Mary told her that the globe represented the whole world, especially
France, a country whose faithful had recently suffered horrible
persecutions in the Revolution's Terrors and was still going through
"Enlightenment" perfidy.
The vision changed to Mary, still standing on a globe, rays of
light streaming from her fingers, enframed in an oval frame inscribed
with the words, "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us
who have recourse to thee." The whole vision "turned"
showing the back of the oval inscribed with the letter "M"
entwined with a Cross, and the hearts of Jesus and Mary, the former
surrounded with thorns, the latter pierced with a sword. 12 stars
circled this oval frame, symbolizing the 12 Tribes of Israel and
the 12 Apostles, and showing Mary as the Mother of Israel, per the
Apocalypse (ch. 12). Mary told her to strike a medal in this form,
and that all who wore it after having it blessed would receive graces.
Sr. Catherine's spiritual director told Catherine's story to the
Bishop of Paris, who not only allowed the medal to be struck, but
received some of them himself. One of these he had with him when
ministering to Napoleon's dying, heretical chaplain. The dying man
had obstinately refused to reconcile with the Church, but as the
Bishop was leaving after trying one last time to get him to see
the error of his ways, the man suddenly broke down and repented.
The Bishop attributed this to the Virgin's intercessions through
the medal.
Another miraculous conversion involved that of a wealthy Jewish
banker-lawyer named Alphonse Ratisbonne. He was actually dared to
wear one of the medals and to pray the Memorare. This he did, and
as he visited a church to arrange a funeral for a friend, he had
a vision of Our Lady as she appears on the Medal. He instantly converted,
and became a priest.
The Medal of the Immaculate Conception, now known as the Miraculous
Medal, has become one of the most commonly worn sacramentals in
the Roman Church.
St. Catherine Labouré's body remains incorrupt to this day
and can be seen at her convent at Rue du Bac.
Note: St. Maximillian Kolbe (+ 1941) adopted the miraculous medal
as the badge of the "Pious Union of the Militia of the Immaculate
Conception" in 1917, which he founded in Rome while still a
young religious of the Conventual Friars Minor
Written by Tracy Lopez
