How did the scapular of the Virgin of Carmen come about?

About 800 years ago, the Mother of God appeared to the Carmelite Saint Simon Stock to give him a scapular, which has become very popular over the centuries and which Catholics use out of love for the Virgin of Carmel, whose feast day It is celebrated on July 16.

In a report by EWTN Noticias, the then major superior of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites in Peru, Father Alfredo Amesti Sánchez, shared details about the origin and importance of this devotion practiced by thousands of Catholics around the world.

In the interview, Father Amesti related that on the day of the Marian apparition, Saint Simon Stock prayed this prayer supplicatingly: “Flower of Carmel, Florida Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Fertile Virgin, Oh tender Mother intact of man, to the Carmelites protect your name”.

The Catholic Encyclopedia It relates that in 1247 Saint Simon was elected sixth general of the Carmelites and managed to expand the Order throughout southern and western Europe, especially in England.

The saint obtained the “temporary approval of Pope Innocent IV for the altered rule of the Order, which had been adapted to European conditions.”

“However, the Order was oppressed and was still struggling to be accepted, either by gaining the consent of the secular clergy or the tolerance of the other orders,” the Encyclopedia describes.

It is in this context that Saint Simon Stock begs the Blessed Virgin to protect the Order and She comes to their aid, giving him the scapular with the indication that they go “without fear to Pope Innocent (IV), because they would receive the remedy for their difficulties.”

The religious followed the advice of the Virgin “and the Order received a bull or letter of protection from Innocent IV against these annoyances,” the Encyclopedia states.

The scapular, impulse of the Carmelites

Father Amesti explained that the origin of the “scapular is linked to the passage (of the Carmelite Order) from Israel to Europe,” and said that in 1251 Saint Simon Stock received “the garment of the scapular to reinforce the institutional change that the Carmelites, from hermits to mendicants.”

The Virgin accompanied the Order in this complex process, “and that is why she gives the scapular as a sign of protection to the Carmelites,” added the priest.

Devotion to the Virgin of Carmen spread throughout the world thanks to the expansion of the Carmelites and many miraculous events occurred.

Finally, Father Amesti recalled that “the scapular is a livery, a dress belonging to the feudal era” that “was a sign of protection,” and pointed out that “the Virgin promises that whoever wears the scapular, on the coming Saturday At his death, he will be able to enjoy eternal life.”