The Green Scapular (also called The Badge of the

Immaculate Heart of Mary The Immaculate Heart of Mary () is a Roman Catholic devotional name used to refer to the Catholic view of the interior life of Mary, mother of Jesus, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love ...

) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

devotional article approved by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

in 1870. It is called a

scapular The scapular (from Latin ''wikt:scapula#Latin, scapulae'', "shoulders") is a Western Christianity, Western Christian garment suspended from the shoulders. There are two types of scapulars, the Monasticism, monastic and Catholic devotions, devot ...

due to its appearance, but is not descended from the scapulars that form part of the

habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

worn by

religious orders A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practi ...

.Ball, Ann. 2003 ''Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices'', page 217, It can be more accurately described as a "cloth medal". It is unique among Catholic scapulars, as it the only scapular which has only one badge of cloth, while all others have at least two. The development of the green scapular is based on visions reportedly experienced in 1840 by Sister Justine Bisqueyburu, a member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.

Background

Almost ten years after Saint

Catherine Labouré Catherine Labouré (May 2, 1806 – December 31, 1876) was a French member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and a Marian visionary. She is believed to have relayed the request from the Blessed Virgin Mary to create the famo ...

, a member of the same Congregation of the Daughters of Charity, reported several apparitions of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, in 1830, at the motherhouse in the

Rue du Bac, Paris Rue du Bac is a street in Paris situated in the 7th arrondissement. The street, which is 1150 m long, begins at the junction of the quais Voltaire and Anatole-France and ends at the rue de Sèvres. Rue du Bac is also the name of a station on ...

, that resulted on the creation of the Miraculous Medal of Our Lady of Graces. According to Chris Maunder, the visions of the Rue du Bac inspired other similar accounts among the French Vincentian nuns during the 1840s. A second Daughter of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, Sister Justine Bisqueyburu, reported a similar experience in 1840, that led to the creation of the Green Scapular. In 1846 Sister Apolline Andriveaut purportedly received a vision at Troyes, France, that formed the basis of the

Red Scapular of the Passion The Red Scapular of the Passion of Our Lord and the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary is a Roman Catholic sacramentals, sacramental scapular associated with the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians. It is often just called the Scapular of ...

Justine Bisqueyburu

Early life

Justine Bisqueyburu was born on 11 November 1817 in Mauléon, Lower Pyrenees,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, to Clement and Ursula Albine d'Anglade Bisqueyburu. Her father was a merchant. Orphaned at a young age, she was brought up by her maternal aunt.Mott C.M., Marie Edouard. "The Green Scapular and Its Favors", 1961
/ref> On 28 January 1840, during her retreat in preparation for entrance into the Daughters of Charity, Justine was in the chapel at

Rue du Bac Rue du Bac is a street in Paris situated in the 7th arrondissement. The street, which is 1150 m long, begins at the junction of the quais Voltaire and Anatole-France and ends at the rue de Sèvres. Rue du Bac is also the name of a station on ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. While she was at prayer, the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared to her, dressed in a long white gown and a light blue mantle; her hair was not covered, and she said nothing. At the end of the retreat, the Virgin Mary appeared to her again, and the vision recurred five times during the latter's

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

. On each occasion, the vision was identical to the first; on each occasion, Our Lady said nothing.

Visions

Shortly after she had received the habit of the Daughters of Charity, Sr Justine was sent to teach the poor in Blangy. On 8 September 1840 (the

Feast of the Nativity of Mary The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, the Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern canon of scripture does not record Mary's bir ...

), while Sr Justine was at prayer, the Virgin Mary again appeared, holding in her right hand her heart surrounded by flames, and in her left a type of scapular consisting of a single piece of green cloth strung on green cords. On the cloth was an image of the Virgin as she had appeared to Sr Justine, holding her heart in her right hand. On the cloth's reverse was "a Heart all ablaze with rays more dazzling than the sun and as transparent as crystal". The heart was pierced by a sword, surmounted by a gold cross and with words in the shape of an oval around the heart: "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death". Sr Justine heard an interior voice say that the Virgin Mary wished the scapular to be promoted widely as an instrument in the conversion of souls. Sr Justine told her superior about the visions and, subsequently, her spiritual director, Jean-Marie Aladel, C.M. who was skeptical and told her she was deluded.

Later life

During the Crimean War, Sr Justine was sent to serve in Constantinople. In 1856 she went to the military hospital at Val-de-Grâce in Paris, where she remained for two years. In 1858 she was commissioned to open the military hospital of Rennes; later that year she was placed in charge of a military hospital in Algiers, a position she held for nine years. In 1867, her superiors sent her to Italy in the service of the

Papal Zouaves The Papal Zouaves ( it, Zuavi Pontifici) were an infantry battalion, later regiment, dedicated to defending the Papal States. Named after the French zouave regiments, the ' were mainly young men, unmarried and Catholic, who volunteered to assist ...

. After spending three days and three nights on the battlefield, she went to Rome to equip and organize three ambulances. She was held in high esteem at the Papal Court, were

appreciated her valor, and occasionally allowed her to accompany him in his walks through the Papal gardens. To the end of her life, Sr Justine maintained silence about these visions, and spoke only with her superior and her spiritual director about them. The Green Scapular was approved by

in 1870. Sister Justine Bisqueyburu died on 23 September 1903. Color green scapular

Description

The devotional scapular is made of green fabric. The obverse has an image of the burning heart of Mary (without the

chaplet Chaplet may refer to: * Chaplet (headgear), a wreath or garland for the head * Chaplet (prayer), a string of prayer beads and the associated prayer * Chaplet (metallurgy), a metal form to hold a core in place See also * Wreath (attire) * Ukraini ...

of roses), pierced by a sword and dripping blood, above which is a crux immissa, encircled by the words "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at our hour of death." The reverse shows a full standing image of the

with the radiant Immaculate Heart. It differs from other scapulars in that it consists of only one rectangular piece of cloth instead of two.

Devotional use

Since it is not the emblem of a confraternity but simply a double image attached to a single piece of cloth, no investiture is necessary. The only requirement is that the Green Scapular be blessed by a priest and worn or carried by the person wishing to benefit by it. The Scapular may also be worn about the neck, placed under the pillow, kept in a wallet, or placed in one's clothing. The prayer, "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death", should with confidence be said for or by the person. When invoked under this

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

and through this holy image, the Virgin Mary is said to obtain great favours from her Son, especially in the areas of physical health, peace of mind and spiritual conversion. She would particularly obtain the conversion of those who had fallen away from the faith.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Free printable images for making Green Scapulars

University of Dayton - Guide to the Marian devotional scapular collection
Scapulars Catholic devotions