My dear Child:
The Blessed Virgin is your Mother in Heaven.
She loves you because her Son, Jesus, loves you and has died for you.
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| Vintage 1960 edition of Jesus, Make Me Worthy |
She is anxious to help you.
You may be sure that she will hear your prayers.
She is powerfully with Jesus.
He will not refuse her anything she asks.
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| The children decorated cupcakes (made with Wilton Heart Silicone Baking Cups) for the Immaculate Heart or Mary |
Is it not wonderful to have this lovely Queen of Heaven for your mother? You must try to show her that you love her.
Pray to her every day. Let her sweet name and that of Jesus be first on your lips in the morning and last at night.
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| Hand Embroidered Scapular with the Immaculate Heart of Mary |
Wear the Scapular and Miraculous Medal. It is a sign that you are hers.
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| The scapulars you can usually spot our children wearing were gifts from one of their Uncles, after he gave a retreat for the sisters at the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. You can order them directly from the sisters here. |
Say her Rosary. It is a wreath of beautiful roses which you can lay at her feet.
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| Crocheted Rosary Roses for the little ones to count the prayers of each decade of our Family Rosary |
Imitate her virtues. Try to avoid the least sin; be humble and obedient, and love Jesus with all your soul.
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| Family Read-Aloud for today’s feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – A Holy Card Prayer Book Volume I & II |
Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, and sought thine intercession, was left forsaken. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins! my Mother. To thee I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O mother of the Word! despise not my words, but graciously hear and grant my prayer. Amen.
Excerpt from Jesus, Make Me Worthy – a reprint of the original can be found here.
I hope you all had a very blessed feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!
Lovely as always, Jessica! Quick question for you. My daughter has been obsessed with my scapular pretty much since she was born, and is now almost three. I was wondering…at what age do you let your little ones start wearing scapulars/be enrolled in the brown scapular? Sounds silly, but I wasn't sure if it was the kind of thing that could be a strangulation hazard…
That was lovely Jess. I wish we felt more like a family here, and could do things like this, but with my beloved dead, and my two kids still home so disinterested in things of the Lord (and I know this is my fault, as I am a late convert, just not even 3 years ago), –things are bad. Please pray for us.
Jessica,
How long do your scapulars last? We're having trouble with the kids' as they keep breaking where the strap meets the felt. Any advice? We've gone through roughly two per child and I am looking to invest in slightly tougher scapulars!
Thanks!
Some of our children have been enrolled as infants/toddlers, but they usually don't start wearing the scapulars until around the time they reach the age of reason. We have pinned/tied some of their scapulars to their crib, but even that would make me nervous, since I worried that they would pull it off it could be a potential hazard. Our older boys were probably the youngest and started wearing theirs all the time when they were about 5. Currently our 5 year old only wears his on occasion, and our 3 year old and 1 year old have never worn their scapulars.
You know, it isn't exactly the same, but when my girls wanted to wear medals when they were really young I would pin them on to their clothing, rather than letting them wear the actual necklaces. Perhaps that might be an option for you with the scapular?
I am so sorry, Kerry! Your family remains in my prayers!
The scapulars that my BIL brought back from the convent (the one my son is wearing in this post) have lasted the best so far. They were given to the kids in August of 2011 and have been worn daily. (My kids wear them pretty much 24/7, including when we go swimming,etc. I think they only take them off to shower.) You can tell that it is looking a little "worn" but so far not one of them has broken. I have been very happy with them! In the past I would usually purchase a new scapular every other year or so (usually including it in an Easter basket). This year the children all received the hand-embroidered scapulars for Easter and they too seem like they will last.
I haven't tried it yet, but a number of years ago Kimberlee shared a post on Simple Scapular Repair. Perhaps that might be an option for your children's scapulars?
Thank you Jess for your continued prayers. The scapular on the green background, I saw on one of your other posts and had a similar one made for myself on ETSY and was enrolled, etc. When my husband was dying in the hospital, i placed it around his neck for those three weeks, and after he passed on, I had the nurse give it back to me and now I wear it as a sacramental first and foremost but also as a memento of our last days on earth together. God willing, I hope we have many more in Heaven with all the other Saints.