Description: Congregation of Children of Mary Miraculous Medal Aluminum 1-3/8" long Catherine Labouré, Daughters of Charity, received an apparition of Our Lady when she was praying in the convent chapel. Our Lady was standing on a globe with her foot crushing the head of a serpent and there were rays of light coming from gems on her fingers. Our Lady said, “Behold the symbol of graces that I will shower down on all who ask me for them.” An oval frame surrounded Our Lady and Catherine could read this prayer in gold lettering on the oval frame, “O Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to thee.” This is the image on the front of the medal. The frame turned and Catherine could see a cross with a large “M” representing Mary beneath it. Beneath the cross were two hearts, one surrounded with thorns which Catherine understood to represent Jesus, and the other heart was pierced by a sword which Catherine took to represent Mary recalling the words of Simeon in the Temple to Mary that a sword of sorrow would pierce her soul (Luke 2:35). This is the image on the rear of the medal. Catherine was told to have a medal struck according to this model. The group was first opened to girls who were students or orphans in the care of the The Sisters of Charity, and later welcomed girls not associated with the order as well. Girls and young women in the society were encouraged to live holy and devout lives in the everyday world by embracing the virtues of sacrifice, prayer, and works of charity. But....you couldn't just show up and say "Hey! I'm ready to be a child of Mary!" A girl had to request to join, then wait six months during which time she practiced the virtues of the group and prepared to live its values. When a girl finally entered the group, she was given a beautiful silver medal, like the one above, which she could wear on a blue ribbon. I've even heard that they sometimes wore little blue capes as well! The front of the medal shows the Blessed Virgin Mary in the same pose that she has on the Miraculous Medal: standing on a snake with a halo of stars around her head. The wording around the edge of the medal reads "Monstra Te Esse Matrem" which is Latin for "Show thyself a mother". These words come from a line in the ancient Marian hymn "Ave Stella Maris" or "Hail Star of The Sea". When you flip the medal over, you see an emblem featuring two stems of lilies curving around a radiant star. I think that the star must also represent Mary as "The Star of the Sea", and the lily symbolizes purity, which was an important virtue for Children of Mary. The wording around the edge is in French and translates as "Congregation of the Children of Mary", but the group was also known as the "Sodality of the Children of Mary". At the bottom is a small area that could be used to engrave the child's name or the date of her entry into the society. #B80
Price: 12.5 USD
Location: Wading River, New York
End Time: 2025-01-11T23:04:55.000Z
Shipping Cost: 3.5 USD
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All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Religion: Christianity
