“O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to Thee.”
Remember Our Lady’s Promises:
† “Those who
repeat this prayer with great devotion
will be in a special manner under the
protection of the Mother of God.”
† “All those who
wear it (the medal of the Immaculate
Conception), when it is blessed, will
receive great graces, especially
The First
Apparition
During the night
of July 19, Catherine was awakened from her
sleep by a beautiful child. The child
spoke, “Sister Labouré, come to the
chapel. The Blessed Virgin is waiting for you.”
Catherine entered the chapel, knelt down
at the communion rail, and prayed. A
short while later, the Blessed Virgin appeared
and spoke to Catherine: “God wishes to
charge you with a mission. You will have the
protection of God and St. Vincent (de Paul). I will
always have my eyes upon you.” Then, the
Blessed Virgin departed.
The Second
Apparition
On November 27,
the Blessed Virgin appeared, standing
upon a globe, crushing the head
of a serpent with her feet. Rays of
light streamed from her hands. The rays
represent, as Our Lady would later tell St.
Catherine, “the graces that the Blessed Virgin
obtains for those who ask them of her.”
Surrounding the image of Our Lady were the words “O
Mary conceived without sin, pray for us
who have recourse to Thee.”
The Blessed Virgin
told Catherine, “Those who repeat
this prayer with great devotion will be
in a special manner under the protection of the
Mother of God.” She then instructed
Catherine: “Have a medal struck upon this model.
All those who wear it, when it is blessed, will
receive great graces, especially if they wear it
around the neck.”
The Medal of the Immaculate
Conception After a thorough
investigation as to the authenticity of
St. Catherine’s visions, the Church approved
the making of The Medal of the Immaculate
Conception. The first medals were
distributed in 1832.
The Back of the
medal
The cross
symbolizes Christ; the “M” stands for Mary, who
stood beneath the Cross, as her Son was
crucified. The two hearts represent the
Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart
of Mary. The twelve stars recall the vision
of St. John: 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 (Apocalypse 12:1).
Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons
