Praised be Jesus Christ and blessed be the Virgin Mary, Our Mother. Amen.
We must understand that medals, scapulars, holy water and any other type of sacramentals
are not charms for our protection.
They are consecrated objects that actually help when the person who uses them has faith
and tries to live a life of virtue.
The green scapular is a sacramental that our Mother the Virgin Mary gave us through Sister
Justine Bisqueyburu,
a contemporary of Saint Catherine Laboure,
to whom the Virgin Mary
gave the Miraculous Medal.
Both are members of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.
Sister Justina was highly favored by the Blessed Virgin Mary with several apparitions and she
died in the odor of sanctity in 1903.
On January 28th, 1840, Sister Justina was on her novitiate retreat and was praying in
the convent Chapel, when she suddenly saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary.
The apparition is described like this: The Virgin Mary appeared to me in a long white
silk dress revealing her feet.
Over her dress was a pale blue mantle.
Her hair fell to her shoulders and was not covered by a veil.
Sister Justina noticed that the Virgin's hands were close to her chest and held her Immaculate
Heart, from which blazing flames were coming out.
At this apparition the Virgin Mary did not say any message.
This same vision was repeated at the end of her retreat and on five other occasions during
the course of her novitiate.
On no occasion did the Virgin Mary speak a word, however the details in each of the visions
were the same.
After Sister Justina made her religious profession, the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent
de Paul sent her to a town called Blangy, where she would work with her Sisters of the Order.
Shortly after she arrived, the community was gathered to celebrate the feast of the Birth
of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Sister Justina was in prayer meditating on the greatness of this celebration and suddenly
had a new vision, this time it was different from previous occasions.
The Blessed Virgin Mary appears to her dressed as on other occasions: with a white silk dress
covered by the pale blue mantle, and in her hands holding the Immaculate Heart, resplendent
with the most intense and dazzling flames that came out of it.
But, she had something different: in her left hand she held what appeared to be a Scapular
or badge of some kind.
Unlike other Scapulars, like the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, for example,
this one had only one square of cloth instead of two.
The square of cloth was tied with green cords.
In it was an image of the Virgin Mary in the same way that she had appeared to Sister Justina
in previous visions, holding her Immaculate Heart in her right hand.
Turning the image over, the nun saw "a Heart burning with rays more dazzling than the sun
and transparent as glass."
During this vision the meaning of this apparition of the Virgin Mary was made known to her by
an inner revelation.
This vision represented a new way to obtain graces: the Scapular of the Immaculate Heart.
This scapular would be a powerful instrument for the conversion of souls, particularly
those that do not have Faith, and through this scapular, the Blessed Virgin Mary would
obtain for them, through her Son, the grace of a good death in the grace of God.
The religious was also informed of the wish of the Mother of God that the scapular be
spread everywhere so these particular graces reach all the souls who embrace this devotion.
After this apparition, our mother the Virgin Mary kept appearing to her in the same way,
insisting that devotion to this scapular known as the green scapular be spread.
Finally, the Green Scapulars began to be manufactured and distributed by the Sisters in Paris,
then throughout France and beyond.
For this purpose, the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul had received the
formal approval and necessary impetus from his Holiness, Pope Pius IX, in 1870.
The shape of this green scapular consists of a piece of green cloth, with a double graphic
representation:
On the front side of it, it bears the image of the Virgin Mary, showing her virginal heart,
in the center of her chest, holding it with her immaculate hands.
Her Heart appears pierced by a sword and crowned with flames.
This same Heart, in large size, appears on the back side of the scapular, surrounded
by this inscription in the shape of an oval:
On the top over the oval of the inscription is a gold cross.
The specific purpose of this scapular is the invitation to pray, to turn to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary with confidence and to ask, above all, for sinners.
Sister Justina Bisqueyburu said: We must say the ejaculatory prayer on the back side of
the green scapular at least once a day.
This scapular has been given by Our mother the Virgin Mary, especially as a gift for the sick.
It can be placed on the sick person's clothes, on the sick person's bed, or in the sick person's room.
If the person to whom it is given does not say the ejaculatory prayer, then the person
who has provided the green scapular, can say it on behalf of the sick person.
The wonders that the green scapular has produced bear witness to the blessing and the fulfillment
of the Virgin's promise to all who wear it and say the ejaculatory prayer: “The Virgin
Mary will make great conversions, particularly to achieve a good death for sinners and those
who have no faith.”
The Green Scapular does not require any particular investiture formula but only the blessing
of a Catholic priest.
Praised be Jesus Christ and blessed be the Virgin Mary, Our Mother. Amen.