Mary, the Mother of God, appeared in an 1830 apparition in Paris, France to Catherine Labourè, now a Saint. November 28th is St. Catherine’s feast day. Her born name is Zoe Labouré.
“Then the Blessed Virgin said to me: ‘Get a medal struck after this model; those who wear it when it is blessed will receive great graces, especially if they wear it round their neck. Graces will be abundant for those who have confidence’.” – St. Catherine Labourè
The Miraculous Medal Shrine is located in Germantown (Philadelphia). As St. Catherine was a member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and a Marian visionary, the Miraculous Medal Shrine is operated and influenced by The Vincentian religious order.
The chair below is at side altar in Miraculous Medal Shrine.
This is an exact replica of the chair Immaculate Mary sat in while on earth in Paris France.
There is a blessing following each Mass and/or Novena Service at the Miraculous Medal Shrine for those who wish to reverence the relic of St. Catherine Laboure. Reverencing a relic whether with a kiss, or having it placed on a different part of the body [i.e. over the heart or on the head] is a tradition which dates back to the Middle Ages when the cult of Saints became a devotional practice. In this, the faithful express their belief in the intercessory prayer of the saint whose relic it is. In this case, the relic of St. Catherine is offered as the one who first received the message of Mary and faithfully kept to the mission entrusted to her in the making of the medal of the Immaculate Conception [aka. The Miraculous Medal.] – – – From correspondence with Fr. Bill Allegretto, C.M. Associate Director for the Central Association for the Miraculous Medal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
This is a rare photo of St. Catherine Laboure herself!
The medal was designed by Mary, herself, which is amazing! Here is what Mary, Mother of God said, “Have a medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for persons who wear it with confidence”. The Miraculous Medal shows an image of Our Lady of Grace with her hands emitting rays of light, just as she appeared to Saint Catherine. This devotion to Our Lady of Grace on the medal marked a true renewal of devotion to Our Lady in Europe in the mid to late 1800’s.
On the medal Mary asked that this put on it, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”
Note that St. Catherine Laboure’s confessor put her account of the apparitions into writing, and that St. Catherine, before her death in 1876 also wrote down her accounts. Up until that time, no one outside her confessor was aware that she received the apparitions. She kept it secret for 47 years!
Exhumed in 1933, her body was judged to be incorrupt by the church, and now lies in a glass coffin in a chapel in Paris, at one of the spots where the Blessed Mother appeared to her.
The video shows the Miraculous Medal detail design and spiritual meaning relayed by Mary, Mother of God.
Famous statue in the Miraculous Medal Shrine front altar.
A popular remembrance of Mary with St. Catherine kneeling at her side, just as she did on November 27, 1830. From the Miraculous Medal Shrine, Philadelphia, PA.
