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3 March, 2023
Dear Friends of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
Over 100 million people watched Harrison Butker kick the winning field goal in the final minutes of the Super Bowl, but only a few people noticed something small and hugely significant. If you look closely, you will see that Harrison Butker has around his neck…Our Lady’s Brown Scapular. With all humility, we take it as a sign.
The Brown Scapular is first and foremost a Catholic devotional. Unlike other devotionals, the wearing of the Brown Scapular ensures eternal salvation as promised by the Mother of God herself. Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock— a forlorn but saintly monk on July 16th, 1251—instructing him that “Whosever dies wearing this Brown Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.”
How can I be saved by a simple practice? God can save us in whatever fashion he decides—even through a simple practice. But just as Naaman refused to be cleansed of his leprosy by bathing seven times in the River Jordan, we often reject that redemption may be realized by simple actions. We believe that the soul of a sinful man may be saved by the devotion of the Brown Scapular. Our belief is informed and supported by His Blessed Mother, the Church and the Popes, who instruct that it is true and effective. All that is required to profit from this devotion is to wear it with honest faith and sincere desire to live the virtues of their vocation.
We are, today, in dark times. What can we do in the face of an incredible loss of faith both in the laity and clergy? The Church seems to be in an eclipse and her light diminishing. We feel that simple devotions would make a difference in the lives of millions. Our aim is to make millions of Brown Scapular devotionals—and distribute them as widely as possible.
Our little society is but a one-horse operation whose sole purpose is to get a scapular around the neck of everyone in the world. We know this sounds overly ambitious, but “with God all things are possible.” So far, we have raised initial financing to design and build a machine to produce the devotionals in high volume. Our principal engineer (Stefan Hamminga of Finland) has completed the design of a machine capable of producing seven million scapulars a year (one per second). We’re excited, but we know this is just a beginning—and could use your help to take the next step. In short, we could use your prayers and donations. So far, we have raised $70,000 towards our target of $200,000. If you are able to help us or can think of others who may be able to help, please let me know.
We hope to place a Brown Scapular around the neck of everyone in the world. How can Our Lady not bless you for making her promise a reality?
In Jesus and Mary,
Fr. James Schultz and the Scapular Apostolate
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