Sacramentals: Grace and Conversion

by Charles S. MacIssac, O.S.

If I remember correctly, St. Teresa of Avila made the comment that she would give her life for a sacramental. In the new, sacramentals are described as signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments, in that they signify effects obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them, men are disposed to On January 28, 1840, Our Lady appeared to a Daughter of Charity, Sister Justine Bisqueburu, requesting that a particular scapular be made. It is a simple piece of green cloth suspended from a cord of the same color. On one side of the cloth is an image of Our Lady, and on the other, a heart inflamed with rays. There is an inscription around the heart  "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death." This scapular, which is meant for conversions, does not have to be worn. It can be kept in a wallet, in a bureau drawer, within a pillow case, etc. The prayer should be said daily by either the one receiving it or the one giving it.
On Pentecost Sunday, 1997, I witnessed the effects of this sacramental. I am a priest of the Oblates of Wisdom, a small society whose superior is Monsignor John F. McCarthy with the Catholic Near East Welfare Association in Rome. As a priest, I have more opportunity than most people to see the workings of grace. I was in a hospital, visiting a Sister Ignatius, who is a member of the Cabrini Sisters. She is the biological sister of the renowned Father Vincent Miceli, recently deceased. After giving her a blessing and leaving the room, I was approached by a woman who asked me if I was a priest. (I was in clerical garb, as required by our society.) When I assured her that I was, she requested that I baptize her husband.
Before agreeing to do so, I obtained background information about the man, who was a patient on the same floor. He was about 70 and had been a Mason most of his life. His mind was somewhat confused. I left the woman and went into the room, where I greeted the formidable looking gentleman. He was open to conversation. It seemed that he was amenable to being baptized, but more to please his wife than from personal conviction. He had some prejudices about the Church because a close Catholic acquaintance had scandalized him, and he had concerns about certain Catholic practices. I explained some Catholic teachings that troubled him and, with his acquiescence, put a Green Scapular around his neck. I told him that I would return in a few hours.

I then stopped to see Sister Ignatius and asked for her prayers. She had a rosary that had been given to her by the Holy Father, which she assured me would immediately be put to use. I then went to the nearby home of a member of one of our lay chapters, Mrs. Mary Tacito, and again asked for prayers for the conversion of the man. Mary, her husband Pat, two daughters, a son-in-law, and grandchildren prayed the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for that intention. Mary also promised to make a Holy Hour at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul Church while I returned to the hospital.

As I entered the man's room, I could see that he was still wearing the Green Scapular. I was struck by a noticeable change in his demeanor, which was also evident in what he said. He told me with conviction that he wanted to become a Catholic and would live up to the requirements of the Faith. Within a few minutes, he received three sacraments of the Church  Baptism, Anointing of the Sick, and Penance. I called his wife from the room, and she declared that it was a miracle. The next morning he received Holy Communion and repeated his wife's claim that what had happened was indeed a miracle. The very next day, he passed away with a Brown Scapular around his neck.

This is not the first time that I have witnessed the effects of the Green Scapular. Approximately twelve years ago, a man who had been away from the Church for 50 years and had bone cancer returned to the sacraments. I had been recently ordained, when a woman in her forties came to the Rectory, noticeably distraught. She was a convert, and her father was dying. That afternoon I went to the hospital where he was a patient. I tried to give him a quick course in apologetics, but there was no visible response. Although discouraged, I tied a Green Scapular to the springs under his bed. This was no easy feat, as his wife was bitterly anti-Catholic and there were two other patients in the room, one a Baptist and the other a Jew.
The next day I returned and continued to give him reasons to return to the Church. I had just about given up when he said, "Father, I will do anything you want." He received the sacraments; the penance I gave him included some Hail Marys, which we said together. Afterward he said, "Father, you don't know how often I have said that prayer." Two days later, he died peacefully.

I have had other experiences with the Green Scapular associated with conversions. Once, for example, when I asked two young Jewish converts what had brought them into the Church, they answered simply, "The Green Scapular." When I last heard, one of them was studying for the priesthood with the Carmelites.

I have also experienced graces given through the Miraculous Medal, the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and Holy Water. I suspect that one of the best-kept secrets in today's Church is the efficacy of sacramentals. Maybe the advice given by St. Teresa of Avila about devotion to St. Joseph could also apply to sacramentals: if you have not tried them, try them.

Father Charles S. Maclsaac, O.S. is a priest of the Oblates of Wisdom and holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Angelicum.

Return to Catholic Faith Sept/Oct 1997 Table of Contents

Return to Catholic Information Center on Internet's Periodicals