A Brief History

The Medal of the Immaculate Conception, commonly called the Miraculous Medal, was manifested to a spiritual daughter of St. Vincent de Paul, St Catherine Laboure. This took place in the chapel of the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity, 140 rue de Bac, Paris, France.

Sister Catherine, during her novitiate days, received extraordinary favors from God, such as visions of the heart of St. Vincent and manifestations of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. In 1830 she was blessed with the apparitions of Mary Immaculate to which we owe the Miraculous Medal.

On November 27, 1830, Mary, the Mother of Jesus, appeared in a vision to Catherine Laboure, a novice in the Sisters of Charity convent in Paris, France. Our Lady manifested the pattern of a medal to Catherine. Mary promised that "All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for those who wear it with confidence."

The following, in St. Catherine's own words, is a description of the apparition of Our Lady on November 27, 1830.

"Her feet rested on a white globe... I saw rings on her fingers... Each ring was set with gems... the larger gems emitted greater rays and the smaller gems, smaller rays... I could not express... what I saw, the beauty and the brilliance of the dazzling rays. They are the symbols of the graces I shed upon those who ask for them, (a voice said)... A frame... formed round the Blessed Virgin. Within it was written in letters of gold: 'O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.'... Then the voice said: 

"HAVE A MEDAL STRUCK AFTER THIS MODEL. ALL WHO WEAR IT WILL RECEIVE GREAT GRACES; ABUNDANT GRACES WILL BE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO HAVE CONFIDENCE; THEY SHOULD WEAR IT AROUND THE NECK...'

At this instant the tableau seemed to turn, and I beheld the reverse of the Medal: a large M surmounted by a bar and a cross; beneath the M were the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the one crowned with thorns, the other pierced with a sword."

The front of the Medal represents Mary standing on the earth, her foot crushing the head of the serpent, and her hands outstretched to all who ask her assistance. The prayer encircling her contains one of her most precious titles: 'O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.' The rays of light from her hands symbolize the graces which she is only too eager to bestow upon those who wear the Medal and pray to her.

When St. Catherine related the vision to her confessor, he asked her whether she had seen any writing on the back of the Medal. She answered that she had seen none at all. "Ah!" said the good priest, "ask the Blessed Virgin what to put there." The Sister obeyed and prayed to Mary a long time for this information. One day during meditation she seemed to hear a voice saying: "THE M AND THE TWO HEARTS EXPRESS ENOUGH".

The Medal was made according to Our Lady's design. It was freely circulated and in a short time was worn by millions. In its wake followed wonders innumerable. Health was restored, sickness banished; bad habits broken, special graces given; dangers averted, blessings bestowed - until the little Medal of the Immaculate Conception became known by the name it bears today, the Miraculous Medal.

MIRACLES

In 1832, the first medals were made and distributed in Paris with the approval of the Church. The medal quickly became known as the "Miraculous Medal" because of the many miracles of health, peace, blessings, protection, and conversion that were worked through the medal.

The medal itself has no power; however, God acts through the medal just as He worked through Moses' rod for the Israelite victory (Ex. 14:15-31), and handkerchiefs touched to Paul for healings (Acts 19:11-12).

THE FRONT

Let us now examine the meaning of the medal. The front is the joyful side. Mary stands on the globe as the Queen and Mother of all. Her feet crush the serpent, to show that Satan is helpless before her (Gen. 3:15). As God's chosen instrument, her hands are open, shedding the graces that Christ won for us. Etched around the rim is the prayer "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."

The Meaning of the Front Side of the Miraculous Medal 

Mary is standing upon a globe, crushing the head of a serpent beneath her foot. She stands upon the globe, as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Her feet crush the serpent to proclaim Satan and all his followers are helpless before her (Gn 3:15). The year of 1830 on the Miraculous Medal is the year the Blessed Mother gave the design of the Miraculous Medal to Saint Catherine Labouré. The reference to Mary conceived without sin supports the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary—not to be confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, and referring to Mary's sinlessness, “full of grace” and “blessed among women” (Luke 1:28)—that was proclaimed 24 years later in 1854. 

THE BACK

The back of the medal is the sorrowful side because it shows the sufferings of Jesus and Mary. The Cross is on top of the M, showing that Christ is the Saviour of all, including Mary. The hearts of Jesus and Mary are pictured; Jesus' heart has a crown of thorns, representing the sufferings He underwent to free us from sin and to show His infinite love for each and every person.

Mary's heart is pierced by a sword of sorrow (Lk. 2:35) as she joined in Christ's suffering for love of us, even standing at the foot of the cross. The twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel, the Apostles, or perhaps the stars in St. John's vision, in which "a great sign appeared in Heaven, a woman clothed with sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Rev. 12:1).

The Meaning of the Back Side of the Miraculous Medal 

The twelve stars can refer to the Apostles, who represent the entire Church as it surrounds Mary. They also recall the vision of Saint John, writer of the Book of Revelation (12:1), in which “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 12 stars.” The cross can symbolize Christ and our redemption, with the bar under the cross a sign of the earth. The “M” stands for Mary, and the interleaving of her initial and the cross shows Mary’s close involvement with Jesus and our world. In this we see Mary’s part in our salvation and her role as mother of the Church. The two hearts represent the love of Jesus and Mary for us. (See also Lk 2:35). 

MARY IS OUR MOTHER

Just as we ask others here on earth to pray for us, it is only natural that we ask the Mother of Jesus to pray for us from Heaven. At Cana, it was Mary's intercession that brought forth a miracle from Jesus (Jn. 2:3-5). Mary is our Mother, too, because when Jesus gave her to John from the cross, John represented all of us (Jn. 19:26).

WHY THE MEDAL?

Wearing the medal is like having a picture of our parents or grandparents in our home: it reminds us of our love for them and their love for us. Just as we don't worship the pictures of our parents or grandparents, we don't worship Mary or the medal. Rather, wearing the medal is a sign that we are thankful to Mary for giving us the greatest Treasure in our lives: Jesus Christ.

HEAVEN

In Heaven, Mary prays for us and loves us as her children. In return, we should love her and show our love for her and her Son by wearing her Miraculous Medal and praying the prayer on it every day. Mary will always keep us close to her Divine Son and lead us safely home.