| Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal | |
|---|---|
_-_Immaculate_Conception_statue.jpg) Statue depicting Our Lady of Graces of the Miraculous Medal | |
| Location | Rue du Bac inParis,France |
| Date | 18 July 1830 27 November 1830 |
| Witness | Saint Catherine Labouré |
| Type | Marian apparition |
| Approval | 1836[1] (ArchbishopHyacinthe-Louis de Quélen,Archdiocese of Paris) |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Shrine | Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal,Paris, France |
| Patronage | Special graces, miracles of healing, conversions, believers |
TheMiraculous Medal (French:Médaille miraculeuse), also known as theMedal of Our Lady of Graces or theMedal of the Immaculate Conception, is adevotional medal, the design of which was originated byCatherine Labouré following herapparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary[2] in theChapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal ofParis,France.
The medal, asacramental, was made by the goldsmithAdrien Vachette.[3] According to the teaching of theRoman Catholic Church,sacramentals,[4] by the Church's prayer, prepare the faithful to receive grace and dispose them to cooperate with it.[5] The prayer asking Mother Mary to pray for us which is, "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee", appears on the front of the medal.
Catherine Labouré stated that on July 18, 1830, the eve of the feast of SaintVincent 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...".[6][7][8]
On November 27, 1830, Catherine reported that the Virgin Mary returned during her evening meditations. Mary displayed herself inside an oval frame, standing upon a globe. She wore many rings set with gems[9] 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".[8] Around the margin of the frame appeared the wordsÔ Marie, conçue sans péché, priez pour nous qui avons recours à vous ("O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee").[10] As Catherine watched, the frame seemed to rotate, showing a circle of twelve stars, a large letter 'M' surmounted by a cross, and the stylizedSacred Heart of Jesus crowned with thorns and theImmaculate Heart of Mary pierced with a sword.[11] Catherine heard the Virgin Mary ask her to "have a Medal struck after this model" and to take these images to herconfessor, and that "All who wear them will receive great graces...".[8][10][12]
Catherine did so, and after two years of investigation and observation of her ordinary daily behavior, herpriest took the information to thearchbishop 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.[13][14] The first 1,500 medals, originally called the "Medal of theImmaculate Conception",[6] were minted on June 30, 1832.[11]
During a deadlycholera pandemic, theDaughters of Charity started distributing the medals. After reports of miraculous cures, the demand for the medal rapidly grew in France and other graces were reported, such as conversions. Due to the many reported miracles, it became widely known as the "Miraculous Medal". In 1834, over 500,000 medals had been distributed. By 1835, that number had surpassed 1 million worldwide. By 1839, over 10 million medals had been distributed. And by the time of Catherine Labouré’s death in 1876, more than 1 billion Miraculous Medals had been produced.[15][16]
The chapel in which Catherine experienced her visions is located at the mother house of theDaughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul inrue du Bac, Paris.[17] Theincorrupt bodies of Saint Catherine Labouré and SaintLouise de Marillac, a co-founder of theCongregation of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, are interred in the chapel.[18]
Front side:
Reverse side:
The elements of the design encapsulate major Marian teachings that have been declared doctrine by the Catholic Church.
Front side:
Reverse side:
In 1835, following the success of the Miraculous Medal, thearchbishop of Paris,Hyacinthe-Louis de Quélen, initiated a canonical inquiry, which was entrusted toCanon Quentin, theVicar 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.[16][8]
In 1842, the Jewish manAlphonse Ratisbonne experienced a sudden conversion while wearing the Miraculous Medal as part of a challenge, upon entering the basilica ofSant'Andrea delle Fratte inRome. 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,[16] granting it ecclesiastical sanction, and is commemorated in the office of the Feast of the Miraculous Medal.[11]
On July 23, 1894,Pope Leo XIII approved the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, composed by theLazarists.[16] This feast, with a special Office and Mass, was to be celebrated by the priests of theCongregation of the Mission yearly on 27 November. A decree on September 7, 1894, extended the privilege to other religious communities and allowed any priest to celebrate the Mass in chapels attached to theSisters of Charity.[11]
In 1897, Pope Leo XIII granted acanonical coronation of the statue "of the Immaculate Conception, known as the Miraculous Medal".
In 1947, after a canonical inquiry,Pope Pius XIIcanonized Catherine Labouré as asaint, which includes an investigation into the apparitions of the Miraculous Medal.[16]
The Miraculous Medal was also granted indulgences by many other Popes throughout time.[6] The 2004Enchiridion Indulgentiarum grants the partialindulgence to the faithfuls of Christ who use a crucifix or cross, a crown, a scapular, a medal blessed by a priest.[22]
In 1834, the priestJohn Vianney fromArs 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".[16]
After hisordination, the Franciscan priestMaximilian Kolbe wished to celebrate his first Mass atSant'Andrea delle Fratte, where the Immaculate Virgin had convertedAlphonse Ratisbonne. In 1917, he founded the Militia of the Immaculate, under the patronage of the Virgin of the Miraculous Medal. On his way to Japan in 1930, he visited France, includingrue du Bac, and distributed Miraculous Medals, referring to them as his "ammunition".[16]
Pope John Paul II used a slight variation of the reverse image as his coat of arms, theMarian Cross, a plain cross with an 'M' underneath the right-hand bar (which signified the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross).[23]
In 1833, theLazarist priestJohn 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.[16]
In 1837, the Miraculous Medal was used by theArchbishop of Parisde Quélen for the conversion and reconciliation with the Church ofDominique-Georges-Frédéric Dufour de Pradt on his deathbed.[6] de Quélen also obtained miraculous healings through the use of the medal and became an advocate of its propagation.[16]
In 1842, the most famous conversion through the Miraculous Medal is that ofAlphonse Ratisbonne, a Jewish man who was challenged to wear the medal during his trip to Rome. Upon entering the basilica ofSant'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.[11][16]
Archbishop de Quelen [decided] to institute a canonical inquiry. He appointed Monseigneur Quentin, Vicar General of Paris, to conduct it. The sessions were opened on 1836. The findings of the Canonical Inquiry of Paris completely vindicated Catherine. The court extolled her character and virtue, and placed wholehearted credence in her visions. Two important conclusions were reached: that the Medal was of supernatural origin, and that the wonders worked through it were genuine.
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