The Blessed Virgin Mary, in her apparition to St. Simon Stock in 1251, gave incredible promises to those who wear the Brown Scapular. Many miracles through the centuries have been attributed by people to the wearing of the Brown Scapular.
But how exactly can we obtain the promises of Our Lady? Is it just as simple as buying a Scapular, having it blessed, and wearing it?
The 3 Conditions
There are three conditions needed in order to gain Our Lady’s promises to those who wear the Brown Scapular.
The first condition is to obtain a Scapular that follows the prescribed material, color and shape - it must be 100% brown wool in a rectangular shape. The Scapulars available in Laudate Mariam’s store follow this specification.
The second condition is to wear the Scapular continuously. Of course, you can take it off whenever you take a bath. The point of wearing the Scapular continuously is to profess our complete dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary, every moment of our day. She will, as our Loving Mother, in turn guard us, protect us, and take care of us every single moment of our day, and most especially at the hour of our death.
The third condition, which is lesser known by people, is to be enrolled in the Scapular by a priest. All Catholic faithful can, and should in fact, be enrolled to the Scapular. It is recommended that children who receive their First Holy Communion are enrolled to the Scapular as well right after. However, even infants can also be infested.
The Investiture
Enrollment to the Scapular is a short ceremony that can be done by any priest anywhere in the world. There is a formula of enrollment or investiture that the priest performs. In this investiture, the priest blesses the Scapulars, says some prayers, and personally enrolls you to the Scapular.
Once you have been invested in the Scapular, you automatically become a member of the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular. Once enrolled in the Confraternity, you belong to a spiritual family where you have the amazing privilege of being affiliated with the Carmelite Order, participating in the merits of the Carmelite Fathers and Religious in life and in death, as well as receiving the promises of Our Lady through the Scapular.
You can check out the formula for investiture here. We suggest you have it printed out, and give a copy to your priest, so he can use the formula to invest you and your family in the Scapular.