The story of the Catholic Miraculous Medal traces back to 1806, when a poor farmer's daughter by the name of Zoe Laboure was born. At the young age of 24, she entered the Sisters of Charity and changed her name to Catherine. On July 18 of the same year, she saw a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who came to her in the Chapel. Catherine and Mary supposedly spoke for more than two hours. On November 27, 1830, Mary revisited Sister Catherine and presented a beautiful picture of herself. Catherine confessed this vision, which after investigation was deemed authentic by Catholic authorities. Sister Catherine had one final vision of Mary, during which she received even more detailed descriptions about Mary's miraculous medal. Sister Catherine saw Mary standing on top of a globe, shooting rays of light from her hands. Her feet were stamping on a serpent, the representation of Satan. Around the image was an inscription that described Mary's sinlessness. Two years after Sister Catherine first had these visions, the church minted and distributed medals throughout Paris. Thanks to the tale of devotion surrounding the medal's creation, the phenomenon swept across Paris. It became widely reported that the medal graced those who wore it with prosperity, health, and faith. Soon, people took to calling the medal "Miraculous." In 1836, six years after Sister Catherine first witnessed Mary in the Chapel, the Catholic Church launched a canonical inquiry into the legitimacy of the apparitions. This inquiry concluded that Sister Catherine's visions were indeed genuine. Today, hundreds of thousands of Catholics the world over wear Miraculous medals as testimonies of repentance, prayer, and faith. |
