On Wednesday, November 11, 2020, Pope Francis blessed the statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in the Vatican, which from December 1, 2020 to November 22, 2021, will be on pilgrimage in Italy. In Paris it received by St. Catherine Labouré.
In 1830, Mary said to Catherine Laboure: “Get a medal like this! All people who wear it around their necks will receive great favors. Graces will be abundant for those who wear it with confidence. “
While the preparations for the first medals were being struck, in March 1932 a terrible cholera epidemic broke out in Paris, which began to spread to neighboring areas. The death toll grew rapidly.
On June 30, 1932, the Sisters of Charity began distributing medals to people affected by the epidemic. In a very short time the disease disappeared. Later, miraculous events began that made the Miraculous Medal known all over the world in a few years.
In our troubled times affected by the pandemic, the peregrination of the statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is very important. Mary’s assurance that in difficult times and in a world affected by various cataclysms, everyone who trusts in her and will wear her Miraculous Medal with faith will receive special favors is still valid. Pope Francis saw such a need at the present time, who blessed the statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and her pilgrimage began from Roman parishes.
This message of entrustment and mercy that accompanies the peregrination also included the parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Rome, with whom our community of the Generalate works. On the 4th Sunday of Advent 2020, together with parishioners, we prayed in front of the statue of the Mother of God.
We participated in the Holy Mass. and in the prayers offered to God through the intercession of Mary, we thanked for all the gifts so far, asking for the necessary favors for people affected by the coronavirus disease and for an end to the pandemic.
S.M. Weronika Wojciechowska