Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Hymn
Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing.
You reign now in splendor with Jesus our king.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria!
Ave, ave, Maria!
In heaven the blessed your glory proclaim, On earth we your children invoke your sweet name.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria!
Ave, ave, Maria!
Novena Prayer
Leader: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
People: And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Leader: Let us pray. O God, who instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to savor what is right, and always to rejoice in his consolation. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
People: Amen.
Leader: O Mary, conceived without sin,
People: Pray for us who have recourse to you.
Opening Prayer
Leader and People: Lord Jesus Christ, who has glorified your mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, immaculate from the first moment of her conception, grant that all who devoutly implore her protection on earth may eternally enjoy your presence in heaven. Lord Jesus Christ, who for the accomplishment of your greatest works have chosen the weak things of the world, that no flesh may glory in your sight, and who for a better and more widely diffused belief in the Immaculate Conception of your Mother, have wished that the Miraculous Medal be manifested to Saint Catherine Labouré, grant, we ask you that filled with like humility, we may glorify this mystery by word and work. Amen.
Novena Prayer
Leader and People: Immaculate Virgin Mary, mother of our Lord Jesus and our mother, we have confidence in your powerful and never-failing intercession, manifested often through the Miraculous Medal. We your loving and trustful children, ask you to obtain for us the graces and favors we ask during this novena if they will be for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. (Here privately form your petitions.) You know, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of your Son who hates iniquity. Obtain for us then a deep hatred of sin and that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone so that our every thought, word, and deed may tend to his greater glory. Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin and at length attain to that blessed abode where you are the queen of angels and of men. Amen.
Prayer to our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Leader and People: Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we unite ourselves to you under your title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this medal be for each one of us a sure sign of your motherly affection for us and a constant reminder of our filial duties towards you. While wearing it, may we be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son. Most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to you every moment of our lives so that like you we may live and act according to the teaching and example of your Son. Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death so that in union with you we may enjoy the happiness of heaven forever. Amen.
Leader:O Mary, conceived without sin,
People: Pray for us who have recourse to you.
Closing Prayer
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us: O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.(once)
Mass and Novena - November 19 to 27
Each year, from November 19 to November 27 at 7:00 p.m., the Vincentian Fathers lead the faithful of St. Vincent DePaul Church in a beautiful spiritual journey known as the nine-day novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. This time-honored devotion invites us to reflect on the unwavering faith and maternal love of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who stands by us as she stood by her Son, Jesus Christ.
Mary conveyed a divine mission to Sister Catherine: to spread the devotion to this medal throughout the world. As news of the medal spread, reports of miraculous cures and conversions began to emerge, leading to it being known as the "Miraculous Medal." The novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal recalls the events of the apparitions and her wish that her Immaculate Conception be recognized and honored by all.
Key Themes and Intentions of the Novena
Faith and Obedience: Like Mary, who heard the Word of God and kept it no matter the cost, we are called to deepen our faith and respond obediently to God's call in our lives.
Compassion and Support: As Mary stood at the foot of the cross during Jesus' crucifixion, she stands by us in our trials and tribulations. We are reminded of her constant presence and loving support.
Intercession and Guidance: Mary will always bring us closer to Jesus. Through her intercession, our prayers can be placed in her maternal heart, and we can learn to pray with greater fervor and trust.
The Miraculous Medal: Its Origins and Significance
St. Catherine Labouré's encounter with the Blessed Mother in 1830 led to the creation of the Miraculous Medal. One night, she was awakened by a voice and guided to the chapel, where Mary appeared and spoke with her. This profound experience was followed by another apparition four months later, where Mary stood on a globe, emitting rays of light, and instructed St. Catherine to create a medal based on this vision. Mary promised great graces to those who wore it around their necks and recited a specific prayer.
With the Catholic Church's approval, the first medals were made in 1832 and quickly earned the nickname "Miraculous Medal" due to the numerous blessings reported by those who wore them. By the time of St. Catherine's death in 1876, over a billion medals had been produced, spreading worldwide.
The Front Side of the Medal
The front side of the Miraculous Medal shows Mary Immaculate with open hands full of light, standing on a globe, symbolizing her as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Her feet crush a serpent, representing Satan's defeat. The inscription "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee" affirms the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The year 1830 marks when Mary gave the medal's design to St. Catherine.
The Back Side of the Medal
The reverse side features a cross and the letter "M," symbolizing Mary's close relationship with Jesus's suffering and our redemption. Beneath are the Sacred Heart of Jesus, crowned with thorns, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, pierced by a sword, signifying their love for humanity. Twelve stars encircle the design, representing the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles, recalling Saint John's vision in the Book of Revelation.
The Miraculous Medal continues to bestow blessings on those who wear it with faith, drawing divine favors for all those who trust in her maternal intercession.
A Brief Biography
St. Catherine Labouré was born on May 2, 1806, in Burgundy, France, the ninth of eleven children. After her mother died when she was nine, she turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary for comfort, vowing, "Now, dear Blessed Mother, you will be my mother."
At 23, she joined the Daughters of Charity, where the Blessed Virgin appeared to her in 1830 as young novice, instructing her to create the Miraculous Medal. Despite witnessing countless miracles attributed to the Medal, St. Catherine remained anonymous, dedicating herself to caring for the sick and elderly, earning her the title of patroness of seniors.
Just before her death on December 31, 1876, she revealed to her superior that she was the visionary of the Miraculous Medal. Her body was later found incorrupt 57 years after her death.
St. Catherine was canonized by Pope Pius XII on July 27, 1947, and her feast day is celebrated on November 28.
Blessing and Investiture of the Miraculous Medal from the Roman Ritual
Priest vests in surplice and white stole
Priest. Our help is in the name of the Lord R. Who made heaven and earth +. The Lord be with you R. And also with you
Let us pray.
Almighty and merciful God, Who by the many appearances on earth of the Immaculate Virgin Mary were pleased to work miracles again and again for the salvation of souls; kindly pour out Your blessing + on this medal, so that all who devoutly wear it and reverence it may experience the patronage of Mary Immaculate and obtain mercy from You; through Christ our Lord. AMEN.
Priest sprinkles Miraculous Medal(s) with Holy Water, then presents it to person(s) saying:
Take this holy medal; wear it with faith, and handle it with due devotion, so that the holy and Immaculate Queen of Heaven may protect and defend you. And as she is ever ready to renew her wondrous acts of kindness, may she obtain for you in her mercy whatever you humbly ask of God, so that both in life and in death you may rest happily in her motherly embrace. AMEN.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Our Father, . . .
Priest. And lead us not into temptation R. But deliver us from evil +. Queen conceived without Original Sin R. Pray for us who have recourse to thee +. O, Lord, hear my prayer R. And let my cry come unto thee +. The Lord be with you R. And also with you
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, Who willed that Your Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived without sin, should become illustrious through countless miracles; grant that we who ever seek her patronage may finally possess everlasting joys. We ask this of You, Who lives and reigns forever and ever, AMEN.
Spiritual Benefits for Wearing the Miraculous Medal
* The indulgence is plenary under the normal conditions: confession, communion, prayer for the Pope’s intentions and freedom from attachment to all sin
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