Our Lady of Miraculous Medal and Feast of St. Catherine Laboure

St. Catherine Laboure was born in 1806 in a small town in Dijon, France. Her mother died when she was very young, and after seeing St. Vincent de Paul in a dream, at 22 she joined the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

At the age of 24, on November 27th, Catherine witnessed the apparition of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Our Lady showed Catherine the design of the medal, and told her to have it struck. She said that “Those who wear this medal will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around the neck.”  Originally named the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, it was later known as the Miraculous Medal because of a great number of miracles and conversions being attributed to it. By the time of Catherine’s death in 1871, over a billion medals had been distributed.

St. Catherine lead a holy life caring for the sick, aged and infirm, and her apparitions consisted of vision of St. Vincent de Paul’s heart, Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, Christ the King, and 3 apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Catharine Laboure’s Feast Day is November 28th, the day after the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Nov. 27).

Immaculate Conception This elegant statue of the Immaculate Conception helps us to envision Mary’s purity, which was bestowed upon her by God from the moment she was conceived.Pope Pius IX defined the Immaculate Conception of Mary as a dogma of the Church in 1854. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.(Genesis 3:15)	Our Lady of Grace In 1830 Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Laboure, and told her to commission the "Miraculous Medal." This image has come to be known as "Our Lady of Grace" because Our Lady assures us that those who wear this medal with confidence will receive significant grace. This lovely wood statue, sculpted by monastery nuns in France, is 8" tall and comes in two colour options (blue or white).	Our Lady of Hope During the Franco-Prussian War, the Prussian army was about to invade the village in Pontmain, when Our Lady appeared to six children in the village and told them to pray for protection. Our Lady of Hope gives us the assurance of never being abandoned, and the hope of being united with our Lord in Heaven. This 10" wooden statue is hand sculpted and finished in a light stain by the craftsmen in Val Gardena, Italy.