The Enrollment

Today was the day! (Actually it was yesterday since I'm posting this after midnight.)

Father enrolled me and a number of other people who came up to the first few pews after Mass. He read the blessing aloud in English so we knew what he was saying and in Latin every scapular after that. He blessed the scapulars, said something in Latin, and put the Scapulars in front of each persons lips so we can kiss them before he put them on us. We're also encouraged to kiss them when putting them on after taking a shower.

It was a beautiful ceremony.

Father talked about our becoming part of a scapular confraternity by enrolling. I googled the Brown Scapular and was reminded about the obligation to say the Little Office, but a priest can change this to the Rosary. I'll have to look and see if my Little Office books got shoved under the bed. (Dearest St Anthony please help me find them.)

I found out from Father that only the first scapular has to be blessed although we're encouraged to get the others blessed too.

According to what I read in the Google article, if you want to wear the Scapular medal, you must still have the enrollment done with the Scapular and then replace it with the medal after the enrollment. And you need to have every Scapular medal that you wear blessed by a priest or deacon after that.

I took an old cell phone with a camera to the church and had a lady take a couple pictures of me with the priest while he still had the special vestment he had on for enrolling the Scapular.

According to Father, the Scapular was given to St. Simon Stock, when she appeared to him at Mt. Carmel in 1251.

At first only Carmelite priests were allowed to do the enrollment; now any priest is allowed to do it.