The Miraculous Medal

The Miraculous Medal, which ranks in importance with the holy rosary and the brown scapular among devout Roman Catholics, features the world surrounded by an oval frame, over which were engraved: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.”

Witnessed by Saint Catherine Laboure, a French religious sister and a Marian visionary, the Virgin Mary revealed to her the image of the medal that she wanted to be made.

Minted in 1832, St. Catherine said the Holy Mother had promised that “all those who wear the medal with faith and confidence will receive abundant grace. It must be worn close to the heart to bring healing and protection to its wearer,” she was told.

The Miraculous Medal is an important sacramental and the promises attached to it by Our Lady are just as necessary and efficacious today as they were in the 19th century. It would be good if more Catholics handed out Miraculous medals to those they come into contact with, safe in the knowledge that Our Lady will impart copious graces to them.