Miraculous Medal celebration

Just like every year, the Vincentian Family has marked the Feast of the Miraculous Medal. It is a special event for the Vincentian Family, and particularly for Fathers of the Congregation of the Mission, for the Marian Sisters of the Miraculous Medal as well as for all those who venerate the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

This year, we celebrated on Saturday, November 25. The Feast began with the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: we thanked Jesus for all those gifts we had received and asked Him to forgive all our weaknesses and neglecting to do what we ought to.

Fr. Przemyslaw Nowakowski, CM, celebrated the Holy Mass, and the Missionary Fathers of St. Vincent de Paul, Dominican Fathers, a Father from the Congregation of Paulines and priests from the Higher Theological Seminary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Vorzel were concelebrants.

As he delivered a sermon, Fr. Przemyslaw with a great inspiration told us the story of Blessed Virgin Mary’s apparition to Sister Catherine Laboure (who was a novice at that time). “Saint Catherine Laboure was an ordinary country girl, but she longed to meet the Blessed Virgin Mary. After her mother died, she even devoted herself to her Heavenly Mother. Despite tough convent rules, being a member of the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity, Saint Catherine was not afraid to come to a chapel in the middle of the night, where the Blessed Virgin Mary was awaiting her.” The Father underlined that during all Her apparitions the Virgin Mary kept some distance from people. It was only as She appeared to Saint Catherine that She allowed her to come closer and even place her hands on Her lap.

All in all, the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Catherine Laboure three times. During Her second apparition, the Virgin Mary showed Catherine the Miraculous Medal and asked that young sister to have medals made according to that sample.

Even nowadays, the Miraculous Medal is a talisman for us, but not in the way the world is used to appreciate different charms and amulets. It is through the Miraculous Medal that the Virgin Mary desires to be as close to us as possible.

Concluding his sermon, Fr. Przemyslaw urged everyone not yet having the medal and not being a part of the Association of the Miraculous Medal to receive it and to join the Association. It is an easy matter, indeed, to say a daily prayer, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee,” and to wear the medal with faith!

Miraculous Medal festivities ended with a delicious treat by the Marian Sisters accompanied with a pleasant share time.

Two candidates Clothing Ceremony is to take place on Monday, November 27.

Kateryna Vasylenko