Our Lady of Carmen del Mipú Chile
Feast: The last Sunday of September.
Universal feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: July 16.
The ancient Carmelite devotion dates back to the monks of Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. In the 16th century, during the time of the conquest of America, St. Teresa of Avila, together with St. John of the Cross, carried out in Spain the reform of the Carmelite order. Devotion increased and reached the New World.
In 1785, Don Martin de Lecuna commissioned an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel from a sculptor in Quito, Ecuador.
During the Chilean independence wars, the nationalists took the Virgin of Mount Carmel as the patron saint of their army.
On December 5, 1811, Generals José Miguel Carrera and Bernardo o'Higgins address the Vicar of Santiago de Chile to ask him for "a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving" for the triumph of the independence struggles.
On January 5, 1817, General José de San Martín places his command staff in the right hand of the image, solemnly swearing it as Patroness of the Andes Army and on the eve of the battle of Chabuco, the army with O'Higgins at the head proclaims the Virgin of Carmen Patroness and General of the Chilean Arms.
In 1818, before the advance of the Spanish forces, the people and their leaders flooded the cathedral to deposit their prayer and their confidence at the feet of the Carmelite Virgin, promising to raise a temple in her honor wherever the freedom of Chile was signed: "In the same place where the battle is given and the victory is obtained, a Sanctuary to the Virgin of Carmen, Patroness and General of the Armies of Chile will be raised, and the foundations will be placed by the same magistrates who formulate this vow, in the same place of her mercy, which will be that of her glory".
For that reason, on April 5, in the middle of the heat of the battle of Maipú, General San Martín encouraged his army shouting: "Our Patroness, the Blessed Virgin of Carmen will give us the victory and right here we will raise the promised church to commemorate that triumph". Before the end of the year, the first stone of the sanctuary was laid, which was finished in 1892.
The present church was inaugurated in October 1974. In 1923 the Holy See, at the request of the Chilean Episcopate, named the Virgin of Mount Carmel as Principal Patroness of all the people of Chile, since before she was only the patroness of the Chilean army and navy. There are two images of Carmel that the Chileans venerate with special affection: that of the National Sanctuary of Maipú, carved in Quito in 1785 and that of the Metropolitan Cathedral, of French invoice of the XIX century, solemnly crowned in 1926.
Although the Virgin was received in times of war, we can never think that she blesses violence as a means to resolve conflicts. Rather we can think that Our Lady acted to appease hatreds and minimize the horror of war. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the mother of both Spaniards and Chileans and like all mothers she wants reconciliation and peace among her children. Her true and only desire is that we do what her Son, who is the only true freedom, asks of us.
History of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Since the ancient hermits who settled on Mount Carmel, Carmelites have been known for their deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin. They interpreted the cloud of Elijah's vision (1 Kings 18:44) as a symbol of the Immaculate Virgin Mary.
As early as the 13th century, five centuries before the proclamation of the dogma, the Carmelite missal contained a Mass for the Immaculate Conception. In the words of Benedict XVI, 15,VII,06: "Carmel, a high promontory that rises on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, at the height of Galilee, has on its slopes numerous natural grottoes, favored by hermits. The most famous of these men of God was the great prophet Elijah, who in the ninth century BC courageously defended the purity of faith in the one true God from the contamination of idolatrous cults.
Inspired by the figure of Elijah, the contemplative Order of the "Carmelites" was born, a religious family that counts among its members great saints such as Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Teresa of the Child Jesus and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (in the century, Edith Stein). The Carmelites have spread among the Christian people the devotion to the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, pointing her out as a model of prayer, contemplation and dedication to God.
Mary, in fact, before and in an unsurpassable way, believed and experienced that Jesus, the Incarnate Word, is the culmination, the summit of man's encounter with God. Fully accepting the Word, she "happily reached the holy mountain" (Prayer of the Collect of Remembrance), and lives forever, body and soul, with the Lord. Today I wish to entrust to the Queen of Mount Carmel all the communities of contemplative life scattered throughout the world, especially those of the Carmelite Order, among which I remember the monastery of Quart. May Mary help every Christian to find God in the silence of prayer.
The Star of the Sea and the Carmelites
Sailors, before the age of electronics, depended on the stars to mark their course in the immense ocean. Hence the analogy with the Virgin Mary who, like the star of the sea, guides us through the difficult waters of life to the safe harbor that is Christ.
Because of the invasion of the Saracens, the Carmelites were forced to abandon Mount Carmel. An ancient tradition tells us that before leaving, Our Lady appeared to them while they were singing the Salve Regina and she promised to be their Star of the Sea. By this beautiful name they also knew the Virgin because Mount Carmel rises like a star by the sea.
The Carmelites and the devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel spread throughout the world.
The Immaculate Virgin, Star of the Sea, is the Virgin of Mount Carmel, that is, the one venerated since ancient times in Carmel. She accompanied the Carmelites as the order spread throughout the world. The Carmelites are known for their devotion to the Mother of God, since they see in her the fulfillment of Elijah's ideal. They were even called: "The brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel". In their religious profession they consecrated themselves to God and Mary, and took the habit in honor of her, as a reminder that their lives belonged to her, and through her, to Christ.
America: She is patroness of Chile; in Ecuador she is queen of the region of Cuenca and Azuay, receiving the pontifical coronation on July 16, 2002. In the church of the monastery of the Assumption in Cuenca she has been venerated for more than 300 years. It is also venerated by many throughout the continent.
The Scapular
"The devotion to the scapular of Carmel has brought down upon the world a copious rain of spiritual and temporal graces" (Pius XII, July 6, 1950).
What is the Scapular?
The scapular is a sacramental. A sacramental is a religious object that the Church has approved as a sign that helps us to live a holy life and to increase our devotion. Sacramentals should move our hearts to renounce all sin, even venial sin.
The scapular, being a sacramental, does not communicate graces to us as the sacraments do, but disposes us to love God and to true contrition of sin if we receive them with devotion.
Human beings communicate through symbols. Just as we have flags, coats of arms and uniforms that identify us. Religious communities wear their habit as a sign of their consecration to God. Lay people cannot wear the habit, but those who wish to associate with religious in their quest for holiness can wear the scapular.
Our Lady gave the Carmelites the scapular as a miniature habit that all devotees may wear to signify their consecration to her. It consists of a cord worn around the neck with two small pieces of brown cloth, one on the chest and the other on the back. It is worn under clothing.
Along with the rosary and the miraculous medal, the scapular is one of the most important Marian sacramentals. St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church, says: "Just as men are proud that others wear their uniform, so Our Lady Mother Mary is satisfied when her servants wear her scapular as proof that they have dedicated themselves to her service, and are members of the family of the Mother of God.
How did the scapular originate?
The word scapular comes from the Latin "scapulae" which means "shoulders". Originally it was a superimposed garment that fell from the shoulders and was worn by monks during their work. Over time it was given the meaning of being the daily cross that, as disciples of Christ, we carry on our shoulders. For the Carmelites in particular, it came to express the special dedication to the Blessed Virgin and the desire to imitate her life of dedication to Christ and to others.
The Virgin Mary gives the scapular on July 16, 1251.
In the year 1246, St. Simon Stock was appointed General of the Carmelite Order. He realized that, without the intervention of the Virgin Mary, the Order had little time left. Simon turned to Mary and placed the order under her protection, since they belonged to her. In his prayer he called her "The Flower of Carmel" and the "Star of the Sea" and begged her protection for the whole community.
In answer to this fervent prayer, on July 16, 1251, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock and gave him the scapular for the order with the following promise: "This is to be a sign and privilege for you and for all Carmelites: Whoever dies wearing the scapular will not suffer eternal fire. "Although the scapular was given to the Carmelites, many lay people over time felt the call to live a life more committed to Carmelite spirituality and thus began the scapular confraternity, where many lay people were added through devotion to Our Lady and the use of the scapular. The Church has extended the privilege of the scapular to the laity.
The Blessed Virgin appeared to Pope John XXII in the XIV century and promised him for those who fulfilled the requirements of this devotion that "as Mother of Mercy with my prayers, prayers, merits and special protection, I will help them so that, free as soon as possible from their sorrows, (...) their souls will be transferred to the beatitude".
Explanation of the Promise:
Many Popes, saints and Catholic theologians have explained that, according to this promise, whoever has devotion to the scapular and wears it, will receive from Mary Most Holy at the hour of death, the grace of perseverance in the state of grace (without mortal sin) or the grace of contrition (repentance). On the part of the devotee, the scapular is a sign of his commitment to live the Christian life following the perfect example of the Blessed Virgin.
The scapular has 3 meanings:
1) Mary's maternal love and protection: the sign is a small cloth or mantle. We see how Mary, when Jesus is born, wraps him in a mantle. The Mother always tries to shelter her children. Wrapping in her mantle is a very maternal sign of protection and care. It is a sign that she wraps us in her motherly love. She makes us her own. He covers us from the ignominy of our spiritual nakedness. We see in the Bible:-God covered Adam and Eve with a mantle after they sinned (mantle - sign of forgiveness)-Jonathan gave his mantle to David: symbol of friendship-Elijah gave his mantle to Elisha and filled him with his spirit at his departure.-St. Paul: clothe yourselves with Christ. Paul: clothe ourselves with Christ: clothe ourselves with the mantle of his virtues.
2) Belonging to Mary: We bear a mark that distinguishes us as her chosen children. The scapular becomes the symbol of our consecration to Mary. Consecration: to 'belong to Mary' is to recognize her maternal mission over us and to surrender ourselves to her in order to let ourselves be guided, taught, molded by her and in her heart. In this way we can be used by her for the extension of the Kingdom of her Son.
In 1950 Pope Pius XII wrote about the scapular: "may it be your sign of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which we are particularly in need of in these dangerous times" In the Pope's words we see that more and more devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is devotion to the Immaculate Conception, and whoever wears the scapular must be conscious of his consecration to God and Our Lady and be consistent in his thoughts, words and deeds.
3) The gentle yoke of Christ: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am patient and humble of heart, and so you will find relief. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Mt 11:29-30)
The scapular symbolizes that yoke that Jesus invites us to carry but that Mary helps us to carry. Whoever wears the scapular should identify himself as a Catholic without fear of the rejection and difficulties that this yoke brings him.
The scapular is a sign of our identity as Catholics, intimately linked to the Virgin Mary for the purpose of living fully according to our baptism. It represents our decision to follow Jesus through Mary in the spirit of religious but adapted to our own vocation. This requires us to be poor (a simple lifestyle without material attachments), chaste and obedient for love of God. By wearing the scapular we constantly make silent petition of continuous assistance to the Blessed Mother.
Our Lady teaches us and intercedes for us to receive the graces to live like her, open-hearted to the Lord, listening to His Word, praying, discovering God in daily life and close to the needs of our brothers and sisters. The scapular is also a reminder that our goal is heaven and everything in this world is passing away. In moments of temptation, we take the scapular in our hands and invoke the assistance of the Mother, determined to be faithful to the Lord. She directs us to the Sacred Heart of her Divine Son and the devil is forced to retreat in defeat.
Imposition of the Scapular: The imposition is preferably done in community. It is necessary that the spiritual sense of the graces attached to the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the commitments assumed with this sign of devotion to the Blessed Virgin be well expressed in the celebration.
The first scapular should be blessed by a priest and imposed by him while saying the prayer: "Receive this blessed scapular and ask the Blessed Virgin that by her merits, you may wear it without any stain of sin and that she may protect you from all evil and lead you to eternal life".
Can the scapular be given to someone who is not Catholic? Yes. The scapular is a sign of the Spiritual Motherhood of Mary and we must remember that she is the mother of all. Many miracles of conversion have taken place in favor of good non-Catholics who have decided to practice the scapular devotion.
Conversion Testimonies
An elderly man was brought to St. Simon Stock Hospital in New York City, unconscious and dying. The nurse seeing the patient wearing the Carmelite Scapular called for a priest. While saying prayers for the dying man, he regained consciousness and said, "Father, I am not a Catholic." "Then why are you wearing the Carmelite Scapular?" the priest asked. "I have promised my friends to wear it," the patient explained. "Besides I pray a Hail Mary daily." "You are dying," replied the priest. "Do you want to become a Catholic?" 'All my life I have wanted to," replied the dying man. He was baptized, received the Anointing of the Sick before passing away peacefully.
John Paul II speaks of the Scapular - The Scapular Medal The scapular medal has the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side and the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the reverse.
In 1910, Pope Pius X declared that a person validly vested in his cloth scapular could wear the scapular-medal instead, provided he had legitimate reasons to substitute his cloth scapular for the scapular-medal. This concession was made at the request of the missionaries in the countries of the tropics, where the cloth scapulars soon deteriorate. Now, Pope Pius X and his successor, Pope Benedict XV, expressed their deep desire that people continue to wear the cloth scapular whenever possible, and that they not substitute the cloth scapular for the scapular medal without sufficient reason first.
Vanity or fear of professing their faith in public cannot be reasons that satisfy Our Lady. People of this kind run the risk of not receiving the promise of the Scapular of Carmel (taken from the pamphlet "Attach Great Importance to Your Scapular" from the World Apostolate of Fatima, Washington, NJ 07882-0976 USA).
Practical Warnings Once the first scapular is blessed, the devotee need not ask for the blessing of subsequent scapulars. Worn scapulars, if blessed, should not be thrown away. They may be burned or buried as a sign of respect.
Warning against abuses:
The scapular does NOT save by itself as if it were something magical or good luck, nor is it an excuse to evade the demands of the Christian life. Bishop Kilian Lynch, former general of the Carmelite Order tells us: "Let us not conclude that the scapular is endowed with some kind of supernatural power that will save us regardless of what we do or how much we sin.... A sinful and perverse will can defeat the 'suppliant omnipotence' of the mother of mercy."
Popes and Saints have often warned against abusing our mother's promise as if we can be saved by wearing the scapular without conversion. Pope Pius XI warns us: "While it is true that the Virgin Mary loves in a special way those who are devoted to her, those who wish to have her as a help at the hour of death must in life earn that privilege by a life of refusing sin and living to honor her." To live in sin and use the scapular as an anchor of salvation is to commit the sin of presumption since faith and fidelity to the commandments is necessary for all who seek Our Lady's love and protection.
St. Claude de la Colombiere warns: "You ask: what if I wanted to die with my sins, I answer you, then you will die in sin, but you will not die with your scapular".
The Sabbath Privilege: (Saturday)
This privilege is a promise of Our Lady consisting of deliverance from purgatory on the first Saturday (the day the Church has dedicated to Our Lady) after death through a special intercession of Our Lady It originated in a bull or edict that was proclaimed by Pope John XXII in March 3, 1322 as a result of an apparition he had of Our Lady in which she promised for those who fulfilled the requirements of this devotion that "as Mother of Mercy, with my supplications, prayers, merits and special protection, I will help them so that, freed as soon as possible from their sorrows, their souls may be transferred to beatitude".
Conditions for this privilege to apply
1) To use the scapular with fidelity.
2) To observe chastity according to the state of life.
3) Recite the office of Our Lady (prayers and readings in honor of Our Lady) or pray 5 decades of the rosary daily.
Pope Paul V confirmed in an official proclamation that the Sabbath privilege could be taught to all believers.
The Scapular and Our Lady of Fatima:
It is evident that the Virgin Mary wants to reveal the scapular to us in a special way. Lucia (visionary of Fatima, today Sister Mary of the Immaculate Heart) reports that in the last apparition (October, 1917, day of the miracle of the sun), Our Lady came dressed in the Carmelite habit and holding the scapular in her hand and reminded her true children to wear it with reverence. She also asked that those who consecrated themselves to her wear it as a sign of that consecration.
Popes and Saints Speak
Blessed Pope Gregory X was buried with his scapular only 25 years after the Vision of the Scapular. 600 years later when his tomb was opened, his scapular was intact.
Pope Pius XII spoke frequently of the Scapular. In 1951, the 700th anniversary of Our Lady's apparition to St. Simon Stock, the Pope, before a large audience in Rome, urged that the Scapular be worn as a "Sign of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary" (as Our Lady had requested at Fatima). The Scapular also represents the sweet yoke of Jesus that Mary helps us to bear. And finally, the Pope continued, The Scapular marks us as chosen children of Mary and becomes for us (as the Germans call it) a 'Garment of Grace."
On the same day that St. Simon Stock received the scapular and the promise from Mary, he was called to assist a dying man who was in despair. When he arrived he placed the scapular on the man, asking Our Lady to keep the promise he had just made. Immediately the man repented, confessed and died in the grace of God."
St. Alphonsus Liguori and St. John Bosco had a special devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and wore the scapular. When St. Alphonsus Liguori died he was buried in his priestly vestments and scapular. Many years later when they opened his tomb they found that his body and all the vestments were in dust, however his scapular was intact. St. Alphonsus' scapular is on display in his monastery in Rome. St. Alphonsus Liguori tells us: "Modern heretics mock the wearing of the Scapular. They discredit it as a vain and absurd trifle."
St. Peter Claver, became a slave of slaves out of love. Every month a ship with slaves arrived in Cartagena, Colombia. St. Peter strove for the salvation of each one. He organized catechists, prepared them for baptism and invested them with the scapular. Some clerics accused the saint of indiscreet zeal. However, he continued his work until he had more than 300,000 converts.
St. Claude de Colobiere (spiritual director of St. Margaret Mary) "I wanted to know if Mary was really interested in me, and in the scapular she has given me the most palpable assurance. I only need to open my eyes, she has granted her protection to this scapular: 'Whoever dies clothed in it will not suffer eternal fire'. "He also said, "Because all the ways of loving the Blessed Virgin and the various ways of expressing that love cannot be equally pleasing to her and therefore do not help us to the same degree to reach heaven, I say it without a moment's hesitation, The Carmelite Scapular is her favorite!" and he adds "No devotion has been confirmed with a greater number of authentic miracles than the Carmelite Scapular."
Other Testimonies: "A Chicago priest was called to go to assist a dying man who had been away from his faith and the sacraments for many years. The dying man did not want to receive him, nor talk to him. But the priest insisted and showed him the scapular he was wearing. He asked him if he would allow him to wear it. The man agreed as long as the priest would leave him alone. An hour later the dying man sent for the priest because he wished to go to confession and die in grace and friendship with God."
The devil hates the scapular. One day the Venerable Francisco Yepes dropped his scapular. While he was putting it on, the devil howled: "Take off the habit that takes away so many souls!
A Carmelite missionary in the Holy Land was called to administer the anointing of the sick in 1944. He noticed that as he walked, his feet sank deeper and deeper into the mud until, trying to find solid ground, he slipped into a pit of mud into which he was sinking towards death. He thought of Our Lady and kissed his habit which was a scapular. He then looked towards the Mountain of Carmel and cried out: "Holy Mother of Carmel, help me, save me! A moment later he found himself on solid ground. He later testified: "I know that I was saved by the Blessed Virgin through her Carmelite Scapular. My shoes disappeared in the mud and I was covered with it, but I walked the remaining two miles, praising Mary."
Saved from the Sea
In the summer of 1845 the English ship, "King of the Ocean" was in the midst of a fierce hurricane. the waves lashed her mercilessly and the end seemed near. A Protestant minister named Fisher with his wife and children and other passengers went on deck to beg for mercy and forgiveness. Among the crew was Irishman John McAuliffe. Seeing the gravity of the situation, the young man opened his shirt, took off his Scapular and, making the Sign of the Cross with it over the raging waves, threw it into the ocean. At that precise moment the wind died down. Only one more wave reached the deck, bringing with it the Scapular, which was deposited at the boy's feet.during the event the minister had been carefully observing McAuliffe's actions and witnessed the miracle. Upon questioning the young man, they inquired about the Blessed Virgin and her Scapular. Mr. Fisher and his family resolved to enter the Catholic Church as soon as possible and thus enjoy the great protection of Our Lady's Scapular.
A Home Saved from Fire
In May 1957, a Carmelite priest in Germany published an extraordinary story of how the Scapular had saved a home from fire. A whole row of houses had caught fire in Westboden, Germany. The pious residents of a two-family house, seeing the fire, immediately hung a Scapular on the front door. Sparks flew over and around it, but the house remained intact. Within 5 hours, 22 homes had been reduced to ashes. The only building that remained intact, in the midst of the destruction, was the one that had the Scapular attached to its door. The hundreds of people who came to see the place that Our Lady had saved are eyewitnesses to the power of the Scapular and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Scapular stirs fervor
In October 1952, an Air Force officer in Texas wrote the following: "Six months after I began wearing the Scapular, I experienced a remarkable change in my life. Almost immediately I began attending Mass every day. During Lent I lived fervently as I had never lived before. I was initiated into the practice of meditation and found myself making feeble attempts at the path of perfection. I have been trying to live with God and I give credit to the Scapular of Mary".
Let us remember that the scapular is a powerful sign of Mary's motherly love and protection and her call to a life of holiness and sinlessness.Wearing the scapular is a loving response to the Mother who came to give us a gift of her mercy. We should wear it as a reminder that we belong to her, that we wish to imitate her and live in grace under her protective mantle.
