Saint Catherine Laboure 19th Century a French Nun Who Created the Miraculous Medal that is Now Worn by Millions
Saint Catherine Laboure was born on May 2, 1806, and she died on December 31, 1876. She was a French member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and a Marian visionary. Saint Catherine Laboure is thought to have relayed the request from the Blessed Virgin Mary to create the Miraculous Medal, now worn by millions of people around the world. If that is correct, she is one of the most impactful saints ever. Saint Catherine Laboure spent forty years caring for the aged and infirm. For this, she is the patron saint of seniors. Do you wear a miraculous medal?
Saint Catherine Laboure Biography
Saint Catherine Laboure was born in the Burgundy region of France. She was the 9th of 11 living children. Her baptismal name was Zoe, but her family rarely used that name. Labouré’s mother died on October 9, 1815, when Labouré was nine years old. When that happened, she and her sister Marie Antoinette moved to their aunt’s house.
It is at her Aunt’s house that Saint Catherine Laboure had a dream of Saint Vincent de Paul. The priest said to her: ‘My daughter, it is good to care for the sick. For now, you flee from me, but one day you will be glad to approach me. God has plans for you. Don’t forget it!’ When she was 12, she returned to her father’s farm to help care for her family. Later, her father, wishing to deter her from going to a convent, sent her to Paris to work in his brother’s eating establishment for poor workers. There, she observed their suffering and continued to desire a life as a nurse with the Daughters of Charity.
Saint Catherine Laboure began her novitiate on April 21, 1830, and on January 30, 1831, she took her vows. It is while she was in this convent that she is said to have had the visions of the Virgin Mary that led to the creation of the Miraculous Medal.
On three successive evenings in April of 1830, upon returning from the church to the convent, Saint Catherine Laboure reportedly experienced, in the convent chapel, a vision of what she took to be the heart of Saint Vincent above a shrine containing a relic from his right arm. Each time the heart appeared a different colour: white, red, and black.
Visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint Catherine Laboure also had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She stated that on July 19, 1830, the eve of the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, she woke up after hearing the voice of a child calling her to the chapel, where she heard the Virgin Mary say to her, “God wishes to charge you with a mission. You will be contradicted, but do not fear; you will have the grace to do what is necessary. Tell your spiritual director all that passes within you. Times are evil in France and in the world.”
Saint Catherine Laboure had a second vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who showed her a design for the Miraculous Medal. After two years of investigation and observation of her normal daily behaviour, the request was approved, and the design of the medallions was commissioned through French goldsmith Adrien Vachette. They proved to be very popular, and the Miraculous Medal was quickly adopted by millions of the Catholic faithful.
Immediately after taking her vows, Labouré was sent to the Hospice d’Enghien, located in the village of Reuilly, which, at the time, was slightly outside the city limits of Paris. She spent the next forty years there, caring for the elderly and infirm. Saint Catherine Laboure died in the Hospice on December 31, 1876, at the age of 70. Her body was later moved and is now encased in glass beneath the side altar in the Chapel of Our Lady of Graces of the Miraculous Medal in 140 Rue du Bac, Paris.
Saint Catherine Laboure Veneration
Saint Catherine Labouré’s veneration is simple; it is marked by the widespread use of the Miraculous Medal, which she is believed to have created with the guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This medal is worn by millions of Catholics around the world, symbolising protection and intercession for the faithful. The medal’s design features the image of the Virgin Mary, the words “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee,” and the inscription “The ball that you see represents the entire world . . . and each person in particular.”
Conclusion
Saint Catherine Laboure is maybe the most impactful saint of all time. Millions wear the Miraculous Medal she created, and it is sold, needless to say, by thousands around the world. It is amazing to think that the Blessed Virgin Mary herself appeared to her and gave her the blueprint for the Miraculous Medal.
