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SCAPULAR

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SCAPULAR

of Our Lord Jesus Christ, save us." On the other are represented the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and above these a cross with the inscription: "Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, protect us." These im- ages aLso are essential to the scapular (Acta S. Sedis, XXX, 748; Hilgers, "Goldenes Buchlein", 2nd ed., pp. 192 sqq.; French tr., "Livre d'or", Paris, 1911, pp. 164 sqq.).

I. Scapular of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of "Help of the Sick". — In the Church of St. Magdalen at Rome, belonging to the Clerks Regular of St. Camillus, a picture of the Blessed Virgin is specially venerated under the title of Help of the Sick. This picture is said to have been painted by the celebrated Dominican painter, Fra Angelico da Fiesole, and before it Pope St. Pius V is said to have prayed for the victory of the Christian fleet during the battle of Lepanto. This picture suggested to a brother of the Order of St. Camillus, Ferdinand Vicari, the idea of founding a confraternity under the invocation of the Mother of God for the poor sick. He succeeded in his plan, the confraternity being canonically erected in the above-mentioned church on 15 June, 1860. At their reception, the members are given a scapular of black woollen cloth; the por- tion over the breast is a copy of the above picture of the Mother of God and at her feet Sts. Joseph and Camillus, the two other patrons of the sick and of the confraternity. On the small segment at the back is sewed a little red cloth cross; although this receives separate and special blessing for the sick, it does not constitute an essential portion of the scapular. The scapular is the badge of the confraternity, which received its indulgenc<!s from Pius IX and Leo XIII in 1860 and 188:}; these were last ratified by a Re- script of the Congregation of Indulgences, 21 July, 1883. (Cf. the manual of the archconfraternity, Rome, 1883; Seeberg(!r, "Key to the Spiritual Treasures", 1897, p. 214.)

J. The Scapular of the Jmmaculale Heart of Mary. — This scapular originated with the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1877, and was sanctioned and endowed with indulgences by Pius IX on 11 May of that year. The scapular was later approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1907, and its form more exactly decreed; in the same year it was assigned new indulgences. The superior- general of the above congregation can communicate to other priests the faculty of blessing and investing with this scapular ("Acta Pontificia", Rome, March, 1911, appendix). The scapular is of white woollen cloth: on the portion which hangs before the breast is represented the burning heart of Mary, out of which grows a lily; the heart is encircled by a wreath of roses and pierced with a sword.

K. The Scapular of St. Michael the Archangel. — While this scapular originated under Pius IX, who gave it his blessing, it was first formally approved under Leo XIII. In 1878 a confraternity in honour of St. Mi(thael the Archangel was founded in the Church of St. Eustachiusut Rome, and in the follow- ing year in the Church of Sant' Angelo in Pescheria (Sancti Angeli in foro Piscium). In 1880 Leo XIII raised it to the rank of an archconfraternity, which was expressly called the Archconfraternity of the Scapular of St. Michael. At first (1878) the con- fraternity received indulgences from Leo XIII for seven years; the summary of indulgences of the Pious Association of St. Michael was last approved for ever by a Decree of the Congregation of Indul- gences, 28 March, 1903. The scapular is so associated with the confraternity that each member is invested with it. The formula for blessing and investing with the scapular, given in the Rituale Romanum, was first approved by the Congregation of Rites on 23 August, 1883. In outward form this scapular is different from the others, inasmuch as the two seg- XIII.— 33

ments of cloth have the form of a small shield; of these one is made of blue and the other of black cloth, and of the bands likewise one is blue and the other black. Both portions of the scapular bear the well-known representation of the .Archangel St. Michael .slaying the dragon, and the inscription "Quis ut Deus" ("Libretto di aggregazione alia pia Unione di S. Michele Arcangelo in S. Angelo in Pes- cheria", Rome, 1910; "Acta S. Sedis", XV, 286).

L. The Scapular of St. Benedict. — To associate the faithful, who were not Oblates of St. Benedict, in a certain measure with the Benedictine Order, a confraternity of St. Benedict was founded in the second half of the nineteenth century, at first by the English Congregation. Reception is effected by the enrolment of the members and investment with a small blessed scapular of black cloth. One of the segments usually has a picture of St. Benedict, but no j)icture is necessary. The confraternity was en- dowed with indulgences in 1882 and 1883. (Beringer, "Die Ablas.se", 13th ed., 762 sq.; French tr., "Les Indulgences", II, 3rd ed., 361).

M. The Scapular of the Mother of Good Counsel. — At the petition of the August inian monks this scapular was approved and endowed with indulgences by Leo XIII in a Decree of the Congregation of Rites of 19-21 December, 1893. The faculty of blessing and investing with the scapular belongs primarily to the August inian monks, but the General of the Augustinians communicates this privilege to other priests. The two segments of cloth must be of white wool; though the bands are usually also white, this is not essential. The segment of cloth which hangs before the breast bears the image of the Mother of Good Counsel (after the well-known picture in the Augustinian church at Genazzano) with the inscrip- tion: "Mother of Good Counsel". On the other segment the papal arms (i. e., the tiara and the keys of Peter) with the inscription: "Son, follow her counsel. Leo XIII". (Beringer, "Die Ablas.se", 13th ed., pp. 429 sq.; French tr., "Les indulgences", 3rd ed., I, .567; "Acta S. Sedis", XXVI, 503).

N. The Scapular of St. Joseph. — This scapular was approved for the Diocese of Verona by a Decree of the Congregation of Rites of 8 July, 1880. On 15 April, 1898, Leo XIII granted to the General of the Capuchins the faculty of blessing and investing the faithful everjn^^here with this scapular. From the Diocese of St-Claude in France this scapular (at first white) was spread by the Capuchins (cf . Analecta ord. Min. Capuc, IX, 1893, pp. 161 sqq.); but it was later decreed that the shape and colour of that used in Verona should be used. Nevertheless, owing to a mistake, a slight difference crept in, and it was ex- pressly declared later by the Congregation of Indul- gences that the scapular might be lawfully retained in the form now customary among the Capuchins. In this form, the two segments of woollen cloth are of a violet colour; to these are sewed two pieces of gold-coloured material (linen, cotton, etc.) of equal size. On the gold-coloured segment before the breast is the representation of St. Joseph with the Child Jesus on his right arm and the staff of lilies in his left hand, while underneath is the inscription: "St. Joseph, patron of the Church, pray for us." On the other gold-coloured segment is represented the papal crown, the tiara, above it the dove as the symbol of the Holy Ghost, and underneath it a cross and the keys of Peter with the inscription: "Spiritus Domini ductor eius" (The Spirit of the Lord is his Guide). The bands are white. This scapular having been ap- proved by the Congregation of Rites on 18 April, 1893, various indulgences were granted for all the faithful who wear it by a Rescript of the Congrega- tion of Indulgences, 8 June, 1893 ("Acta S. Sedis", XXXIV, 317; Beringer, "Les indulgences", 3rd ed., I, 569 sqq.).