The Sabbatine Privilege

Pope John XXII and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

To Pope John XXII is attributed the vision of the Virgin of Carmel revealing the Sabbatine privilege:

"I the Mother of grace, shall descend into purgatory on the Saturday after their death and as many as I shall find in purgatory I shall free, that I may lead them unto the mountain of life everlasting."

The conditions required by Our Lady for this privilege are:

Enrollment by a duly authorized priest.
The constant wearing of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The observance of chastity according to one's state in life.
The recitation of the Office of the Blessed Virgin.

For those who cannot read, abstinence from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays. For a just cause, the recitation of the Office as well as the abstinence may be commuted by a priest with faculties into other good works, such as the daily recitation of the Holy Rosary.

Although there is a controversy over the authenticity of the Bull of Pope John XXII that describes this vision, the Sabbatine privilege itself has been recognized and approved by many Sovereign Pontiffs, including Pope Paul V, Pope St. Pius X and Pope Pius XI.   Moreover, the conditions for gaining this privilege are mentioned in the Roman Breviary in Matins for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Text Source:
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church
Pope John XXII and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel