16 May Optional Memorial (Obligatory Memorial the province of Great Britain)
As far as can be ascertained from the earliest references, Simon Stock was an English Prior General, known for his holy way of life, who died about 1265 in Bordeaux in France. After his death, miracles were recorded by those visiting his tomb and during the 14th century a local cult developed in Bordeaux.
Around 1400, a separate legend emerged in the Low Countries of a "holy Simon" who had a vision of Our Lady, in which she appeared to him bearing the scapular and promised: "This is a privilege for you and your brethren: whoever dies wearing it, will be saved." Within a few years, the two accounts had been merged and Simon Stock, the Prior General, was credited with having the vision of Our Lady. The combined account quickly became elaborated with imaginary biographical details of Simon's life, such as his birth in Kent, his living for some years as a hermit in the trunk of a tree and his authorship of the Flos Carmeli, a beautiful Carmelite hymn to Our Lady (which is, in fact, found in the 14th century and hence predates the legend).
The Carmelite Scapular and Its Confraternities
The scapular consists basically of two pieces of cloth, tied by thin cords, which rest one on the shoulders (between the "scapulae") and the other on the chest. The object, nowadays used for devotional purposes, originates from the "night" scapular used by religious so that they would never have to not be wearing their proper habit, not even at night.
By the middle of the 13th century, lay people began to be affiliated to the Order in order to share in the spiritual benefits. It was also offered by the Order as an expression of gratitude and recognition to benefactors. The scapular ended up constituting a customary means of handing over the habit to the laity and the consequent juridical-spiritual aggregation to the religious family. The white cloak, the sign of the Order in the Middle Ages, was given to lay people at the moment of their association.
Stories began to circulate of the miraculous gift of the habit from the Lord or Our Lady to the founders or saints of the various Orders. As a result, numerous scapulars exist. They are distinguished by different colors and images, precisely because of the wide use made of them by the various religious families and, over time, as a sign of consecration according to the different forms of spirituality.
From the end of the 15th century, the Carmelites began to hand over the scapular, which was considered the habit of the Order for lay people to be aggregated to the Order. Thus was born the Confraternity of the Scapular, which ended up practically supplanting or replacing the previous forms of lay aggregation to the Order. These confraternities were also found in churches not belonging to the Order.
A typical element of the devotion use of the religious habit among the laity was that either Our Lord or Our Lady would give it to the religious. Two visions are associated with the Carmelite scapular—both involving Our Lady and both doubtful as historical events. In the case of the appearance to St. Simon Stock, similar vision accounts are found continually in the traditions of the different religious families.
The very origins of the Order refer, one the one hand, to the protection of Mary, and on the other hand, to the “dedication” of the Carmelites to her, who is considered to be lady, sovereign because Mary is the Mother of the Lord. Even after their departure from the Holy Land, the Carmelites continued to consider themselves as subjects to the Lord Jesus and therefore to his Mother.
Members of most confraternities in the 17th and 18th centuries shows they were open to people of all classes: nobles, middle-class, laborers, peasants, artisans—both the rich and the poor. This kind of unity among members from different social backgrounds lasted a long time. It was a characteristic of Scapular confraternities as distinct from other types of confraternities, even religious ones.
The suppression of religious groups in the 19th century almost entirely destroyed the network of Scapular confraternities. The ones that survived very often continues to exist without much contact with the Order. The works of mercy almost entirely disappeared with what remained being more philanthropic than Christian charity. With the Canon Law Code of 1917, the confraternities were reorganized. The scapular devotion developed more and more as a sign of the protection of Mary, with the aspect of consecration to Mary and the demands of a covenant of made with Mary now written out.
Now to enjoy the privileges attached to the scapular, it suffices to receive it from an authorized person and to have your name written in the general confraternity register of the Order. This faculty has been extended to all priests and the need to have a register of inscriptions was done away with. The so-called “Rule of the Carmelite Third Order” set out norms for a Gospel way of life. The document reflects Carmelite values, proposing a commitment to prayer, the sacraments, the works of justice, and the building up of the human person in accordance with God’s plan.
