As I have tried to convey many times before, Paris — from the start — has inexplicably moved me. I have a Catholic friend who vehemently insisted that on our next trip we MUST visit Rue de Bac. I found myself wondering what could possibly be so important at that address. She assured me it was special. It is known as the site where the Miraculous Medal of the Virgin Mary originated and was designed following the nun Catherine Labouré’s apparitions of the Ever Blessed Virgin Mary. Catherine Larbouré stated that on July 19, 1830 she woke up after hearing the voice of a child calling her to the chapel. She then heard the Virgin Mary say to her, “God wishes to charge you with a mission. You will be contradicted, but do not fear; you will have the grace to do what is necessary. Tell your spiritual director all that passes within you. Times are evil in France and in the world.” On November 27 of that same year Labouré reported that the Blessed Mother returned during evening meditations. She displayed herself inside an oval frame standing upon a globe and she wore rings set with gems that were shining rays of light upon the globe. Around the margin of the frame appeared the words Ô Marie, conçue sans péché, priez pour nous qui avons recours à vous. (“Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee”.) As she watched, the frame seemed to rotate, revealing a circle of twelve stars, a large letter “M” surmounted by a cross, the stylized Sacred Heart of Jesus crowned with thorns, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. When Labouré asked why some of the gems did not shed light, Mary reportedly replied, “Those are the graces for which people forget to ask.” She was then instructed by the Virgin Mother to take these images to her father confessor, telling him that they should be put on medallions, saying, “All who wear them will receive great graces.” Sister Catherine did so and, after two years of investigation and observation of her ordinary daily behavior, the priest took the information to his archbishop without revealing Catherine’s identity. The request was approved. The chapel in which Saint Catherine Labouré experienced her visions is located at the mother house of the Daughters of Charity — on Rue de Bac. Now the incorrupt body of Saint Catherine Labouré is interred in the chapel in a glass coffin for all to see. She appears to be sleeping with a slight smile and with all of her earthly flesh unchanged by death. This shrine continues to be a pilgrimage for Marian believers from all over the world. It is no secret that my favorite color is dark blue and I practically always wear it, but I also chose to dress our daughter in it as well for this day. Not familiar with the 7th arrondissement, I tell you the absolute truth that when our cab turned down a random street both my husband and I immediately commented upon how holy it felt … the entire street. There was a distinct presence like nothing I had ever experienced before and the powerful pull within our hearts was undeniable. Asking our driver if we were close, I discovered we had just turned onto Rue de Bac. Entering into a small courtyard I found myself looking directly at a nun and, as I requested directions in French to the chapel, I was surprised to discover tears were streaming down my face. I vividly remember she took my hand and grasped it, looking at me from beneath her dark blue habit with a sage smile that said she had seen this a thousand times before, and she told us the way. It turned out masses are held constantly, and apparently we had unwittingly stumbled upon the perfect time … not realizing one was about to start. My husband, who loves the paranormal, went to get a good view of Saint Laburé in her glass coffin. Our little one clearly seemed to be moved by the presence and feeling in the chapel and I found many a nun’s watchful eye smiling beatifically upon her as she knelt in her dark blue dress. Her little hands were fervently clasped together, and her head full of auburn curls was reverently bowed in prayer. I was surprised this visit was such a soul-moving trip for us all. Admittedly I was the Marian devotee but I also found my husband uncharacteristically moved, near tears. It was the French Roman Catholic priest Saint Louis de Montfort, known for his particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary as well as the practice of praying the Rosary, who once said:
We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek — Jesus, her Son.”
The only human being upon whom God chose to bestow His greatest honor was a woman — the Ever Blessed Virgin Mary. She bore to us a Savior, who is Lord of all. Of all the places I have been fortunate enough to see, to stand in the little chapel where Mary appeared has been my greatest blessing. She is the Queen of Heaven; Our Lady of Graces.
