The Miraculous Medal: Its Origin, History, Circulation, Results — John Shaqi
The Miraculous Medal: Its Origin, History, Circulation, ResultsAladel, Jean-Marie
Religion
The Miraculous Medal: Its Origin, History, Circulation, Results
Aladel, Jean-Marie
Labouré, Catherine, Saint, 1806-1876; Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint; Miraculous Medal
Her mission had not been accomplished in regard to the medal. Some
months elapsed, and the Immaculate Virgin complained to Sister
Catherine that her orders had not been executed.
"But, my good Mother," replied Sister Catherine, "you see that he will
not believe me." "Be calm," was the answer; "a day will come when he
will do what I desire; he is my servant, and he would fear to displease
me."
These words were soon verified.
When the pious missionary received this communication, he began to
reflect seriously. "If Mary is displeased," said he, "it is not with
the young Sister, whose position prevents her doing anything; it must
be with me." This thought troubled him.[4] A long time previous, he
had related these visions to M. Étienne, then Procurator General. One
day, at the beginning of the year 1832, when they had gone together on
a visit to Mgr. de Quélen, M. Aladel profited by the opportunity to
speak to the latter of these apparitions, and especially of his own
embarrassment, since the Blessed Virgin had complained to the Sister of
the delay in fulfilling her commands.
[Footnote 4: Verbal process of the investigation, p. 5.]
Mgr. de Quélen replied that, seeing nothing in it at all contrary to
faith, he had no objection to the medal being struck at once. He even
asked them to send him some of the first.
The ravages of the cholera, which had broken out meanwhile, retarded
the execution of this design until June; the 30th of that month, two
thousand medals were struck, and M. Aladel hastened to send some of
them to the Archbishop of Paris.
Mgr. de Quélen wished to make an immediate trial of its efficacy; he
was very much troubled concerning the spiritual condition of the former
Archbishop of Mechlin, Mgr. de Pradt, now on the verge of death; he
desired his conversion so much the more earnestly, as the death of this
prelate might be the occasion of scandal and grave disorders, such as
have accompanied the interment of the constitutional bishop Gregory.
Providing himself with a medal, he went to visit the sick man. At
first he was refused admittance, but very soon the dying man repents
of it, and sends him an apology, with a request to call again. In this
interview, he testifies to His Grace a sincere repentance for his past
life, retracts all his errors, and after receiving the Last Sacraments,
he dies that very night in the arms of the Archbishop, who, filled with
a holy joy, eagerly imparts this consoling news to M. Aladel.
The worthy missionary sent a medal to Sister Catherine, who received
it with great devotion and respect,[5] and said: "Now it must be
disseminated." This was easy to do among the Daughters of Charity, who
had all heard whispers of these apparitions; the eagerness to receive
the medals was general, they were distributed freely, and cures and
conversions multiplied themselves accordingly in all ranks of society,
so that very soon the medal received the appellation of miraculous.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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