Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal of Philadelphia

Marian Invocation of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)

Marian tradition and historical base. La advocación de Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal refers to the apparitions of the Virgin to from Castalina Labouré In 1830, at the Mother House of the Daughters of Charity, at Rue du Bac in Paris, the design of the devotional medal emerged from these visions, which spread piety under the invocation "O Mary, without sin conceived, pray for us that we turn to you." The liturgical feast of this advocation is celebrated 27 November.

Main data

Origin and history

Marian tradition and historical base. La advocación de Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal refers to the apparitions of the Virgin to from Castalina Labouré In 1830, at the Mother House of the Daughters of Charity, at Rue du Bac in Paris, the design of the devotional medal emerged from these visions, which spread piety under the invocation "O Mary, without sin conceived, pray for us that we turn to you." The liturgical feast of this advocation is celebrated 27 November.

Documented history of the Philadelphia shrine. El Miraculous Medal Shrine de Germantown, Philadelphia (Pensilvania) is a sanctuary of the Vincentian Fathers dedicated to this Marian advocation and to the dissemination of the Miraculous Medal. The documentation consulted further states that this sanctuary was the place where the Novena Perpetua of the Miraculous Medal in the United States, a practice that then spread widely throughout the country.

Tradition and devotional extension. The link between the Miracle Medal and the Vincentian preaching is part of the spiritual history of devotion: the medal was understood from the beginning as a sacramental aimed at arousing faith, trust and openness to grace, not as a magical object. The expansion of the novena life in Philadelphia belongs to the devotional history of the sanctuary and is one of its most characteristic features.

The image and the sanctuary

The image associated with this advocation is, above all, the Miraculous Medal: a devotional medal whose design is based on the apparitions of 1830 and presents the Virgin with the rays that spring from her hands, the inscription of the jaculatory and, on the reverse, the "M" crowned by a cross and the two hearts of Jesus and Mary. In the case of the Philadelphia shrine, devotion focuses on the image of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal venerada en el Miraculous Medal Shrine de Germantown, although the material type of the main image and a complete artistic description of the altarpiece or statue are not accurately recorded in the sources consulted.

The temple is officially called Miraculous Medal Shrine and is entrusted to the Deputy. The revised sources do not state that minor basilica ni National sanctuaryIt is a sanctuary dedicated to the Miracle Medal in Philadelphia.

Sponsorship and coronation

The patronage is clearly linked to the Philadelphia shrine and the devotion of the Miraculous Medal promoted by the Vicentine Fathers; there is no official civil patronage on the city, municipality or diocese of Philadelphia in the sources consulted. For documentary prudence, the following should be indicated: does not contain an officially established civil or diocesan patronage in the revised sources.

As for the canonical coronation, does not contain a documented canonical coronation for this advocation in the shrine of Philadelphia with the verified information available.

Party and devotion

La main party of Our Lady of the Miracle Medal is celebrated the 27 November. This date refers to the second of the 1830 apparitions in Paris, traditionally associated with the task of coining the medal.

The German shrine is known to be the cradle of the Novena Perpetua of the Miraculous Medal in the United States, devotional practice that was then spread throughout the country. The sources consulted underline the popular and perseverant character of this devotion, closely linked to the use of the medal, to the prayer of trust and to Marian intercession. The revised sources do not contain official inflow figures or reliable statistical data on annual pilgrimages.

Link to the Rosary

It is not clear that this advocation has a specific structural relationship with a fellowship, rite or practice of the Rosary of the Philadelphia shrine in the sources consulted. However, the spirituality of the Miracle Medal is naturally inserted into the Marian piety that also feeds the Rosary: both lead to contemplating Christ with Mary, to asking for grace with confidence and to living a simple, repetitive and deeply ecclesial devotion.

In a place of devotion to the Rosary, this advocation can be presented as a complementary expression of the same Marian faith: the Rosary meditates on the mysteries of Christ's life, while the Miraculous Medal recalls Mary's maternal intercession and the call to resort to it with faith.