What does Our Lady of Mount Carmel promise to anyone who wears her scapular?

The scapular has its origins in an apparition of the Virgin Mary to Saint Simon Stock.

It happened in London in the year 1261. The Blessed Virgin, surrounded by countless angels, appeared to Saint Simon Stock of the Carmelite Order and promised him special protection for that Order, while at the same time presenting him with the Scapular of the Carmelites with this promise: “Receive, my most beloved son, the Scapular of your Order, a sign of my fellowship, a privilege for you and for all Carmelites; whoever dies wearing it will be delivered from eternal fire. Behold the sign of salvation, salvation in times of danger, a covenant of peace and an everlasting pact.”.

Later, Pope John XXI confirmed with his authority the Scapular of the Carmelites and the Sabbatine Privilege, transcribing the following words of the Virgin Mary: “I, Mother of Graces, will come down on the Saturday after his death, and I will free all those who are in Purgatory and lead them to the holy mountain of eternal life.”.

The Conditions

The requirements set by the Church so that we may benefit from this promise are:

-Have the scapular blessed by a priest authorized to do so (once in a lifetime is sufficient) and wear it regularly.

-To remain chaste in accordance with one's state in life.

-Pray three Hail Marys every day.

Cardinal Tarancón's Testimony

Throughout history, there have been many miraculous events that demonstrate the Blessed Virgin’s faithfulness to her promise. Cardinal Vicente Enrique y Tarancón recounted what happened while he was bishop of Solsona in a pastoral letter on the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel:

“It was June 1938. It had been barely two months since the Nationalist forces had reached the Mediterranean, liberating the parish of Vinaroz, where we arrived seven days after the liberation and where we served as parish priests for more than five years.

A letter from the military authorities requested our cooperation in providing spiritual assistance to ten prisoners sentenced to death, who were to be executed at dawn. At eleven o’clock at night, the prisoners entered the chapel, and from that moment on, the three priests who were then in Vinaroz began speaking with them, offering them eternal life, since they could not save their temporal lives. Eight of them went to confession immediately, showing great and visible signs of repentance and fervor. One, who had been a political commissar in the Red Army, barely allowed us to approach him. All our attempts were in vain, and we were unable to get him to go to confession.

A convict who refused to confess

There was one among them all who really stood out. He was a man in his sixties, a native of La Galera in the province of Tarragona, dressed in the traditional attire of Catalan farmers: white stockings and short breeches, but with refined and distinguished manners that seemed to contrast with his rustic attire. One of the priests struck up a conversation with him, while the rest of us attended to the others. 

By the time eight of them had already confessed, and while I was talking with some of them—comforting them in that terrible ordeal and receiving their final wishes and messages to pass on to their respective families—the curate approached me and whispered in my ear:

"Father, I haven't been able to get through to that man—why don't you try?"

I went there, and he welcomed me very warmly; I spoke with him for quite a while and immediately realized that he was a cultured man who also had an unusual Christian upbringing. Those details encouraged me, and I became deeply convinced that it would not be difficult to get him to go to confession.

But I was terribly disappointed when, after talking with him for more than half an hour, he said these exact words to me:

-Look, Father, I am truly grateful for what you are doing for me. I understand that you’re having a rough night because of me, since you have nothing to gain from my going to confession. I’m extremely grateful to you, but I beg you not to insist; I can assure you right now that I will not go to confession. I was raised as a Christian, but I’ve lost my faith. 

I was momentarily stunned; I hardly knew what to say. But, undoubtedly inspired by the Blessed Virgin, I dared to suggest to her:

-Would you do me a favor?

"Whichever one you want," he replied, "as long as you don't ask me to go to confession.".

-"Would you allow me," I added, "to place the Holy Scapular on you?"

"I don't mind at all," he told me. "Things like that don't mean anything to me; but if it will please you, go ahead.".

«The Virgin Mary saved me»

I immediately placed the Holy Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on him and then went off to pray to the Blessed Virgin for him. He went and sat in a corner at the end of one of the benches in that room. Not even five minutes had passed when I heard a kind of roar and some loud, choked sobs, which alarmed me. I went back into the room and saw that man throwing himself at me, weeping unceasingly, and saying to me, amid his tears:

-I want to go to confession, I want to go to confession. I don't deserve this grace from God. The Virgin Mary has saved me.

To the admiration and amazement of everyone present, he confessed, without ceasing to shed tears for even a moment, with truly extraordinary and touching contrition. And when, at the very last moment, before they were taken to the place of execution, I said goodbye to them, she embraced me and kissed me, saying:

-Thank you, Father; thank you for the immense good you have done for me. I will pray for you in Heaven. Thank you, and see you in Heaven.

”I sincerely confess that I was deeply moved by that scene and that my tears mingled with hers, as I gave thanks to the Lord for that marvel and thanked the Blessed Virgin for allowing me to witness that splendid manifestation of her maternal and merciful love."