Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

"The Virgin Mary as she appeared on the Medal": the conversion of Ratisbonne

Church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, Rome (Italy) (1842)

Marie-Alphonse (Alfonso) Regensburgborn in Strasbourg in 1814, he was a young banker of a well-appointed Jewish family, described by the sources as skeptical and anti-clerical. On a trip to Rome, he became friends with a fervent Catholic, the Baron Théodore de Bussièreswho almost as a spiritual challenge proposed to him to carry a Miraculous Medal and pray daily the prayer of «Acordaos» of Saint Bernardo. Alfonso accepted more by courtesy than by faith.

El 20 January 1842, mientras acompañaba al barón a Sant’Andrea delle Fratte —que iba a preparar unas exequias—, Alfonso se quedó paseando y mirando las obras de arte, sin intención de rezar. Según declaró después en el proceso canónico, de pronto todo se oscureció en la iglesia salvo una capilla llena de luz: en el altar vio a la Virgen María «tal como está en la Medalla», radiant, with hands spilling rays of light. He fell on his knees, crying, and understood the truths of faith within. When the Baron returned, he found him transformed, begging to be baptized as soon as possible.

This episode is solidly documented. The Holy See initiated a canonical process between February and April 1842 and published the 3 June 1842 a decree recognizing the supernatural character of the act. Alfonso was baptized, confirmed and communicated on 31 January 1842 by Cardinal Patrizi; later he was ordained a Jesuit priest and, together with his brother, he founded the Sisters of Our Lady of Zion. He died in Ein Karem, near Jerusalem, in 1884. Today, at the very altar of the apparition, the great picture of the Madonna del Miracolo.

Conviene matizar lo devocional. El tono de «apuesta» es expresión catequética que subraya su falta de fe inicial; no consta como contrato jurídico. Detalles como el gesto o la frase de la Virgen («Está bien») provienen de reelaboraciones piadosas: lo esencial —la visión «como en la Medalla», la luz y la comprensión interior de la fe— sí está en su testimonio. En cuanto al Rosary, los relatos mencionan expresamente la Medalla Milagrosa y el «Acordaos», no el Rosario; no consta que este tuviera un papel en aquel día. Sí es legítimo hoy vivir, en torno a la Madonna del Miracolo, una espiritualidad mariana «de la Medalla y del Rosario», pero como desarrollo devocional posterior.