Kiss the Scapular

Friars at the Dominican House of Studies kiss their scapulars as a way to request forgiveness or express thanks to their brothers while maintaining silence. According to Brother Ignatius Nguyen, O.P., this gesture serves as a way to say excuse me when friars pass one another in the chapel or cloister.

The custom is used when friars arrive late to meetings, drop books loudly in hallways, or make mistakes while chanting the Liturgy of the Hours. A single friar may perform this gesture at least 77 times in one week. This practice is one of several customs within the Order used to maintain fraternity and acknowledge the need for mercy, which includes confessing failings during the chapter of faults and reciting the Confiteor at daily Mass.