass on the occasion of Our Lady’s feasts.
The Renovator and Reformer of the Marian Order, Blessed Archbishop George Matulaitis-Matulewicz, also had recourse to the Theatines in Rome, requesting authorization to invest with the Blue Scapular. The permission was granted him on December 1, 1911.
On July 3, 1992, Fr. Donald Petraitis, M.I.C., then the Superior General of the Marians, obtained from the Superior General of the Theatines permission in perpetuity for himself and his successors to bless and to invest with the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. To this privilege obtained there is tied the right to grant a plenary indulgence at the hour of death to those of the faithful who wore the scapular.
The permission received from the Theatine Fathers also empowers the Superiors General of the Marians to delegate other priests for the purpose of blessing and investing with the Blue Scapular. This authorization has been confirmed by a letter of the Superior General of the Theatines directed to the Superior General of the Marians and to the General Promoter of the Association of Marian Helpers on March 19, 2005 and July 16, 2008. View the official permission given by the Theatine Fathers to the Marians.
Thus, according to their centuries-long tradition, the Marians promote among the faithful the wearing of the Scapular, which serves as the external mark of membership in the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M., which has been associated with the Congregation of Marian Fathers since almost the beginning of its history. The conducting of Confraternities of the Immaculate Conception is one of the important means by which the Congregation of Marians spreads devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God and assists the souls suffering in Purgatory, of whom the Immaculate Mother of Christ is a particular Helper.
The spreading of the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception was taken up again in the 1960s by the Marians of the St. Stanislaus Kostka Province in the U.S.A. after a period of interruption caused by the closing of religious houses by governments inimical to the Church, which reduced the Marian Congregation to near extinction. This action met with a remarkable response, and it was later transplanted to Great Britain, Poland, Brazil, and Ukraine. Today the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception of the BVM attached to the Congregation of Marians numbers several thousand members.
