Catholic Saints for November 27: Virgin of the Miraculous Medal

Every November 27, the Catholic faithful celebrate the day of the Virgin of the Miraculous Medal, a Marian dedication born in France, whose devotion has spread throughout the world.

Devotees of the Miraculous Medal join together today in a spirit of prayer in memory of that November 27, 1830 on which the Mother of God appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré (1806-1876).

That day the Virgin Mary ordered the young nun:

“Have a medal struck according to this model. All who wear it will receive great graces. Graces will be more abundant for those who wear it with confidence.”

Santa Catalina Labouré

Catherine Labouré was a French nun belonging to the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. She was a woman of penetrating prayer, possessed of a mystical soul. According to the saint’s description, the Virgin Mary appeared to her in the following way:

“She was dressed in a white tunic and a veil of the same color that covered her from head to toe. His face was beautiful. The feet appeared resting on top of a sphere or globe, while they stepped on a snake. His hands, at heart level, held a small golden sphere, crowned with a cross. The fingers of the hands were adorned with rings with precious stones, from which flashes of light came out.”

The Miraculous Medal

The Miraculous Medal is a devotional medal, an object of piety whose purpose is to dispose devotees to welcome the grace of God; a visible sign of the desire of each devotee to cooperate with that grace, supporting Mary in the mission that God has entrusted to her in the world. The design was made by the goldsmith Adrien Vachette, according to the instructions of Saint Catherine Labouré.

The Virgin said to Catherine: “This globe that you see (at my feet) represents the entire world, especially France, and each soul in particular. These rays symbolize the graces that I pour out on those who ask for them. The pearls that do not emit rays are the graces of the souls that do not ask for them.” At that moment, the golden sphere or globe that the Virgin had in her hands – Catalina’s story continues – vanished, and her arms extended, open, while the rays of light continued to fall on the white globe at her feet.

Suddenly an oval shape appeared around the figure of the Virgin, with an inscription on the inner edge that said: “Mary conceived without sin, pray for us, who come to you.” These words formed a semicircle that began at the level of the Virgin’s right hand, passed over her head and ended at the level of her left hand. María, showing herself in this way, asks Catalina to mint a medal according to the image she was contemplating.

Then, the image of the Virgin turned and Catalina could see the back. Inscribed on it was the letter “M,” with a cross rising from the middle. Below the inscription were the Heart of Jesus, surrounded by a crown of thorns, and the Heart of Mary, pierced by a sword. Around it, forming an outline, twelve stars appeared.

The Immaculate Conception

This demonstration was repeated at the end of the following month, in December 1830, and in the first days of January 1831.

At first, the devotees of the medal called it “Medal of the Immaculate Conception”, but with the spread of devotion – strengthened and driven by the numerous graces and miracles – the faithful began to call it “The Miraculous Medal”, as as is still done today.

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If you want to know more about the Miraculous Medal, we recommend this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Medalla_Milagrosa.

You can also visit: https://www.aciprensa.com/santos/santo.php?id=357.

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