Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa de Manila - Manila's Dispenser of Graces

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Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa
de Manila
In the confines of Adamson University compound in Ermita, Manila, one of Manila's most popular Marian pilgrimage site frequently visited by Marian devotees for years and the center of the devotion one of the most popular and important sacramentals in the Catholic Church - the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, or more popularly known as the Miraculous Medal.

The devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is one of the latest Marian title and its accompanying devotion that arrived during the last years of the Spanish regime and it was proven to be popular and it continued to thrive over the next decades.

The image

The image of Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa de Manila is a de tallado image of the Blessed Virgin Mary based from the description given by St. Catherine Laboure on her account of the apparitions:

"The Virgin was standing. She was of medium height, and clothed in all white . Her dress was of the whiteness of dawn, made in the style called a la Vierge, that is, high neck and plain sleeves. A white veil covered her head and and fell on either side of her feet. Under the veil her hair, in coils, was bound with a fillet ornamented with lace, about three centimeters in height or of two fingers' breadth, without pleats, and resting lightly on the hair. Her face was sufficiently exposed, indeed exposed very well, and so beautiful that it seems to me impossible to express her ravishing beauty."

In recent depictions of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Rue de Bac, a blue cloak and the rays on her hands were added. The iconography of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal completes with the Virgin standing on a globe stepping on a serpent based from the model that was made for striking the Miraculous Medal that she herself presented to St. Catherine Laboure.

The Apparitions in Rue de Bac

The story of the apparitions of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal began during the novitiate year of Sister Catherine Laboure in the order of the Sisters of Charity in Rue de Bac, Paris, France. Even in her early years before her entrance in the Order, she already received various visions of St. Vincent de Paul, Founder of the Congregation of the Mission (more popularly known as Vincentians) and of Jesus present in the Eucharist before experiencing two apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The first phase of the apparition to St. Catherine
Laboure
On July 18, 1830, Catherine was awakened about 11:30 p.m. by  her guardian angel who led her to the chapel, where she was surprised to find all the candles lit as if it was Midnight Mass. But the chapel was empty. Suddenly, Catherine saw the Blessed Mother appear there. “I sprang forward with one leap to her side – kneeling on the altar steps with my hands resting on the knees of the Blessed Virgin. There I spent the sweetest moment in my life.”

Our Lady appeared and talked with her for hours, telling her that she would have to undertake a difficult task. Mary told Catherine that God had a special job for her to do, and also warned of a great time of upheaval that would occur in France and beyond.

“My child,” said the Blessed Virgin, “times are very bad. Calamities are going to fall upon France. The whole world will be in an upheaval due to all sorts of troubles. The good God wishes to give you a mission. Later I shall let you know what it is. You will have much to suffer. But do not be afraid. The times are evil, and misfortunes are about to overwhelm France. The throne will be destroyed and the whole world convulsed by all sorts of calamities. But come to the foot of this altar. Here graces will be poured out on all who ask for them, great or small. My eyes are always watching you, I shall grant you many graces. Special graces will be given to all who ask for them, but people must pray.”

The second phase of the apparition to St. Catherine
Laboure
A few months later, on November 27, 1830,  the Blessed Mother appeared again to Sister Catherine in their chapel. This time, the Blessed Virgin holds a globe in her hands and saying: "This globe which you see is the world, France in particular and for every person living in it. I am praying for it and for everyone in the world. The rays which shed on the globe from my hands are the graces which I bestow for all those who ask for them. But there are no rays that come from some of the gems because those are the graces which God wishes to bestow on them but they forget to ask..." 

Afterwards, she outstretched her hands, with shafts of light streaming from her hands emanating from jewels on the rings adorning her fingers, “These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them,” Our Lady told Catherine. “The gems from which rays do not fall are the graces for which souls forget to ask.” (Some of the jewels on Our Lady’s rings were not shining.)

She was surrounded by the words "Ô Marie, conçue sans péché, priez pour nous qui avons recours à vous" ["O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!"] The image turned around, and on the reverse side appeared "a capital M with a cross above it and two hearts, one thorn-crowned (the Sacred Heat of Jesus) and one pierced with a sword (the Immaculate Heart of Mary) beneath. Catherine heard a voice asking her: "Have a Medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for persons who wear it with confidence." Thus the design for Miraculous Medal revealed.

The third phase of the apparition to St. Catherine
Laboure
The medals were later produced in 1831 with the help of her confessor, Rev. Fr. Jean Marie Aladel, The medal was then formally known as the Medal of the Immaculate Conception due to iconography that was presented to the medal and the prayer that surrounds the medal. Soon afterwards, numerous miracles were reported that are connected to the Miraculous Medal from unexplained cures, expulsion of evil spirits and conversions, most notably that of Alphonse Rattisbone who later became a priest.

In 1836, The Archbishop of Paris initiated an official canonical inquiry into the alleged visions. Sister Catherine refused to appear, wishing her identity to be kept a secret. Fr. Aladel pleaded to be allowed to keep her name anonymous. The tribunal, basing its opinion on the stability of her confessor and Catherine's character, decided to favor the authenticity of the visions by Archbishop Hyacinthe-Louis de Quélen of Paris.

The Miraculous Medal of the Immaculate Conception
The miracles and popularity of the Miraculous Medal of the Immacualte Conception hasten the dogmatization of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Maru by Pope Pius IX in 1854. The Miraculous Medal of the Blessed Mother would also inspire St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan Conventual friar, to found the Militia Immaculata in 1917.

Sister Catherine continued to live her life as a religious and performing her duties for 46 more years of her Order. Although she continued to spread the devotion to the Miraculous Medal of Our Lady, she never once revealed to anybody, except to her confessor, the apparitions until Fr. Aladel died in 1865 that left no one knew the whole events of Rue de Bac. Sensing that the end of her life was drawing near, in 1876, Sister Catherine asked Our Lady for permission to share her story to her superior from her identity as the visionary and encouraged the carving of the “Virgin of the Globe” statue.

Sister Catherine died on December 31, 1876. Her mortal remains lies incorrupt that can be venerated at the site of the apparition to this day. St. Catherine Laboure was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1933 and was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1947. Her feast day is celebrated every November 28, the day after the Liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa de Manila
The devotion in the Philippines

The devotion to Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa began with the arrival of the Vincentian Fathers and the Daughters of Charity in the Philippines in 1860 and efforts were immediately started to promote the devotion. It was at La Concordia College that the first association dedicated to the Miraculous Medal was formed.

The Vincentians fathers erected first a chapel in Ermita in 1883 in which the original image of Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa, which was brought from France, was enshrined. Almost 30 years later, in 1912, a concrete church was built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Vincentians and the Sisters of Charity in the Philippines

Unfortunately, the church was burned down during the Second World War, along with the image. A new image was commissioned by the religious order from  Maximo Vicente that can be seen and venerated today at the church's main altar.

The Miraculous Medal Apostolate, a dedicated pious association was established by the Vincentian fathers with St. Vincent de Paul Parish as its headquarters, where the association's main task is the propagation of the devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in the country.

The processional image of Nuestra Señora
de la Medalla Milagrosa de Manila
The devotion at present

The devotion to Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa continues to grow and develop over the years. A simple yet beautiful tradition of Domiciliary visits of the pilgrim image of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is well received by the families who were chosen to be visited by the Virgin.  Pilgrims and devotees continued to flock her shrine, especially on her feast day, November 27 were masses are said constantly and her solemn procession is well attended by devotees, students and members of the Apostolate.

Why we should wear Our Lady's Medal? It is a daily reminder of our faith. Since it is used to show the connection between our Blessed Mother who is willing to distribute the necessary graces we need for our salvation as she promised to St. Catherine Laboure.

To conclude this blogpost, here is prayer to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal to ask for the graces we needed that is good for our souls.

Immaculate Virgin Mary, we honor you, blessed from the moment of your conception with the fullness of God's redeeming grace. You grew in faith and in love for God as you made the choice each moment of your life to allow God to be God in your life.

 In calling us to the altar, as you did St. Catherine Laboure, you show us where to find redeeming grace. Lead us, in your spirit of faith, hope and love to the altar of Eucharistic Sacrifice as we receive your Jesus and say "yes" to all He asks of us.

 O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

References:

Aviado, Lutgarda, "Madonnas of the Philippines", Manlapaz Press, Quezon City, 1972.
Barcelona, Mary Anne, "Ynang Maria: a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Philippines". Ed. Consuelo B. Estampa, P.D. Pasig City, Anvil Publishing Inc., 2004.
Castro, Alex, "RETRO-SANTO: Nstra. Sñra de la Medalla Milagrosa", Retreived from http://andalltheangelsandsaints.blogspot.com/2010/08/26-retro-santo-nstra-snra-de-la.html on Novmber 5, 2019.
Englebert, Omer. "Catherine Laboure and the modern apparitions of Our Lady." New York: Kennedy, 1959.
"Pap: San Vicente de Paul Parish – Manila, Philippines c. 1946/1947", Retrieved from https://jennifersopko.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/pap-san-vicente-de-paul-parish-manila-philippines-c-19461947/
Nicole Vray, "Une autre regard sur Marie: Histoire et religion" Lyon: Editions Olivétan, 2008.

Special thanks to the photographs and illustrations utilized in this blog post. 
The present photo of the altar image and processional image is from the blogger's personal collection.
+AM+DG+

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