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By the mid-1200s, the monks of Mt. Carmel moved to land in England given to them by Sir Richard the Grey to escape persecution from the Muslims.
In Europe they were ridiculed for calling themselves Brothers of Our Lady, and for wearing a Bedouin style mantle. Some even said there were too many newer religious orders.
In 1247, Fr. Simon Stock became the Prior General of the Carmelites and prayed to Our Lady for special protection on their order in exchange for complete loyalty.
He wrote the Flos Carmeli Prayer, which his monks prayed every day. In response, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon on July 16th, 1251, and gave him a brown scapular, a long garment that rested on the shoulders (or scapula bones), and made this stunning promise:
“Take this as the scapular of your order. This shall be a sign to you and to all Carmelites: whoever dies wearing this shall not suffer eternal fire”.
Our Lady’s brown scapular spread beyond the Carmelite Friars to the lay faithful associated with the order. The devotion spread much more broadly after 1322, when Pope John XXII granted the Sabbatine Privilege (with certain prayer conditions) after a vision of Our Lady who promised to deliver from Purgatory on the Saturday after death, all confraternity members found there.
Later popes confirmed both the devotion and the Sabbatine Privilege and formally extended membership in the confraternity to all the lay faithful by virtue of the enrollment prayer.
(...) Is the promise of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel true? Countless saints, popes, and exorcists have responded with a resounding “yes”. But how? Remember that St. Simon Stock asked for protection in exchange for complete loyalty to our Blessed Mother.
So, if we do our part by living a life of Grace under the protection of Mary and her mantle (scapular), God will grant us salvation and uphold the promise. The best part is that by wearing the scapular, we receive actual grace, by which God helps us fulfill our end of the deal!
Together with the holy rosary, the brown scapular holds a special place in the devotional life of the Faithful. It is fitting that both were introduced in the 1200’s, have been broadly encouraged throughout the centuries, and affirmed by heaven on October 13th, 1917, in Fatima.
On that day during the miracle of the sun, Mary appeared as Our Lady of the Rosary and handed the children a rosary. She then appeared as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and handed the children a brown scapular.
Lucia of Fatima repeatedly affirmed that Our Lady wants everyone to practice both devotions because they are inseparable.