First of two parts
ON the eve of the Feast of Saint Vincent de Paul, Patron of Charitable Societies, Sister Catherine Labouré, swallowed half of the piece of a surplice of Saint Vincent that was given by Mother Martha.
Each of the nuns of Sisters of Charity at the convent at Rue du Bac Paris was given a piece after a lecture on devotion to the saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sister Catherine did so, hopeful that the saint will help her obtain the grace of seeing the Blessed Virgin Mary. And she was not disappointed.
First apparition
At 11:30 p.m., a child in white called her name thrice. “Come, to the chapel, the Blessed Virgin is waiting for you.”
The corridors leading to the chapel were resplendent with light, and at the touch of a child’s hand the massive locked doors of the chapel opened.
Toward midnight of July 18, 1830, a beautiful Lady walked in, sat in the armchair and Sister Catherine knelt at her feet and rested her hands on the Lady’s lap, and they talked for two hours.
Rev. Joseph Dirvin, CM, in The Lady of the Miraculous Medal, narrates the Lady’s instructions: “My child, you will have much to suffer, but you will rise above these sufferings, by reflecting that what you do is for the glory of God…. Give an account of what you see and hear, of what I tell you and of what you will understand in your prayers.”
The Lady looked very distressed when she emphasized that “the times are very evil and the throne will be overturned, but graces will be shed upon those who ask for them.”
The Lady said that a community will be united with their religious group, and it will become large under the protection of Saint Vincent de Paul. Tears welled on the Lady’s eyes when she shared what would happen to France. As she specified the events for the next 40 years, anguish was on her face. That the churches will be desecrated and the “side of the Lord will open up again, streets will run with blood, the clergy will be sacrificed and archbishops stripped off with their garments.”
Sister Catherine was instructed not to divulge the incident except to her confessor.
As foretold by the Lady, a week after, the bloody revolution of 1830 commenced and Archbishop Hyacinthe-Louis de Quelen had to flee twice for his life.
Churches were desecrated and crosses were hurled to the ground and treated with contempt.
In 1848 Archbishop Denis-Auguste Affre was shot to death on the barricades. In 1870 the France-Prussian War caused more trouble for France and the church.
In January 1831 the Lady appeared to her and said: “You will see me no more but you will often hear my voice in your prayers.”
Miraculous medal
Although she was told of a mission, Sister Catherine never knew about it until November 27, 1830.
The sisters were assembled in the chapel for their evening meditation. After the article for reflection was read, Sister Catherine heard the rustle of a silk dress.
She saw the Blessed Mother stop near Saint Joseph’s picture. A veil covered her head.
The scene, she said, was interpreted by the Virgin herself.
The white globe, surmounted with a golden cross where the Virgin’s feet rested, represented the world, especially France, and every person. The dazzling rays from her hands turned out and arms bent down symbolized graces for those who ask for them.
The three rings with gems from each finger, which emitted rays that flooded the base of the globe, are the “graces for which souls forget to ask.” An oval framed the Blessed Virgin with gold letters, “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”
On the reverse of the medal is a large letter “M” surmounted by a bar and a cross. Beneath the letter are two hearts, one crowned with thorns and the other pierced with a sword and stars. These represent the hearts of Jesus and Mary. Sister Catherine was asked to have a medal made according to what she saw which the Mother of God wants to give to the world. The sarcastic voice of the Mistress of the Novices, “Sister Labouré must still be in ecstasy,” jolted her to reality. She told Fr. Jean Marie Aladel, CM, her confessor about it, but he did not believe her. Worried about his disbelief, and aware that Our Lady was displeased, Mother Mary assuaged her feelings.
When Father Aladel later learned that the Lady was displeased with him, he decided to act on the request, got the approval of the archbishop of Paris. After two years, the medal was made.
So many cures and conversions were attributed to the Miraculous Medal, and canonical investigations were made. But how the medal came to be known remained a secret.
Marian Apparitions and Devotions by Sis. Mary Francis LeBlanc, O. Carm, narrates that in 1830 Father Adel had a special message: to start a confraternity of children of Mary.
The priest was puzzled since the Sodalities of the Children of Mary already existed among boys in Jesuit schools. He pondered at the Lady’s request and realized the Mother of God wanted this confraternity for young children in ordinary walks of life, beset with trials and dangers of the world. The approval was obtained from the Holy Father to establish the confraternity in schools of the Sisters of Charity under the title of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin.
Only Father Aladel knew that the Lady appeared to Sister Catherine to have the medal done. A statue of the Lady with her hands extended with a medal was placed in the main altar of the mother house.
Sister Catherine told Father Aladel that the Lady, likewise, wanted a statue of her holding the globe, but before it was made the priest died.
After her novitiate training, Sister Catherine was sent to a home for the aged: the House of Enghien in Paris. For 46 years, she served the aged and the poor as a cook, a nurse and a caretaker for the poultry.
The feast of Saint Catherine Labouré is November 28.
To be concluded
Santiago is a former regional director of the Department of Education-National Capital Region. She is currently a faculty member of Mater Redemptoris College, Laguna.
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons