The Scapular of St. Dominic 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 let ...

devotional scapular The scapular (from Latin ''scapulae'', "shoulders") is a Western Christian garment suspended from the shoulders. There are two types of scapulars, the monastic and devotional scapular, although both forms may simply be referred to as "scapular ...

. This scapular was approved by Pope Pius X in 1903.Hilgers, Joseph. "Scapular." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 13 September 2022

History

Dominican tradition holds that the white scapular that is part of the habit of the order was conferred on them by the Blessed Virgin. This forms the focus of

Lorenzo Lotto Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480 – 1556/57) was an Italian painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other north Italian cities. He painted mainly altarpieces, religiou ...

's 1508 Recanati Polyptych, painted for the church of San Domenico, Recanati.

Michael J. McGivney Michael Joseph McGivney (August 12, 1852August 14, 1890) was an Irish-American Catholic priest based in New Haven, Connecticut. He founded the Knights of Columbus at a local parish to serve as a mutual aid and fraternal insurance organization, p ...

, founder of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

was a friend of the Dominicans, who began to serve St. Mary’s in 1886, two years after Fr. McGivney was assigned to St. Thomas Church in

Thomaston, Connecticut Thomaston is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,442 at the 2020 census. The urban center of the town is the Thomaston census-designated place, with a population of 1,928 at the 2020 census. History The t ...

. He died four years later of pneumonia at the age of thirty-eight. McGivney was particularly devoted to the Holy Rosary and, when his body was interred in St. Mary’s Church in 1982, he was found wearing the white scapular of St. Dominic.

Description

The scapular is two white panels, joined by a cord or ribbon. Although no specific image is prescribed for it, the scapulars distributed by the Dominicans in Rome have an image of Dominic kneeling before the crucifix on the front and on the other side an image that Blessed Reginald of Orleans receiving the habit from the hands 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 ...

."Scapular of Saint Dominic". ''New Catholic Dictionary'', 1910

References

Scapulars Catholic devotions {{RC-stub