ADMISSION TO THE CONFRATERNITY 253 Additional Explanations for the Recipients of the Blue Scapular • It is necessary to go to Communion on the day of joining the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. and receiving the Blue Scapular. The Scapular should be made out of blue cloth. The Scapular should be worn so that its one part is over the chest and the other over the back. • In 1910, Pope St. Pius X introduced a Scapular Medal, which may be substituted in most cases for any of the various cloth Scapulars. However, valid enrollment in the Scapulars must be made before the substitution. • Both the cloth Scapular and the Medal should be worthily worn. When the Blue Scapular wears out or becomes misplaced or lost, another Scapular should be put on; the replacement can be blessed by any priest or deacon. • People wearing the Blue Scapular also share in all the spiritual benefits of the Order of the Clerics Regular – Theatines, both during their lifetime and after death. • The names of the faithful belonging to the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception should be recorded in the registry of the Confraternity. Some of the Marian churches at which the Confraternity exists (i.e. in Warsaw-Stegny, Poland, or in London, England) have such a registry. In the U.S. the Confraternity is established at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Confraternity members receive a special certificate confirming their membership. • The death of a Brother or Sister of the Confraternity (the honorary title of a member) should be reported to the respective Marian church, so that the Congregation can include that person in their prayers for the departed. • The pious wearing of the Scapular and devotional practices – as for example, kissing the Scapular or Medal – carry an additional partial indulgence granted by the Church. • There is the opportunity of accepting the Scapular of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary without joining the Marian Fathers’ Confraternity. The faithful who wish to accept the Scapular but do not want to belong to the said Confraternity should clearly state this when asking for the Scapular. The faithful who wear the Blue Scapular but are not formally aggregated (admitted into the Confraternity of the Marian Fathers and listed in their Register) belong spiritually to the broadly understood community of the Theatine Fathers – custodians of the Blue Scapular. In addition, they share in the spiritual benefits of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Conception located at Sant’Andrea della Valle Basilica in Rome, which is run by the Theatine Fathers.
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