Confraternities and archconfraternities
Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows (Servite Black Scapular)
Black Scapular of the Seven Sorrows · Scapular of the Seven Dolours · Servite Confraternity · Confraternity of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
Order of Servants of Mary (Servites, OSM), founded in Florence in 1233 and approved by Pope Alexander IV in 1255. US lay branch: Secular Order of the Servants of Mary (OSSM).
Scapulars · SacramentalsThe black wool scapular, imposed by a priest with the Servite faculty.
The long way round
In person, with a priest. Free apart from buying the black scapular itself.
How to be enrolledThe real first step is contacting the Secular Servites through their inquiry form, because you need a priest who holds the Servite faculty to bless the scapular and receive you, and ordinary parish priests do not have it automatically.
Members have a portal to sign in to.
This is the confraternity for people drawn to Mary's sorrows rather than her glories. Members wear a plain black wool scapular, which is two small pieces of cloth joined by cords and worn over the shoulders under clothing, and spend a short time each day thinking about the seven sorrows of Mary's life, from Simeon's prophecy that a sword would pierce her heart through to the burial of her Son. The usual prayer is the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows. One thing to be clear about: the seven sorrows of Mary are not the same as the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, two different sevens from the same religious family that are often muddled together.
Where it comes from
Lay groups gathered around Servite churches from early on and were formally recognised as affiliated to the Servite family by the order's prior general in 1374. Pope Paul V granted indulgences to the Black Scapular in 1611, Pope Innocent X gave the confraternity its definitive canonical form in 1645, and the Congregation for Indulgences confirmed its indulgences again in 1888.
What you promise
Wear the black scapular. Pray daily for the Servite Order and the Church, with the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows recommended, and meditate on Mary's sorrows. The specific figure of fifteen minutes a day that circulates online comes from a third-party devotional site and was not confirmed against a Servite source when this record was read, so treat the daily time requirement as 'a short daily prayer' rather than a fixed quantity.
What the Church attaches
Indulgences granted by Paul V in 1611 and confirmed by the Congregation for Indulgences in 1888, plus a share in the prayers of the Servite Order. The scapular works as an ordinary Catholic sacramental, meaning a blessed object that disposes the wearer to grace rather than conferring it automatically. No current itemised indulgence list was found on a Servite page, so no specific indulgence should be quoted.
Something physical is involved
A plain black wool scapular, which must be blessed and imposed by a priest holding the proper faculty.
The Fivefold Scapular
Five scapulars sewn into one set and worn together. Each of the five is still its own enrollment, and the records below show that each needs its own faculty or delegation, so one ceremony covers the set only when the priest holds all of them. That is worth asking about plainly when you write: many priests hold one or two.
- Brown of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Confraternity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Brown Scapular)Who can impose it: A Carmelite priest, or one with the Carmelite faculty.
- Black of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. you are reading this oneWho can impose it: A priest holding the Servite faculty, which parish priests do not have automatically.
- Blue of the Immaculate Conception. Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception (Marian Fathers, Blue Scapular)Who can impose it: A priest or deacon delegated by the Marian Fathers.
- White of the Most Holy Trinity. Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinitarian)Who can impose it: A Trinitarian priest, or one using the rite in the Roman Ritual.
- Red of the Passion. The Lesser Scapular Confraternities (no confraternity of its own in this directory: it is reached through that composite record)Who can impose it: A priest with the Vincentian faculty, also called Lazarist.
Enrollment checked 2026-10-22. Details change without notice and parish practice varies. Confirm before relying on this sheet.