The Catholic Defender: Prayer to Our Lady of the Miraculas Medal

Act of Consecration to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

O Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we dedicate and consecrate ourselves to you under this title. May the Medal be a sign of your affection and protection, preserving us in grace.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you. (Repeat three times)

O Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we dedicate and consecrate ourselves to you under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this Medal be for each one of us a sure sign of your affection for us and a constant reminder of our duties toward you. Ever while wearing it, may we be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son.

O most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to you every moment of our lives. Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death; so that, in union with you, we may enjoy the bliss of heaven forever. Amen.

Saint Catherine Labouré (born Zoé Labouré on May 2, 1806) was a French nun and Marian visionary of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. She is best known for receiving apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary that led to the creation of the Miraculous Medal. 

 Born in Fain-lès-Moutiers, Burgundy, France, she was the ninth of eleven children. 

Loss of Mother: After her mother died when Zoé was nine years old, she climbed on a chair, kissed a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and declared Mary her new mother.

Religious Vocation: Despite initial hesitation from her father, she entered the Daughters of Charity seminary in Paris at age 24 and took the name Sister Catherine.

 Late at night, Catherine was awakened by a radiant child-like angel who led her to the convent chapel. There, she met the Blessed Virgin Mary and spent hours conversing with her. 

November 27, 1830: Mary appeared to Catherine a second time during evening meditation. Mary was standing on a globe, crushing a serpent under her feet, with brilliant rays of light streaming from her rings.

 An oval frame formed around Mary bearing the words: "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee." Mary instructed Catherine to have a medal struck based on this model, promising deep graces to all who wore it with faith. The reverse side featured a large "M" surmounted by a cross, alongside the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. 

Total Anonymity: Catherine shared the vision only with her spiritual director, Father Jean-Marie Aladel. For 46 years, she lived a quiet, hidden life in Reuilly, Paris, spending 40 of those years faithfully caring for the elderly, sick, and infirm.

 The first medals were struck in 1832 and quickly became famous worldwide for reported conversions and healings, earning the name "Miraculous Medal". 

 Catherine died on December 31, 1876, at age 70. When her body was exhumed decades later, it was found to be incorrupt. 

Veneration: She was beatified on May 28, 1933, by Pope Pius XI and canonized on July 27, 1947, by Pope Pius XII.