Perpetual Novena in Honor of Our Lady of

the Miraculous Medal

“Come to the foot of the altar. Graces will

be shed on all, especially those who seek
them...”
-Our Lady to St. Catherine Labouré
Saint Catherine Labouré and the Miraculous
Medal
Saint Catherine was born on May 2, 1806 to
Peter and Louise Labouré . On January 22,
1830 she entered the Probation House of the
Daughters of Charity at Rue du Bac, Paris.
On April 21 of that same year, she officially
became a novice. On July 19, she
experienced a vision of the blessed Mother
sitting in the Director’s chair in the chapel.
Catherine knelt beside the Blessed Mother,
rested her hands on Mary’s lap, and felt the
Virgin’s arms around her. Mary said, “God
wishes to charge you with a mission. You
will be contradicted, but do not fear; you
will have the grace.”
On November 27, 1830, the Blessed Mother
appeared to her again. Catherine, raising her
eyes to the main altar, saw her beautiful
Lady standing on a large glove. Mary’s
silken robe shone with the whiteness of
dawn. A pure white veil fell to her feet and
beneath the veil she wore a lace band
binding her hair. A small golden ball was in
her hands which she offered to God with
her eyes heavenward. Suddenly, Mary’s
hands were resplendent and flashed in a
brilliant cascade of light. The flood of glory
was so bright that the globe on which Mary
stood was no longer visible. Catherine
understood that the rays symbolized the
graces shed on those who sought them. The
gems on Our Lady’s fingers had no rays.
Catherine understood this to symbolize the
graces for which people did not ask. Mary’s
arms swept wide and down. Surrounding
her head was an oval frame with the words,
“O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us
who have recourse to thee.”
Then the vision of the Virgin turned
completely around. On the other side
appeared a huge ‘M’ with a cross about it.
The letter rested on a bar, beneath which
appeared two hearts. The first heart was
encircled by a crown of thorns, the second
was pierced by a sword. Catherine
understood this to mean that we have been
purchased by a God who was crucified in
the very presence of his own mother, the
Queen of Martyrs. The Virgin spoke again.
This time she gave a direct order. “Have a
medal struck in this form. All who wear it
will receive great graces.” Catherine’s
confessor obtained permission from the
Archbishop to have the medal struck.
Catherine kept this secret all of her life,
revealing it only to her confessor. She
passed to her eternal reward on December
31, 1876, and was canonized on July 27,
1947.
(After Holy Communion has been
distributed and the post-Communion prayer
recited the Closing rites are omitted and all
kneel before the Altar.)
EXPOSITION OF THE MOST BLESSED
SACRAMENT
HYMN
O Salutaris Hostia, Quae coeli pandis
ostium! Bella premunt hostilia;Da robur fer
auxilium.
O saving Victim, opening wide, The gate of
heaven to man below!
Our foes press on from every side; Thine aid
supply, thy strength bestow.
Uni Trinoque Domino, Sit sempiterna
gloria;Qui vitam sine termino Nobis donet in
patria.
Amen.
To Thy great name be endless praise,
Immortal Godhead, One in Three;
O grant us endless length of days
In our true native land with Thee.
Amen.
Priest: My brothers and sisters in Christ:
We come here in humble adoration before
Our Lord present in the Most Blessed
Sacrament. As we begin this time of prayer
and adoration let us listen to the words of
Saint Catherine Labouré:
“Whenever I go to the chapel, I put myself
in the presence of our good Lord, and I say
to him, Lord I am here. Tell me what you
would have me to do. If he gives me some
task, I am content and I thank him. If he
gives me nothing, I still thank him since I do
not deserve to receive anything more than
that. And then, I tell God everything that is
in my heart. I tell him about my pains and
joys, and then I listen. If you listen, God will
also speak to you, for with the good Lord,
you have to both speak and listen. God
always speaks to you when you approach
him plainly and simply.”
Let us then, throughout these hours,
approach Our Eucharistic Lord in humility
of heart.
PRAYER OF SAINT ALPHONUS DE
LIGUORI TO JESUS IN THE BLESSED
SACRAMENT
All: My Lord Jesus Christ, for the love
which you bear to us, you remain night and
day in this Sacrament full of compassion
and of love, awaiting, calling, and
welcoming all who come to visit You. I
believe that You are present in the
Sacrament of the Altar: I adore You from
the abyss of my nothingness, and I thank
You for all the graces which You have
bestowed upon me and in particular for
having given me Yourself in this
Sacrament, for having given me Your holy
Mother Mary for my advocate, and for
having called me to visit You in this church.
I now greet your most loving Heart: and this
for three ends:
•To thank you for this great gift;
•To make amends to you for all the outrages
which you receive in this Sacrament;
•To adore you in all the places on earth in
which you are the least revered and the most
abandoned.
My Jesus, I love you with all my heart. I
grieve for having so many times offended
your infinite goodness. I promise with
your grace never more to offend you in the
future.
Now, I consecrate myself to you without
reserve; I give you my entire will, my
affections, my desires, and all that I possess.
I ask of you and desire is your holy love,
final perseverance, and the perfect
accomplishment of your will. My dear
Savior, I unite all my affections with the
affections of Your most loving Heart along
with my own intentions (pause to silently
mention your intentions); and I offer them,
thus united, to Your eternal Father, and
beseech Him in Your name to vouchsafe,
for Your love, to accept and hear them.
Amen.
(The Priest and servers depart in silence and
silent Adoration continues throughout the
day.)
EVENING SERVICE
OPENING HYMN–Jesus, My Lord, My
God, My All
Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all!
How can I love Thee as I ought?
And how revere this wondrous gift, So far
surpassing hope or thought?
Refrain: Sweet Sacrament, we Thee adore!
Oh, make us love Thee more and more.
Had I but Mary's sinless heart with which to
love Thee, dearest King, Oh, with whatever
fervent praise, Thy goodness, Jesus, would I
sing!
Refrain
Priest: In the name of the Father+ and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
Priest: My brothers and sisters in Christ as
we kneel before the Altar in the presence
of Our Lord in the Most Blessed
Sacrament and in the company of Our
Blessed Mother let us meditate on the words
of Our Lady to Saint Catherine Labouré:
“Come to the foot of the altar. Graces will
be shed on all, great and small, especially
upon those who seek them....The rays
(from my hands) symbolize the graces I
shed upon those who ask for them. The
jewels which give no rays symbolize the
graces that are not given because they are
not asked for." Let us then, with filial trust,
ask Our Lady to present to her Son our
petitions for the graces and favors of which
we are in need.
Priest: Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of
your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of
your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they
shall be created.
People: And you shall renew the face of the
earth.
Priest: Let us pray. O God, who did instruct
the hearts of the faithful by the light of
the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same
Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in
His consolation, through Jesus Christ, our
Lord. People: Amen.
Priest: O Mary, conceived without sin:
People: Pray for us, who have recourse to
thee. (3x)
All: O Lord Jesus Christ, who have
vouchsafed to glorify by numberless
miracles | the Blessed Virgin Mary,
|Immaculate from the first moment of her
conception, | grant that all who devoutly
implore her protection on earth, | may
eternally enjoy Your presence in heaven, |
who, with the Father and Holy Spirit, |
live and reign, God, forever and ever. Amen.
All: O Lord Jesus Christ, who for the
accomplishment of your greatest works,
have chosen the weak things of the world,
that no flesh may glory in your sight; and
who for a better and more widely diffused
belief in the Immaculate Conception of
Your Mother, have wished that the
Miraculous Medal be manifested to Saint
Catherine Labouré, grant, we beseech You,
that filled with like humility, we may glorify
this mystery by word and work. Amen.

MEMORARE
All: Remember, O most compassionate
Virgin Mary, that never was it known that
anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your assistance, or sought your
intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with
this confidence, we fly unto you, O Virgin
of Virgins, our Mother; to you we come;
before you we kneel, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not
our petitions, but in your mercy hear and
answer them. Amen.
NOVENA PRAYER
All: 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 privately form your petitions in
silence.)
All: You know, O Mary, how often our
souls have been the sanctuary 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.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO OUR
LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL
All: 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 one of us a sure sign of
your affection for us and a constant
reminder of our duties toward you. Ever
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 | every moment of our lives. Obtain
for us, your children | the grace of a happy
death; so that, in union with you, we may
enjoy the bliss of heaven forever. Amen.
Priest: O Mary conceived without sin.
People: Pray for us who have recourse to
thee. (3x)
(At this time, there may be a short sermon.)
“Come to the foot of the altar. Graces will
be shed on all, especially those who seek
them...”
-Our Lady to St. Catherine Labouré
The Rite for Investing the Miraculous Medal
The priest who is to bless the sacred
medal of the Immaculate Conception,
vested in surplice and white stole, says:
Priest: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who made heaven and earth.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Let us pray.
Almighty and merciful God, who by the
many appearances on earth of the
Immaculate Virgin Mary were pleased to
work miracles again and again for the
salvation of souls; kindly pour out your
blessing + on this medal, so that all who
devoutly wear it and reverence it may
experience the patronage of Mary
Immaculate and obtain mercy from you;
through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
The priest sprinkles the medal with holy
water, and presents it to the person, saying:
Priest: Take this holy medal; wear it with
faith, and handle it with due devotion, so
that the holy and immaculate Queen of
heaven may protect and defend you. And as
she is ever ready to renew her wondrous
acts of kindness, may she obtain for you
in her mercy whatever you humbly ask
of God, so that both in life and in death
you may rest happily in her motherly
embrace.
All: Amen.
(The priest continues.)
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord,
have mercy. Our Father who art in heaven...
Priest: Queen conceived without original
sin.
All: Pray for us.
Priest: Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come to you.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, who willed that your
Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary
conceived without sin, should become
illustrious through countless miracles;
grant that we who ever seek her
patronage may finally possess everlasting
joys. We ask this of you who live and reign
forever and ever.
All: Amen.
(As circumstances suggest, the celebrant
may, in a clear voice, pronounce the
formulas of conferral once for all the
recipients. They all join in replying Amen,
then go one by one to receive the medal
from the celebrant. The celebrant, in silence,
sprinkles all present with holy water.)
Concluding Rite(The celebrant concludes
the rite, saying:)
Priest: God, through the Immaculate
Virgin Mary, so inexpressibly united with
your Son, you cause us to rejoice in your
great goodness. As we are supported by
her motherly protection, may we never be
without your providential love, and be
always dedicated to the mystery of your
redemption with unbounded faith. We ask
this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Prayers for Private Use

Prayer to St. Catherine Labouré

Saint Catherine Labouré, you were the
chosen confidant of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. She revealed to you her desire that
her children wear the Miraculous Medal as a
mark of their love for her and in honor of
her Immaculate Conception.
Intercede for us, that we may follow our
heavenly mother's desires. Ask that we
may receive those special graces which
flow from her motherly hands like rays of
light. Amen.
Prayer to St. Louise de Marillac
O Saint Louise de Marillac, heavenly Patron
of our Parish, pray earnestly at all times to
God for us; confirm us in the faith;
strengthen us in virtue, defend us in the
battle of life; so that, conquering the enemy
of our souls, we may deserve to be
rewarded with everlasting glory. May we
always imitate your virtues and especially
your charity and concern for those most in
need. O Saint Louise, be mindful of us
before God. Pray for us that we may
always live as we ought and that we
may, following your example, keep the faith
and serve the Lord in the least of our
brothers and sisters.
Amen.