Catherine Labouré stated that on 18 July 1830, the eve of the feast of Saint Vincent de Paul, she woke up after hearing the voice of a child calling her to the chapel, where she heard the Virgin Mary say to her, "God wishes to charge you with a mission. You will be contradicted, but do not fear; you will have the grace to do what is necessary. Tell your spiritual director all that passes within you. Times are evil in France and in the world."[6]
On 27 November 1830, Catherine reported that the Virgin Mary returned during evening meditations. She displayed herself inside an oval frame, standing upon a globe. She wore many rings set with gems[7] that shone rays of light over the globe. Around the margin of the frame appeared the words Ô 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").
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. Asked why some of the gems did not shed light, Mary reportedly replied, "Those are the graces for which people forget to ask". Catherine then heard the Virgin Mary ask her to take these images to her confessor, telling him that they should be put on medallions, and saying "All who wear them will receive great graces".[8]
Catherine did so, and after two years of investigation and observation of her ordinary daily behavior, the priest took the information to his archbishop without revealing Catherine's identity. The request was approved and medallions were designed and produced through the goldsmith Adrien Vachette.[9][10]
Pope John Paul II used a slight variation of the reverse image as his coat of arms, the Marian Cross, a plain cross with an 'M' underneath the right-hand bar (which signified the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross).[13]
Properties of the medal
The Miraculous Medal design was executed by Adrien Vachette based on Saint Catherine Labouré's visions
Front side:
Mary stands on the earth, crushing a serpent beneath her feet. Describing the original vision, Catherine said Mary appeared radiant as a sunrise, "in all her perfect beauty".[14]
Rays shine forth from Mary's hands. She told Catherine these "symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them".[14]
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".[15]
Reverse side:
A cross-and-bar 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.[16]
The 2004 Enchiridion Indulgentiarum grants the partial indulgence to the faithfuls of Christ who use a crucifix or cross, a crown, a scapular, a medal blessed by a priest.[17]
Symbolism
The elements of the design encapsulate major Marian teachings that have been declared doctrine by the Catholic Church.
Front side:
Mother – her open arms, the "recourse" the faithful have in her
^Dirvin, Fr. Joseph. "Saint Catherine Laboure of the Miraculous Medal". EWTN. 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.
^"I saw rings on her fingers, three rings to each finger, the largest one near the base of the finger, one of medium size in the middle, the smallest one at the tip. Each ring was set with gems, some more beautiful than others ..." Catherine Labouré, quoted in John Delaney, A Woman Clothed With The Sun, Doubleday, 1960, p. 77.
^Glass, Joseph (20 December 2012) [1911]. "Miraculous Medal". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018.
^McMenamin, M. 2010. Precisely dated early versions of the Miraculous Medal. Numismatics International Bulletin, v. 45, nos. 3/4, pp. 43-48.
^Mack, John (2003). The museum of the mind: art and memory in world cultures. British Museum.
^Mauriello, Rev. Matthew R. (1996). "The Miraculous Medal". Fairfield County Catholic. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
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