Miraculous Medal

The Miraculous Medal (Médaille miraculeuse), also known as the Medal of Our Lady of Graces, is a devotional medal, the design of which was originated by Catherine Labouré following her apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal of Paris, France.

The medal, a sacramental, was made by the goldsmith Adrien Vachette. According to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, sacramentals, by the Church's prayer, prepare the faithful to receive grace and dispose them to cooperate with it.

Background
Catherine Labouré stated that on 18 July 1830, the eve of the feast of Saint Vincent de Paul, she woke up after hearing the voice of a child calling her to the chapel, where she heard the Virgin Mary say to her, "God wishes to charge you with a mission. You will be contradicted, but do not fear; you will have the grace to do what is necessary. Tell your spiritual director all that passes within you. Times are evil in France and in the world."

On 27 November 1830, Catherine reported that the Virgin Mary returned during evening meditations. She displayed herself inside an oval frame, standing upon a globe. She wore many rings set with gems that shone rays of light over the globe. Around the margin of the frame appeared the words Ô Marie, conçue sans péché, priez pour nous qui avons recours à vous ("O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee").

As Catherine watched, the frame seemed to rotate, showing a circle of twelve stars, a large letter M surmounted by a cross, and the stylized Sacred Heart of Jesus crowned with thorns and the Immaculate Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. Asked why some of the gems did not shed light, Mary reportedly replied, "Those are the graces for which people forget to ask". Sister Catherine then heard the Virgin Mary ask her to take these images to her confessor, telling him that they should be put on medallions, and saying "All who wear them will receive great graces".

Sister Catherine did so, and after two years of investigation and observation of Catherine's ordinary daily behavior, the priest took the information to his archbishop without revealing Catherine's identity. The request was approved and medallions were designed and produced through the goldsmith Adrien Vachette.

The chapel in which Saint Catherine experienced her visions is located at the mother house of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in Rue du Bac, Paris. The incorrupt bodies of Saint Catherine Labouré and Saint Louise de Marillac, a co-founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, are interred in the chapel, which continues to receive daily visits from Catholic pilgrims today.

Pope John Paul II used a slight variation of the reverse image as his coat of arms, the Marian Cross, a plain cross with an M underneath the right-hand bar (which signified the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified).

Properties of the medal


Front side:
 * Mary stands on the earth, crushing a serpent beneath her feet. Describing the original vision, Catherine said Mary appeared radiant as a sunrise, "in all her perfect beauty".
 * Rays shine forth from Mary's hands. She told Catherine these "symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them".
 * Words from the vision, originally in French, form an oval frame around the image: "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee".

Reverse side:
 * A cross-and-bar surmount a large, bold letter M
 * Twelve stars mark the perimeter
 * Two hearts are depicted underneath the M, the left encircled with a crown of thorns, the right pierced by a sword. From each, a flame emanates from the top.

The 2004 Enchiridion Indulgentiarum grants the partial indulgence to the faithfuls of Christ who use a crucifix or cross, a crown, a scapular, a medal blessed by a priest.

Symbolism
The elements of the design encapsulate major Marian teachings that have been declared doctrine by the Catholic Church.

Front side:
 * Mother – her open arms, the "recourse" the faithful have in her
 * Immaculate – the words, "conceived without sin"
 * Assumed into Heaven – she stands on the globe, Queen of Heaven and Earth
 * Mediatrix – rays from her hands symbolizing graces
 * Protectrix – crushes the serpent underfoot to proclaim that Satan and all his followers are helpless before her (Genesis 3:15).

Reverse side:
 * The large letter "M" for Mary
 * Cross and bar – Jesus Christs' cross of redemption for mankind. The interlacing of the M and the cross shows Mary's close involvement with her son.
 * 12 stars – the twelve apostles and the vision of Saint John in Revelation 12:1: "And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."
 * Left heart – the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Who died for the sins of mankind
 * Right heart – the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who intercedes for sinners
 * Flames above both hearts – the burning love both Jesus and Mary have for all people