Miraculous Medal

Catherine Labouré stated that on July 18, 1830, the eve of the feast of Saint Vincent de Paul, she woke up after hearing the voice of a child calling her and leading her to the chapel of her convent. There, the Virgin Mary appeared to her and said: "God wishes to charge you with a mission...You will be contradicted, but do not fear, you will have grace...Tell your spiritual director all that passes within you...Times are evil. Sorrows will come upon France...The whole world will be upset by miseries of every kind...". that shone rays of light over the globe. Reportedly, Mary said to her that the rays symbolize the graces she is "shedding upon those who ask for them", and that the gems which did not shed light "are the graces for which souls forget to ask". As Catherine watched, the frame seemed to rotate, showing a circle of twelve stars, a large letter 'M' surmounted by a cross, and the stylized Sacred Heart of Jesus crowned with thorns and the Immaculate Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. Catherine heard the Virgin Mary ask her to "have a Medal struck after this model" and to take these images to her confessor, and that "All who wear them will receive great graces...". Catherine did so, and after two years of investigation and observation of her ordinary daily behavior, her priest took the information to the archbishop of Paris, Hyacinthe-Louis de Quélen, without revealing Catherine's identity. The request was approved and medallions were designed and produced through the goldsmith Adrien Vachette. The first 1,500 medals, originally called the "Medal of the Immaculate Conception", The chapel in which Catherine experienced her visions is located at the mother house of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in rue du Bac, Paris. The incorrupt bodies of Saint Catherine Labouré and Saint Louise de Marillac, a co-founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, are interred in the chapel. == Properties of the medal ==

's visions Front side: • Mary stands on a globe, crushing a serpent's head beneath her feet. • Rays of light shine forth from Mary's hands and rings. • Words from the vision, originally in French, form an oval frame around the image: "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee". • 1830, year of the apparitions Reverse side: • A crossbar and a cross surmount a large, bold letter 'M' • Twelve stars mark the perimeter • Two hearts are depicted underneath the 'M', the left encircled with a crown of thorns, the right pierced by a sword. From each, a flame emanates from the top. ==Symbolism==

The elements of the design encapsulate major Marian teachings that have been declared doctrine by the Catholic Church. Front side: • Mary stands on a globe – Mary bestowing graces upon the Earth and mankind, she protects from evil • Rays of light from her hands and rings – symbolizing graces from Mary as a Mediatrix, Mary told Catherine that the rays "symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them" • "O Mary conceived without sin" (part of the prayer) – reference to Mary as the Immaculate Conception Reverse side: • The large letter "M" – first letter of the name "Mary" • The Cross – Jesus Christ's cross as an act of redemption for mankind • The crossbar - the foot of the Cross, interlacing of the "M" and the crossbar and the Cross shows Mary's close involvement with her son in the mission of human salvation, and standing at the foot of the cross during his redemptive sacrifice • 12 stars – the Twelve Apostles and the Church, and the vision of John the Apostle in Revelation 12:1: "And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars", symbolizing the Woman of Apocalypse and Queen of Heaven • Left heart – the Sacred Heart of Jesus; flaming heart of divine love for mankind, pierced by the lance, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding • Right heart – the Immaculate Heart of Mary; flaming heart of maternal love, pierced by a sword referencing Simeon's prophecy in Luke 2:35 == Church approval ==

In 1835, following the success of the Miraculous Medal, the archbishop of Paris, Hyacinthe-Louis de Quélen, initiated a canonical inquiry, which was entrusted to Canon Quentin, the Vicar General. Usually, official recognition of an apparition requires the local bishop to meet personally with the seer. However, in Labouré's case, this was not possible, as she insisted on remaining anonymous and silent. In 1842, the Jewish man Alphonse Ratisbonne experienced a sudden conversion while wearing the Miraculous Medal as part of a challenge, upon entering the basilica of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte in Rome. He reportedly had a vision of the Virgin Mary, as depicted on the medal. This event underwent a canonical inquiry, and the Church approved the miracle, == Veneration ==

In 1834, the priest John Vianney from Ars acquired a statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and placed it on a tabernacle with a door featuring the reverse side of the medal. On May 1, 1836, he consecrated his parish to "Mary conceived without sin". == Miracles ==

In 1833, the Lazarist priest John Gabriel Perboyre recounts the miraculous healing of a fellow priest through the Miraculous Medal. After arriving in China as a missionary, where he would later die as a martyr in 1839, he distributed many medals and reported numerous miracles in his letters. In 1837, the Miraculous Medal was used by the Archbishop of Paris de Quélen for the conversion and reconciliation with the Church of Dominique-Georges-Frédéric Dufour de Pradt on his deathbed. de Quélen also obtained miraculous healings through the use of the medal and became an advocate of its propagation. In 1842, the most famous conversion through the Miraculous Medal is that of Alphonse Ratisbonne, a Jewish man who was challenged to wear the medal during his trip to Rome. Upon entering the basilica of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, he experienced a vision of the Virgin Mary as depicted on the medal, leading to his conversion. The miracle was approved by the Church. == See also ==