TEMPERANCE — “Receive, my dear son, this scapular of our order, in token of the privilege which I have obtained for your and for their children of Carmel; he who at his death shall be found clothed in this habit shall be preserved from eternal flames.”

These words of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Simon Stock, general of the order of Carmelites on July 16, 1251, started a worldwide devotion to Mary through the scapular — a devotion that continues with a newly formed group in Temperance.

On July 16, exactly 764 years later, members hoping to start a new Lay Carmelite group met at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Temperance to celebrate a sung High Mass in the extraordinary form on the feast day of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

Nearly 20 devotees were bestowed with the scapular by Fr. Brian Hurley, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, who spoke about the scapular’s importance during his homily.

“Mary spoke to Simon Stock, general of the Carmelite Order, and said ‘Receive this scapular for the children of Carmel, which will lend protection from danger, fire, floods and rescue your soul from purgatory,’” Fr. Hurley said. “That’s why the scapular is so important. The rosary is the weapon, and the scapular is the breastplate; it protects us in the front and back.”

Fr. Hurley elaborated on the history and importance of the scapular and about how it protects the faithful by invoking the grace of God through Mary.

“It’s a reminder of Our Blessed Lady; the scapular is part of what it means to be her son,” Fr. Hurley said. “Because her heart is pure, her ‘yes’ is total. Everything she does is the perfect will of God. The rosary and scapular are the spiritual way to show that, through prayer, we will conquer.”

St. Anthony parishioner Bernadette Porter, who is helping start the Lay Carmelite group, said the idea came about when a group of parishioners were looking for ways to reconnect with some of the Church’s pre-Vatican II heritage.

“I wanted to find more about the pre-Vatican II devotions,” Porter said. “There are a lot of precious things in the Old Rule, and the more I researched, the more I discovered we had to start our own Carmelite group.”

Traditionally, Lay Carmelites follow the Old Rule of the Third Order of Carmelites, compared with the more common Discalced or “Secular” Carmelites, who follow the traditions of reform instituted by St. Teresa of Avila. Lay Carmelites also aim to fulfill the requests made by Mary at Fatima in 1917, including praying five decades of the rosary each day to be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart through the scapular.

Today, the scapular is worn by those with special devotion to Mary, with records of miracles being performed through her intersession.

“The Blessed Mother is clothing you with her protection,” Fr. Hurley told parishioners who received the scapular. “Pope John XXII proclaimed the flames of purgatory are as bad as the upper levels of hell. The scapular saves us from the flames of purgatory; it’s a spiritual way to show, through prayer, that we will conquer.”

The new group has about 10 members who focus on the rosary and scapular, hosting monthly meetings and daily devotions to Mary. The group, the Traditional Lay Carmelites of Fatima, is hoping to apply for recognition from the Archdiocese of Detroit as an official lay group, which would make it the seventh Lay Carmelite group in the world and the first in the United States.

“The Old Rule is just richer, it has a lot of things we don’t do anymore,” Porter said. “We should be promoting the scapular. Because of the times, we need more Mary in our lives, and Carmel is really Mary.”

According to Church teaching, advantages derived from the scapular include: a safeguard and pledge of protection in dangers to the soul and body, a sign of salvation, a well-grounded hope of speedy release from purgatory and a participation in all the good works and penances of the member and the religious of the order of Carmel.

“As Catholics, it’s important for us to recognize devotion to Mary,” Porter said. “She’s our direct link to Jesus, and what we’re doing is reconnecting with the heritage of the Church. As Father said in his homily, in today’s times, we need more Mary; we need her intercession as we fight to keep the faith.

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Lay Carmelites

For more information about The Traditional Lay Carmelites of Fatima, email [email protected] or call St. Anthony of Padua Parish at (734) 854-1143.