The Miraculous Medal
Our Lady asks St. Catherine Labouré for a medal: “O Mary, conceived without sin.”
Picture: Illustration made with AI from a traditional painting
At a glance
- Visionary
- St. Catherine Labouré, 24, a novice of the Daughters of Charity
- Place
- The chapel of the Daughters of Charity, Rue du Bac, Paris
- Dates
- 18–19 July – December 1830
- Apparitions
- 3
- Church approval
- Inquiry by the Archdiocese of Paris, 1836; feast granted by Pope Leo XIII, 1894
- Feast
- Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, 27 November
The story
On the night of 18 July 1830, a child woke Catherine Labouré and led her to the convent chapel. There she saw the Virgin Mary seated beside the altar. Catherine knelt with her hands on Mary's lap, and Mary spoke to her for a long time about a mission God had for her and about troubles coming to France.
On 27 November 1830, during evening prayer, Mary appeared again, standing on a globe. Rays of light streamed from rings on her fingers. Around her were the words “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” The image then turned: on the back were the letter M with a cross, the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and twelve stars. Mary asked that a medal be made after this model.
Catherine told only her confessor, Fr. Jean-Marie Aladel. With the Archbishop of Paris' permission the first medals were struck in 1832. They spread quickly, and people soon called it the “Miraculous Medal” because of the graces and conversions linked with it. Catherine stayed silent about her part for 46 years, caring for the elderly. She died in 1876 and was canonized in 1947.
Key dates
- 18–19 July 1830Mary speaks with Catherine in the chapel at night.
- 27 November 1830The vision of the medal.
- December 1830Mary appears again and repeats the request.
- 1832The first medals are struck.
- 1836The Archdiocese of Paris holds an inquiry into the medal's origin.
Mary's message
- “Come to the foot of this altar. Here graces will be poured out on all who ask for them with confidence.”
- The rays are the graces Mary gives to those who ask for them.
- “Have a medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces.”
- “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”
The Church's judgment
An inquiry by the Archdiocese of Paris in 1836 examined the medal's origin. Pope Leo XIII granted a feast on 27 November in 1894. The Church's Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (no. 206) traces the medal to these apparitions and warns that it is not a talisman.
Pray
Wear the medal and pray its prayer. Prepare with the 33 Days Consecration to consecrate yourself on 27 November.
Sources
- Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, no. 206
- Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Rue du Bac, Paris