Saint Catherine Laboure, a virgin born on May 2, 1806, joined the Daughters of Charity in Paris at a young age. In 1830, she experienced three extraordinary visions of the Virgin Mary as a 24-year-old novice.

The initial apparition occurred on July 18 in the motherhouse of her community. St. Catherine saw a lady sitting to the right of the sanctuary. Approaching her, St. Catherine received guidance for times of hardship and was directed towards the altar for solace. The lady foretold of a mission for St. Catherine, warning it would bring her suffering, and predicted the 1870 anticlerical uprising in Paris.

On November 27, the lady presented St. Catherine with the design of the Immaculate Conception medal, later known as the “Miraculous Medal.” She was instructed to create and promote this medal. Initially, only her confessor, Father Aladel, was aware of these apparitions. It wasn’t until 45 years later that St. Catherine disclosed the full details to a superior. She passed away on December 31, 1876, and was canonized on July 27, 1947.

Photo credit: Sidney de Almeida / Shutterstock.com

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