Rosary and Scapular

Rosary And Scapular

"The Rosary and the Scapular are inseparable" was a sentiment expressed by Lucia Santos, one of the three children who reported the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima (Portugal) in 1917, and later the Pontevedra apparitions (Spain) in 1925. In these apparitions, the Virgin Mary reportedly called herself The Lady of the Rosary and in one of the final Fátima appearances on October 13, 1917 had a brown scapular in one hand and a rosary in the other. The Lady of the Rosary, reportedly encouraged the praying of the Rosary and the wearing of the brown scapular. One author states that the Fatima messages do not just prophesy dangers, but include a package of solutions in which the Rosary and the scapular are revealed as "mystical weapons of defense".

As for all Sacramentals, the use of the Rosary and the Scapular are optional for Roman Catholics. They have been supported, encouraged and linked by a number of Catholic figures such as popes, saints and cardinals. Specific indulgences have been associated with them.

While the exact origins of both the Rosary and the Scapular are subject to debate among scholars, Catholic traditions maintain that both Sacramentals were given by the Virgin Mary to Saints during the 13th century. Historical records document their growth during the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe. By the early 20th century they had gained such a strong following among Catholics worldwide that the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914 stated: "Like the Rosary, the Brown scapular has become the badge of the devout Catholic." This article reviews the history, Mariology and the parallel development of the Rosary and the Scapular as key Sacramentals in the Roman Catholic Church.