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
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