Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is one of the most beloved titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary, given after she appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré in Paris in 1830 and asked that a medal be struck in honor of her Immaculate Conception. She promised abundant graces to all who would wear it with confidence. This novena turns to Mary under that title, entrusting your intentions to her powerful and never-failing intercession.
The Novena Prayer to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Pray this prayer once daily for nine consecutive days:
O Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus and our Mother, penetrated with the most lively confidence in your all-powerful and never-failing intercession, manifested so often through the Miraculous Medal, we your loving and trustful children implore you to obtain for us the graces and favors we ask during this novena, if they be beneficial to our immortal souls and the souls for whom we pray. (Here form your petitions.)
You know, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of your Son, who hates iniquity. Obtain for us then a deep hatred of sin and that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone, so that our every thought, word, and deed may tend to His greater glory. Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial, that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin, and at length attain to that blessed abode where you are the Queen of angels and of men. Amen.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you. (three times)
Closing Prayer
O Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we dedicate and consecrate ourselves to you under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this medal be for each of us a sure sign of your motherly affection and a constant reminder of our duties toward you. While wearing it, may we be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son. O most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to you at every moment of our lives, and obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death. Amen.
When to Pray This Novena
The Miraculous Medal Novena may be prayed at any time of year and for any intention. It is traditionally offered on Mondays in shrines and parishes devoted to Our Lady under this title, and the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal falls on November 27, the anniversary of the 1830 apparition.
About the Miraculous Medal
In 1830, in the chapel of the Daughters of Charity on the Rue du Bac in Paris, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré, a young novice. Mary stood upon a globe with rays of light streaming from her hands, encircled by the words, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” She asked that a medal be made to this design; its reverse bears the hearts of Jesus and Mary beneath the Cross, surrounded by a circle of twelve stars.
The first medals were struck in 1832, and so many graces and conversions followed that people soon called it the “Miraculous Medal.” Saint Catherine kept the secret of the apparitions for most of her life, known to others only as a humble sister who cared for the elderly and the sick. She was canonized in 1947, and her incorrupt body rests in the chapel on the Rue du Bac, which remains a place of pilgrimage to this day.
Related Prayers and Devotions
The Memorare
Hail, Holy Queen (Salve Regina)
We Fly to Your Protection (Sub Tuum Praesidium)
Sources: Prayers follow the traditional Miraculous Medal Novena as published by EWTN and the Association of the Miraculous Medal. Historical details from accounts of the 1830 apparitions to Saint Catherine Labouré.