In the heart of summer, the Church and the Vincentian Family gratefully remember July 18, 1830, when the Virgin Mary chose a young Daughter of Charity, Catherine Labouré, to entrust the world with a message of hope and grace. It is a luminous date, as hidden and silent as Catherine’s own life, yet filled with promises for those who turn to Mary.
That night, in the chapel of the Motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity on Rue du Bac in Paris, the Virgin appeared to Catherine in a simple and profound encounter. Mary presented herself as a close Mother, attentive to the sufferings of her people, ready to pour out her graces on all who turn to her with trust.
Saint Catherine, orphaned from childhood, had chosen Mary as her mother, and from that moment, her whole life became a silent and faithful response to this maternity: every day, with humility, service, and prayer, hidden among the poor and the sick, never seeking glory or human recognition. Her holiness was not made of spectacular miracles, but of small daily gestures lived with love, patience, and simplicity.
The “greatness” of Saint Catherine was not visible to the world, but was precious in the eyes of God. For fifty years, she was a “useless servant,” as she liked to call herself, but it was precisely through her littleness that Mary wished to give the Miraculous Medal, a tangible sign of God’s protection and mercy for all his children.
Today, as we wear the medal around our necks or keep it in our pockets, let us remember that the true miracle happens through humble and concrete faith, persevering prayer, and silent service. Like Catherine, we are called to be witnesses of hope in our daily lives, without fanfare, letting Mary act in our hearts and in the heart of the Church.
Saint Catherine Labouré, woman of silence and hope, pray for us!
O Saint Catherine Labouré,
you who welcomed the message of the Virgin Mary with a simple and faithful heart,
teach us to live in trust and humility,
in active charity and fruitful silence.
Give us attentive eyes for the poor,
a heart ready to serve,
and the grace to recognize in the small signs of life
the presence of the God who saves.
May we too bring to the world the light of the Miraculous Medal,
a sign of protection and hope,
and bear witness, through our lives,
to the joy of the Gospel.
O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to you.
Amen.
