Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 13.djvu/571

 SCAPULAR

509

SCAPULAR

laity) may be suggested, since the reference is to persons coming from the world (novices) who should have this small scapular. It is likewise pre- scribed in the Constitutions of the Servites of 1257 "quod nuUus accedat sine scapular! et tunica dor- mitum". Again, after St. Benedict had declared in his Rule XXII: "Vestiti dormiant et cincti cingulis aut funibus", it was prescribed in the "Con- suetudines sublacenses " : "Vestiti autem dormiant id est ad minus in una tunica et scapular! et cincti, ut sint parati surgere" (Albers, "Consuet. monas- ticae", II, 126). This scapular thus appears to have been a portion of the night clothing of monks.

II. The Scapular op the Third Orders. — To the first orders have been gradually added the second and third orders and the oblates, who receive the proper habit from the first orders. Early in the Mid- dle Ages numerous lay persons had already joined the Benedictine Order as oblates; these often re- ceived from the first order the entire monastic habit, which they wore either constantly in the world or at least during Divine Service. It was regarded as a great grace and privilege to be able to die and be buried in the monastic habit, which was frequently given to the dying or placed on the deceased before burial. In the revised statutes of the Oblates of the Benedictine Order, confirmed in 1891 and 1904, it is stated in conclusion: "The Oblates may be buried in the black habit of the order, with scapular and girdle, wherever the conditions allow the fulfilment of this pious wish" (Beringer, "Die Ablas.se", 13th ed., 817; French tr. "Les indulgences", 3rd. ed., II, 516). In the first Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis of 1221 (also in that of 1289), the inve.stment is fairly e.xactly described, but there is no mention of a scapular (cf. Sabatier, "Opuscules de critique his- torique", I, Paris, 1903, "Regula antiqua fratrum et sororum de pcenitcntia", pp. 17 sq., "De modo ves- tium"; "Seraphicse Icgislationis textus originales", III, Quaracchi, 1897, pp. 81 sq., "De forma habitus et qualitate indumentorum"). The first Rule of the Third Order of St. Dominic in the first half of the thirteenth century prescribed likewise a formal and complete investment. Here also there is no mention of the scapular. As in the case of the other third orders this made its appearance later, until finally it became usual to wear the scapular under one's ordinary clothing instead of the full ha})it of t he order (cf."Regola del terz' ordine di San Domenico", Rome, 1888, pp. 26 sqq. Concerning the investment of the Oblati, Mantellatae, and Bizzoche, see also Giani, "Annales", 2nd ed., I, Lucca, 1719, pp. 198, 405 sqq., 626; 2nd ed., II Lucca, 1721, pp. 319, 392, 414, 420, 442; "Bullar. Carmelit.", II, Rome, 1718, p. 373; III, Rome, 1768, p. 611; Linas, "Bullar. B. M. V. de Mercede", Barcelona, 1696, p. 15; cf. Potthast, "Regest. Pontif.", 1825 sq.). By the Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars of 20 December, 1616, it was declared that the Bizzoche, who lived in the houses of relatives (and thus quite without restraint in the world), might wear the ter- tiary habit, but without supriectum, sottogola, and palientia (i. e., without veil, pectorale, and scapular). Later, the wearing of the special habit of an order became unusual, and the constant wearing of such was regarded as a privilege. Gradually, however, the most distinctive article of the monastic habit, the scapular, was given, and is in an ever smaller form. It has thus come to pass that the third orders for the laity, such as those of the Franciscans, Servites and Dominicans, wear to-day as tlieir special badge and habit a "large" scapular, consisting essentially of two segments of woollen cloth (about four and a half inches long and two and three-eighths inches broad in the case of the Franciscan .scapular; much longer and broader in the case of the Carmelite — although no particular length or breadth is prescribed) con-

nected with each other by two strings or bands. The best known scapular is that of the Third Order of St. Francis, or, as it is simply called, the Scapular of St. Francis; it is brown, grey, or black in colour, and has (at least generally) on one of the woollen segments the image of St. Francis and on the other that of the little church of Portiuncula. For these large scapulars the same general rules hold good as described in detail below in the case of the small scapulars. It is especially necessary that persons who desire to share in the indulgences and privileges of the third orders shall wear the scapulars con- stantly. However, the Congregation of Indulgences ex- pressly declared on 30 April, 1885, that the wearing of the scapulars of smaller form and of the same size as those of the confraternities entitled one to gain the indulgences of the third order (cf. Constit. Leonis XIII, "Misericors Dei Filius", 30 May, 1883; "Acta S. Sed.", XV, 513 sqq.; Beringer, "Les in- dulgences", 3rd ed., II, 499 sqq.).

III. The Small Scapulars. — Like the large scapu- lars the first and oldest small scapulars originated to a certain extent in the real monastic scapular. Pious lay persons of either sex attached themselves to the Servites for instance; man}' of those who were in a position to do so attached themselves to the third order with vows, but in the case of many others either this was impossible or the idea of doing so had as yet not occurred to them. In this manner developed, shortly after the foundation of the Servite Order, the Confraternity of the Servi B. M arise Virginis (cf. Giani, "Annales", I, 2nd ed., Lucca, 1719, p. 162; 1st ed., Florence, 1618, p. 58). Similarly originated the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel; that this existed in 1280 is proved by the still extant "Libro degli ordinamenti de la compagnia di Santa Maria del Carmine scritto nel 1280" (ed- ited by Giulio Piccini at Bologna, 1867, in "Scelta di Curiosity letterarie"). The members of these con- fraternities were called the confratres and consorures of the respective orders; they had special rules and participated in the spiritual goods of the order to which they belonged. It is probable also that many of those who could not be promoted to the third order or who were special benefactors of the first order received the habit of the order or a large scapular similar to that of the oblates, which they might wear when dying and in which they might be buried. It was only later and gradually that the idea developed of giving to everyone connected with the order the real scapular of the order in miniature as their badge to be always worn day and night over or under their ordinary clothing.

It was now that the.se confraternities developed into scapular confraternities in the modern sense. On account of the scapulars the faithful resorted ever more to these confraternities, especially after they had heard of the wonderful graces which members had received through the scapulars, and above all when the story of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin and of her promise to all who wore the Scapular of Mount Carmel faithfully until death became known. Con- sequently, the four oldest small scapulars are like- wise the badges of four confraternities, attached re- spectively to the Carmelites, Servites, Trinitarians, and Mercedarians. Later on the Franciscans gave the members of their third order for the laity the large scapular, and founded also a Franciscan confraternity, the members of whicih were given as their badge, not a small scapular, but a girdle. The Dominicans likewise assigned to their third order the large scapular as its badge, and to their principal confraternity the rosary. Since 1903, however, there is a small scapular of St. Dominic provided with an indulgence but con- nected with no confraternity (" Analecta ecd.", 1904, p. 261). The Bene(ii(tines, on the other hand, founded a special confraternity in the latter half of