Licit to pin it? (scapulars)

[vluvski]

Would it be licit to remove the strings of your brown scapular (or any scapular worn in that fashion) and pin each side to your undergarment in order to avoid looking tacky, especially for women whose scapular strings may be mistaken for a bra strap.
Thanks!

 

[MTD]

Would it be licit to remove the strings of your brown scapular (or any scapular worn in that fashion) and pin each side to your undergarment in order to avoid looking tacky, especially for women whose scapular strings may be mistaken for a bra strap.
Thanks!

It wouldn’t be a scapular if you removed the straps. Why not pin the straps as well?

Maria

 

[jrabs]

How about tying it around your waist? I do this and its great in warmer weather.

 

[MTD]

How about tying it around your waist? I do this and its great in warmer weather.

That’s actually not the proper way to wear a scapular. A scapular is to be worn over the shoulders so that one cloth falls over the front and the other over the back.

Maria

 

[TimOliv]

…in order to avoid looking tacky, especially for women whose scapular strings may be mistaken for a bra strap.

Scapulars are not meant to make a fashion statement.

However, I understand your concern. I’ll tell you what I do when I am wearing “casual wear” makes the scapular more visible. I also wear a chain with a St. Anthony medal, I tuck the front of my scapular through the chain (kept under my shirt). The straps are kept around my neck (instead of across each shoulder). If you did the same, I cannot imagine that anyone would mistake them for bra straps.

 

[jrabs]

That’s actually not the proper way to wear a scapular. A scapular is to be worn over the shoulders so that one cloth falls over the front and the other over the back.

Maria

My bad. Don’t listen to me then.

 

[FCEGM]

It wouldn’t be a scapular if you removed the straps. . .

Precisely. It gets its name from that portion of our anatomy called the scapula - go figure.

 

[vluvski]

It wouldn’t be a scapular if you removed the straps. Why not pin the straps as well?

Maria

I have tried this, and they still seem to work their way up and out. Maybe I should just buy enough to sew one into each of my undergarments.

jrabs, I’ve worn it around my waist before, too, until someone was kind enough to correct me. Ahh, ignorance is bliss.

 

[vluvski]

Scapulars are not meant to make a fashion statement.

Exactly, I’m trying NOT to make a fashion statement by keeping it under my shirt. I really don’t care if people see it or even having to explain it, but IMO it’s almost as tacky (for a woman) as letting your bra straps show.

Aren’t the metal ones restricted to people who cannot wear the wool because of severe allergies or because they disintegrate too fast?

 

[TimOliv]

Exactly, I’m trying NOT to make a fashion statement by keeping it under my shirt. I really don’t care if people see it or even having to explain it, but IMO it’s almost as tacky (for a woman) as letting your bra straps show.

Aren’t the metal ones restricted to people who cannot wear the wool because of severe allergies or because they disintegrate too fast?

I understand completely, I simply said such as a disclaimer before telling you how I handle my own scapular. By placing the front of my scapular through the chain of my St Anthony medal, it draws the cords closer to my neck, unless someone has a very vivid imagination, I cannot believe they would assume it to be a bra strap.

However, I did some research on the scapular medal.

The Scapular Medals

Since 1910 and the regulation of the Holy Office of 16 December of that year (Acta Apost. Sedis, III, 22 sq.) it is permitted to wear, instead of one or more of the small scapulars a single medal of metal. This medal must have on one side a representation of Jesus Christ with His Most Sacred Heart and on the other an image of the Mother of God.

All persons who have been validly invested with a blessed woollen scapular may replace such by this medal. The medal must be blessed by a priest possessing the faculty to bless and invest with the scapular or scapulars which the medal is to replace. The faculties to bless these medals are subject to the same conditions and limitations as the faculties to bless and invest with the corresponding scapulars. If the medal is to be worn instead of a number of different scapulars, it must receive the blessing that would be attached to each of them, i. e. as many blessings as the number of scapulars it replaces.

For each blessing a sign of the Cross suffices. This medal must also be worn constantly, either about the neck or in some other seemly manner, and with it may be attained all the indulgences and privileges of the small scapulars without exception. Only the small (not the large) scapulars may be validly replaced by such medals.

I found that here:

domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/19980701/SCRMNTL/SCAPUL.HTM

I hope this helps.

 

[vluvski]

Wow, thanks Tim. I must have read some old info about the metal scapulars.

 

[LilyM]

It wouldn’t be a scapular if you removed the straps.

Not necessarily. The Green Scapular comes in a form called the ‘wallet scapular’ where, I believe, it is simply the two pieces of cloth without the straps.

 

[TimOliv]

Not necessarily. The Green Scapular comes in a form called the ‘wallet scapular’ where, I believe, it is simply the two pieces of cloth without the straps.

However, by not “wearing” the scapular, I do not believe you are entitled to the indulgences attached to the scapular.

 

[LilyM]

However, by not “wearing” the scapular, I do not believe you are entitled to the indulgences attached to the scapular.

Fair enough.

I don’t really think anyone seeing scapular straps would confuse them for bra straps, although for mine it can look a little odd.

Personally I’d substitute it as needed for a nice four-way medal (which combines Scapular Medal with Miraculous Medal and St Christopher and St Joseph all in the one). Then your motive would be convenience and extra graces and not sheer vanity.

 

[vluvski]

Fair enough.

I don’t really think anyone seeing scapular straps would confuse them for bra straps, although for mine it can look a little odd.

Personally I’d substitute it as needed for a nice four-way medal (which combines Scapular Medal with Miraculous Medal and St Christopher and St Joseph all in the one). Then your motive would be convenience and extra graces and not sheer vanity.

I wear my miraculous medal all the time. I keep watching for a 4 way that would compliment it (since the one I wear is sentimental). I guess now we’re getting into the vanity arena… For some reason I never realized that the 4 way also included the scapular. I will have to tell my husband since he wears both the scapular and the 4 way. Of course it’s not hurting anything, so maybe I won’t.

 

[vluvski]

Is there any way to tell if a scapular medal/4 way medal is licit or not? I mean, I’ve seen some listed as scapular medals that do not have the sacred heart.

 

[LilyM]

Is there any way to tell if a scapular medal/4 way medal is licit or not? I mean, I’ve seen some listed as scapular medals that do not have the sacred heart.

A scapular medal needs to have the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Mt Carmel