Scapular Medal

[mariainman]

Recently my mother gave me her medal. She told me it was a Scapular medal.This medal has a picture of the Scared Heart of Jesus on one side and a picture of our Lady of Guadalupe on the other. Can you tell me if this is a Scapular medal and what that means. Thank you.

 

[mosher]

Scapular Medals are a devotional sacramental that originally were used as supplements to true cloth scapulars. Today a lot of people use the term loosely to describe medals such as this one that has a depiction of something pertaining to the Saints or Jesus etc. They are sacramentals as they are usually blessed and they usually reflect a particular devotion that the wearer has or desires to impart on the person to whom they are gifting them.

 

[Della]

mariainman:

Recently my mother gave me her medal. She told me it was a Scapular medal.This medal has a picture of the Scared Heart of Jesus on one side and a picture of our Lady of Guadalupe on the other. Can you tell me if this is a Scapular medal and what that means. Thank you.

What your mother gave you certainly is a fine sacramental, but it isn’t a Scapular Medal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel since it doesn’t have a depiction of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on it.

The Scapular Medal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is usually worn in lieu of the cloth Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel because it brings all the promises of the cloth one with it once blessed.

The medal was instituted by Pope Pius IX originally for soldiers who weren’t allowed to wear the cloth scapular, but anyone may wear the medal in place of the cloth or one may wear both, as I do, so that you can take off the cloth when you shower or swim.