16th May - Saint Simon Stock
Simon, an Englishman, died at Bordeaux in the mid-thirteenth century. He has been venerated in the Carmelite Order for his personal holiness and his devotion to Our Lady. In 1251, he experienced an apparition during a time when the order was being oppressed. The Virgin Mary appeared to him holding the brown scapular in one hand. She told him, “Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is a special sign of my favor which I have obtained for thee and thy children of Mt. Carmel. He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger and a pledge of special peace and protection.”
Heavenly Father, you called Saint Simon Stock to serve you in the brotherhood of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Through his prayers, help us, like him, to live in your presence, and to work for the salvation of the human family. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
