Michael October - November

The story of the medal of the Immaculate Concep-

tion, or the

Miraculous Medal

, as it has come to be

recognized today, is very beautiful. The Blessed Virgin

Mary herself designed the medal in 1830, when she

appeared to a young nun, Sr. Catherine Labouré, in the

convent of the Sisters of Charity in Paris, France.

Catherine, or Zoë, as she was called by her family,

was born in 1806, the daughter of Pierre and Madel-

eine Labouré, farmers in Fain-les-Moutier, France. Her

mother gave birth to seventeen children; eleven of

whom lived, Catherine being the second youngest.

Little Zoë was very attached to her saintly mother and

learned all her prayers and devotions from her. She

would follow her mother everywhere throughout their

home, learning to do the many chores and also how

to manage the household. Because of this, after her

mother’s death, she became the housekeeper and ef-

ficient manager for her father’s very large farm, even

though she

was only eight years old. At the

age of fourteen she felt a calling to the religious life.

With her father’s permission, she entered the order of

the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Châtil-

lon-sur-Seine and from there was transferred to the

motherhouse on the

Rue du Bac

in Paris.

Catherine was the only one in her family not to

have received an education, but Heaven will oftentimes

choose these very people to do great works. From the

very beginning of her religious life, Our Lord showered

her with special favors, often appearing to her while

she was praying before the Blessed Sacrament.

On the night of July 18, 1830, Catherine was awak-

ened by a beautiful child in a shining garment, her

guardian angel, who led her to the convent chapel.

Announcing to her that the Blessed Mother was com-

ing, he disappeared and suddenly Catherine heard the

rustle of a silk skirt. Looking up, she beheld Our Lady

coming towards her and then

seating her-

self in a chair at the side of

the al-

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

tar. Catherine was so in awe of this vision, that she fell

to her knees by the Virgin’s side. In an instant, all fear

and doubt left her. She placed her folded hands upon

the Virgin’s lap and together, for over two hours, they

conversed. Our Lady told Catherine that she must be

prepared to undertake a very difficult task.

On November 27

, the Virgin once again ap-

peared to Catherine, this time, in the form of a pic-

ture. Catherine described the event as follows:

“I saw the Blessed Virgin standing on a globe,

Her face was beautiful beyond words. Rays of daz-

zling light were streaming from gems on Her fingers,

down to the globe. And I heard a voice say: ‘Behold

the symbol of graces which I will shower down on

all who ask Me for them!’ Then, an oval frame sur-

rounded Our Lady on which I read the prayer, in let-

ters of gold: ‘O Mary, conceived without sin, pray

for us who have recourse to Thee ! ’ The oval frame

turned and I could see, on the reverse side, enclosed

in a frame of twelve stars, the letter M surmounted

by a cross with a bar beneath. Below these sym-

bols were the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, one sur-

rounded by a crown of thorns, the other pierced by

a sword. I heard a voice, which said to me: ‘Have a

medal struck according to this model. Those who

wear it, when it is blessed, will receive great graces,

especially if they wear it around their necks. There

will be graces in abundance for all who wear it with

confidence.”

Catherine confided this message to her confessor,

Fr. Aladel, who, in turn, presented the evidence to the

Archbishop of Paris, Most Rev. Hyacinthe-Louis de

Quelen. After an extensive and careful investigation,

the archbishop decided in favor of the apparitions and

in 1832, he ordered that a medal be struck, designed

in accordance with the instructions given to Catherine

by Our Lady. The sisters of Catherine’s order, the Sis-

ters of Charity in Paris, were the primary promoters of

this devotion, distributing the medals to everyone with

whom they came in contact. The devotion spread very

quickly and immediately the graces promised by the

Blessed Virgin were “showered” upon those who wore

her medal; blessings of healing, peace, prosperity and

most especially, conversion. Very soon the people

were referring to it as the “

Miraculous Medal”

The Medal

This medal is not a “good luck charm”. There is

no superstition or “magic” attached to this devotion. It

is simply an instrument, or a sacramental, which is a

testimony to the power of faith and trusting prayer. This

simple medal, small and of little value, is like the hum-

ble Catherine Labouré herself. Uneducated and hidden

from the world, even from the sisters in her convent

(who were unaware of her identity as the priviledged

one of God until after her death), she was chosen by

God to bring about a great good for the world.

“…

God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,

and God chose the weak of the world to shame the

strong…”

(1 Corinthians 1:27) The Church celebrates

the feast day of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on

November 27th. To wear this medal is a blessing and

a great privilege, for it is a special gift from the Blessed

Mother herself.

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, pray for us !

St. Catherine Labouré, pray for us !

Anne Marie Jacques

Above: Catherine Labouré died in 1876, at the age of 70. Her body is still remarkably preserved, in-

corrupt, in the chapel of the Miraculous Medal on Rue du Bac in Paris, France. Left: the chapel of the Mir-

aculous Medal, with the two sides of the medal. The text on the medal: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray

for us who have recourse to Thee.”

MICHAEL October/November/December 2013