The Story of the Miraculous Medal

La Miraculous Medal it is a medal with a particular spiritual meaning. In its classical form it dates back to 1830, when the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré in the chapel of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, revealing her medal to her in a dream.

Caterina addressed her request to Our Lady to find a way to spread her devotion, in which the Virgin asked her to make a special medal. The vision consisted of two sides: on the front was the Immaculate Madonna, standing on a crescent, with her head wrapped in a veil of stars, her hands open with wavering graces and the serpent under her feet. On the reverse, was the cross and the letter M raised by twelve stars and surrounded by two hearts, one a crown of thorns and the other with a sword piercing it.

St. Catherine told father Aladel, his spiritual confessor, of the vision, but he didn't believe it right away. November 27th 1830, Pope Gregory XVI approved the medal and within a few years, the miraculous medal was spread all over the world.

During the second appearance of the Madonna, Catherine had a vision of the medal that would be created. The apparitions followed one another until the medal was created, which was then spread all over the world.

The meanings of the miraculous medal

The medal has three meanings.

The miraculous: represents the miracles, the cases of healing and conversions which caused. When a cholera epidemic broke out in Paris in February 1932, the Daughters of Charity distributed 2000 medals and conversions and healings immediately began to take place.

the luminous: this represents the Virgin Mary with open arms and light rays coming out of his hands. She symbolizes her luminosity as the Mother of God and her ability to illuminate our lives.

The painful: this depicts the Virgin Mary in tears with her hands folded in prayer. Of her It symbolizes her pain during the Passion of Christ and her pain for the sins of the world.