Paris Rue du bac
Paris
It is 11.30pm, Sister Catherina
Labouré( 24 years old) wakes up as she hears her name called three times. She opens the
curtains of her cell and sees her Guardian Angel in de form of a 5 year old child. He
says: " follow me to the chapel, where the Blessed Virgin awaits you". Catherina
hastily dresses herself and follows him to the chapel. The chapel is lit as for
midnight-Mass, but she can't see the Blessed Virgin. She then kneels and prays.
After half an hour her guardian angel says: " there is the Blessed Virgin".
Catherina hears a rustle like that of silk and to the left of St. Joseph she sees the
Blessed Virgin descend and sit herself on the chair of the Priest. Within a moment she is
on her knees in front of the Blessed Virgin, with her hands confidently folded on Mary's
knees. This is the beginning of a two hour long conversation.
The Blessed Virgin tells her that God will charge her with a mission. In the process she
will experience many difficulties. The Blessed Virgin already speaks of bad times ahead.
The whole world will be plunged into confusion through all sorts of incidents. The Cross
will be treated with contempt; it will be cast to earth. The side of our Lord will be
pierced again. She says this with a very sorrowful look on her face. Encouragingly though,
she adds:
"BUT COME TO THE FOOT OF THIS ALTAR AND HERE GRACES WILL BE
BESTOWED UPON ALL, WHO ASK WITH CONFIDENCE AND FERVOUR. THEY WILL BE GIVEN TO THE RICH AND
TO THE POOR"
2nd apparition: 27th November, 1830
It is 5.30pm, and the Sisters are in the chapel for the hour of Meditation. Suddenly
Catherina hears, to her right, the same rustle as before; it is the Blessed Virgin. She
stops to the left near the painting of St. Joseph. This whole apparition is conducted in
scenes and sign-language. The Blessed Virgin " standing in space", dressed in a
robe of sky red, glowing with light, carries in Her hands a golden globe topped with a
cross. This She offers to God, with Her eyes looking beseechingly towards Heaven, as if
begging for mercy. Her fingers appear to have rings with sparkling gems stones, scattering
rays of light in all directions. The small globe with the cross disappears and Mary
reaches for the half globe, which is located below Her feet. Now the sparkling rays are
reaching over the entire earth, but with a greater intensity on one spot. At the same time
Mary makes her understand, that this globe represents the entire world and that the spot
with the greater intensity of rays is France.
The light rays are symbols of grace, which will be bestowed on those who ask. Then an oval
frame forms around this scene with the following words in golden letters on the border:
O MARY CONCEIVED WITHOUT SIN, PRAY FOR US WHO HAVE RECOURSE TO THEE
Mary gave her this instruction: " have a medal struck on this model. All those who
carry this will receive Grace in abundance, especially if they wear the medal around their
neck and say this prayer confidently, they will receive special protection from the Mother
of God and abundant graces".
Then it is although the whole scene turns around and Catherine can see the back of the
medal: in the centre is the letter M, from where a Cross ascends with at its base a
cross-beam which passes through the letter M and below this the two hearts of Jesus and
Mary, one crowned with thorns the other pierced by the sword of sorrow. The whole is
surrounded with a crown of 12 stars recalling the vision of St. John in the twelfth
chapter of the Apocalypse or Book of Revelations. Catherine hears " the M with the
Cross and the two hearts say enough"
During the next year this apparition occurred five times and each time with the same
instructions: "have a medal struck on this model, and all those who wear it will
receive great graces, especially when worn around the neck". Sister Catherine endured
many h Vincentian priest, had the medal struck. The original name of the medal is that of
Mary's umiliations, but she persevered. It took two years before her confessor, Father
Aladel, a holy Immaculate Conception; only after 7 years was the name changed to the
" Miraculous Medal". Because of the many answered prayers, the conversions and
the cures, some 10 million medals were sold during the first 5 years. The short prayer:
" O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee", has
since been prayed innumerable times by believers, so that the entire Christendom became
familiar with Mary's "Immaculate Conception". It was Pope Pius IX who made it a
rule of faith. This was received with great joy by the entire Church. Four years later,
Mary came as though to confirm this, when She said to Bernadette at Lourdes:
" I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION"
Catherine Labouré died on 31st December,1876. When her body was exhumed 56 years later it
was unblemished. Her eyes were as blue as the day she died.
On 28th May, 1933 she was beatified by Pope Pius XI. This occasion was witnessed by 50,000
people, of which there were 8,000 children of Mary, veiled in white, all wearing the
Miraculous Medal. On 27th July, 1947 she was canonised by Pope Pius XII. Here again many
believers were present, including more than 10,000 children of Mary, veiled in white.
Miraculous Medal
This is the story of the Miraculous Medal. You can order it by mailing Bedevaartweb for
the price of EUR 1,59
