The "sacramentals" of the church are blessed, and therefore powerfully "charged", sacred objects which are designed to assist believers in living holy lives. They include such commonly used substances as Holy Water and Exorcised Salt but are more often the crucifixes, statues, holy pictures, scapulars and medals which can be found in every traditional Catholic home. At the parishes and oratories of our community members various scapulars, medals and "miraculous medals" from the Rue du Bac are often for sale, along with prayer cards and other small items. Please use the contact form for further details.
For information about the medal of St Benedict please click this link!
The Red Scapular of the Passion
This scapular owes its origin to a series of apparitions of Jesus Christ to a Sister of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in1846 in which He showed the sister a scapular, and promised to all who should wear it, on every Friday a great increase of faith, hope, and charity. This scapular and its bands are of red woolen material. On one half is a picture of Our Crucified Lord with the implements of His Passion and the words "Holy Passion of Jesus Christ, Save Us"; on the other are represented the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and above these a cross with the inscription: "Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, protect us."
Any Holy Cross Benedictine in major orders may bless and invest other clergy or members of the laity with this scapular and will be delighted to do so.
Five-fold Scapular
For those intent on devotion to God and Our Lady by means of the five main scapulars approved by the (RC) church the Five-fold scapular is most convenient as all five, sewn together, may be worn at once. Scapulars include the White Scapular of the Blessed Trinity (1190), the Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception (1605), the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (1251), the Black Scapular of the Seven Dolours (1240) and the Red Scapular of the Passion (1846). Formerly reserved to the Redemptorist Congregation any priest may now invest with this most powerful means of grace and devotion.
The Miraculous Medal
Of all Catholic sacramentals scarely any have had such widely enduring appeal as the "Miraculous Medal". "On November 27, 1830, St Catherine Labouré reported that the Blessed Mother visited her during her evening meditation. She displayed herself inside an oval frame, standing upon a globe, wearing many rings of different colors, most of which shone rays of light over the globe. Around the margin of the frame appeared the words Ô Marie, conçue sans péché, priez pour nous qui avons recours à vous (in English, O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee). As Catherine watched, the frame seemed to rotate, showing a circle of twelve stars, a large letter M surmounted by a cross, and the stylized Sacred Heart of Jesus crowned with thorns andImmaculate Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. Asked why some of her rings did not shed light, Mary reportedly replied, "Those are the graces for which people forget to ask." Catherine then heard Mary ask her to take these images to her father confessor, telling him that they should be put on medallions, and saying "All who wear them will receive great graces." (wikipedia)