Also known as the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Brown Scapular is part of the habit of the Carmelite Order and is a popular devotion among Roman Catholics.

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith says the Scapular is “an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer.”

In AD 1251, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock, an English Carmelite, and told him of certain promises of the Scapular that she herself guaranteed: “This shall be a privilege for you and all Carmelites, that anyone dying in this habit shall not suffer eternal fire.”

Today, the Church has extended that privilege to all Catholics, even laity, invested in the Brown Scapular of the Carmelites. The Scapular is meant to be an outward sign of inner devotion and is to encourage us to venerate, love, and trust in Our Lady.