The statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal begins the pilgrimage around Italy

A statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal began a pilgrimage to parishes throughout Italy on Friday, on the occasion of the 190th anniversary of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Catherine Labouré in France.

After mass in the Collegio Leoniano regional seminary in Rome, the statue was carried in procession to the nearby Church of San Gioacchino in Prati on the evening of 27 November.

Throughout the month of December, the statue will go from parish to parish in Rome, stopping in 15 different churches.

Later, if the coronavirus restrictions allow it, it will be taken to parishes throughout Italy, until November 22, 2021, on the island of Sardinia.

One of the stops on the route will be the Church of Sant'Anna, which is located just inside the Vatican walls.

The itinerant statue is an evangelization initiative of the Vincentian Congregation of the Mission. A communiqué stated that the one-year Marian pilgrimage would help proclaim God's merciful love at a time "marked by strong tensions on all continents".

Pope Francis blessed the statue of the Immaculate Virgin of the Miraculous Medal in a meeting with a delegation of Vincentians on 11 November.

"The members of the Vincentian Family in the world, faithful to the Word of God, inspired by the charism that calls them to serve God in the person of the poor and encouraged by this initiative of the Blessed Mother to go on pilgrimage, want to remind us that the Blessed Mother continues to invite men and women to approach the foot of the altar, ”said the Vincentians' statement.

The Vincentians were originally founded by San Vincenzo de 'Paoli in 1625 to preach missions to the poor. Today the Vincentians regularly celebrate mass and hear confessions in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at 140 Rue du Bac in the heart of Paris.

Saint Catherine Labouré was a novice with the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul when she received three apparitions from the Blessed Virgin Mary, a vision of Christ present in the Eucharist and a mystical encounter in which Saint Vincent de Paul was shown her heart.

This year marks the 190th anniversary of the apparition of Mary to Saint Catherine.

The Miraculous Medal is a sacramental inspired by the Marian apparition to St. Catherine in 1830. The Virgin Mary appeared to her as the Immaculate Conception, standing on a globe with light flowing from her hands and crushing a snake under her feet.

“A voice said to me: 'Get a medal struck after this model. All those who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around their neck '”, recalled the saint.

In their statement, the Vincentians noted that the world is "deeply troubled" and poverty is spreading due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After 190 years, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal continues to watch over humanity and comes, as a pilgrim, to visit and meet the members of the Christian communities scattered throughout Italy. Thus Mary fulfills the promise of love contained in her message: I will stay with you, trust and do not be discouraged ", they said