Miraculous Medal novena

A Miraculous Medal novena begins with the shortest prayer in Catholic devotion, the one Our Lady herself showed to a young novice in Paris in 1830: "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee." For nine days we say it again and again, and we bring our need to the Mother of God, who asked that her medal be worn by all who trust her. This page gives the medal's prayer, a full nine-day novena to Our Lady Immaculate from the old Raccolta, and the story of the weekly novena that made this devotion a part of parish life.

The Miraculous Medal prayer

St. Catherine Labouré, a novice of the Daughters of Charity at 140 rue du Bac, described the apparition of November 27, 1830, to her confessor, Fr. Jean-Marie Aladel, C.M. In his account, translated into English in 1880, she saw Our Lady standing on a globe with rays of light falling from her hands, and around her, "written in golden letters, were these words":

O Mary! conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Then the picture turned, and on the reverse she saw "the letter M surmounted by a cross, having a bar at its base, and beneath the monogram of Mary, were the hearts of Jesus and Mary, the first surrounded with a crown of thorns, the other transpierced with a sword." A voice said: "Have a medal struck upon this model; those who wear it indulgenced will receive great graces, especially if they wear it on the neck; abundant graces will be bestowed upon those who have confidence."

The invocation is part of the Church's own book of indulgenced prayers. The 1910 Raccolta lists it twice: once for everyone who says it, and once for those "who wear the miraculous medal blessed by a duly authorized priest." Its old day-counts of indulgence were revised with all such grants in 1968, but the prayer is the same. We say it at the beginning and end of every day of the novena, usually three times.

The Miraculous Medal novena prayers

There is no single nine-day text that every parish uses. The novena most people know today is the Monday Perpetual Novena from Philadelphia (see below); its prayers are published by the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal, which keeps the official text, so we describe it rather than reprint it.

For a novena you can pray anywhere, we give here the Novena for the Immaculate Conception from the Raccolta, the Church's collection of indulgenced prayers, in the 1910 English edition by Fr. Ambrose St. John of the Birmingham Oratory. Pope Pius VII indulgenced this novena in 1808 and 1809. The Miraculous Medal is the medal of the Immaculate Conception: it was struck in 1832 as "the medal of the Immaculate Conception," and its words, "conceived without sin," are the doctrine Pope Pius IX defined in 1854. Praying this novena with the medal's invocation is a natural way to make a Miraculous Medal novena. The texts below are printed word for word.

Each day: Come, Holy Ghost

Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of thy love. Send forth thy Spirit and they shall be created; And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray. O God, who hast taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant us by the same Spirit to relish what is right, and evermore to rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Each day: the preparatory prayer

Virgin most pure, conceived without sin, all fair and stainless in thy Conception; glorious Mary, full of grace, Mother of my God, Queen of Angels and of men,—I humbly venerate thee as Mother of my Saviour, who, though He was God, taught me by his own veneration, reverence, and obedience to thee, the honour and homage that are due to thee. Vouchsafe, I pray thee, to accept this Novena which I dedicate to thee. Thou art the safe refuge of the penitent sinner; it is very fitting, then, that I should have recourse to thee. Thou art the Mother of Compassion; then wilt thou surely be moved with pity for my many miseries. Thou art my best hope after Jesus; thou canst not but accept the loving confidence that I have in thee. Make me worthy to be called thy son, that so I may dare to cry unto thee: Show thyself a mother.

Then say the Hail Mary nine times and the Glory Be once, and pray the prayer for the day. This is the place to name your intention.

The prayers for the nine days

First day.

Behold me at thy sacred feet, O Immaculate Virgin. I rejoice with thee, because from all eternity thou wast elected to be the Mother of the Eternal Word, and wast preserved stainless from the taint of original sin. I praise and bless the Most Holy Trinity, who poured out upon thy soul in thy Conception the treasure of that privilege. I humbly pray thee to obtain for me grace effectually to overcome the sad effects produced in my soul by original sin; make me wholly victorious over them, that I may never cease to love my God.

Second day.

Mary, unsullied lily of purity, I rejoice with thee, because from the first moment of thy Conception thou wast filled with grace, and hadst given unto thee the perfect use of reason. I thank and adore the ever blessed Trinity, who gave thee those high gifts. Behold me at thy feet overwhelmed with shame to see myself so poor in grace. O Thou who wast filled full of heavenly grace, grant me a portion of that same grace, and make me a partaker in the treasures of thy Immaculate Conception.

Third day.

Mary, mystic rose of purity, I rejoice with thee at the glorious triumph thou didst gain over the serpent by thy Immaculate Conception, in that thou wast conceived without original sin. I thank and praise with my whole heart the ever blessed Trinity, who granted thee that glorious privilege; and I pray thee to obtain for me courage to overcome every snare of the great enemy, and never to stain my soul with mortal sin. Be thou always mine aid, and enable me with thy protection to obtain the victory over all the enemies of man's eternal welfare.

Fourth day.

Mary Immaculate Virgin, mirror of holy purity, I rejoice exceedingly to see how from thy Immaculate Conception there were infused into thy soul the most sublime and perfect virtues with all the gifts of the most Holy Spirit. I thank and praise the ever blessed Trinity who bestowed upon thee these high privileges, and I beseech thee, gracious Mother, obtain for me grace to practise every Christian virtue, and so to become worthy to receive the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost.

Fifth day.

Mary, bright moon of purity, I congratulate thee in that the mystery of thy Immaculate Conception was the beginning of salvation to the human race, and was the joy of the whole world. I thank and bless the ever blessed Trinity who did so magnify and glorify thy person. I entreat thee to obtain for me grace so to profit by the death and passion of thy dear Son, that his Precious Blood may not have been shed upon the Cross for me in vain, but that after a holy life I may be saved.

Sixth day.

Mary Immaculate, brilliant star of purity, I rejoice with thee, because thy Immaculate Conception brought exceeding joy to all the angels of Paradise. I thank and bless the ever blessed Trinity, who enriched thee with this privilege. Enable me also one day to take part in this heavenly joy, praising and blessing thee in the company of angels, world without end. Amen.

Seventh day.

Mary Immaculate, rising morn of purity, I rejoice with thee, and I am filled with admiration at beholding thee confirmed in grace and rendered sinless from the first moment of thy Conception. I thank and praise the ever blessed Trinity, who elected thee alone from all mankind for this special privilege. Holiest Virgin, obtain for me so entire and lasting a hatred of sin, the worst of all evils, that I may rather die than ever again commit a mortal sin.

Eighth day.

Mary, Virgin, sun without stain, I congratulate thee and I rejoice with thee, because God gave thee in thy Conception a greater and more abundant grace than He gave to all his angels and his saints together, even when their merits were most exalted. I thank and admire the immense beneficence of the ever blessed Trinity, who hath dispensed to thee alone this privilege. Oh, enable me too to correspond with the grace of God, and never more to receive it in vain; change my heart, and help me to begin in earnest a new life.

Ninth day.

Immaculate Mary, living light of holiness, model of purity, Virgin and Mother, as soon as thou wast conceived, thou didst profoundly adore thy God, giving him thanks, because by means of thee the ancient curse was blotted out, and blessing was again come upon the sinful sons of Adam. Let this blessing kindle in my heart love towards God; and do thou inflame my heart still more and more, that I may ever love Him constantly on earth, and afterwards eternally enjoy Him in heaven, there to thank and praise Him more and more fervently for all the wondrous privileges conferred on thee, and to rejoice with thee for thy high crown of glory.

Each day: the closing prayer

After the day's prayer the Raccolta has the Litany of Loreto, or else the antiphon Tota pulchra es, "All fair art thou, O Mary," and then this versicle and prayer:

In thy conception, O Virgin, thou wast immaculate. Pray for us to the Father, whose Son was born of thee.

Let us pray. O God, who through the Immaculate Conception of a Virgin didst prepare a worthy dwelling-place for thy Son, we beseech Thee, who by the death of that Son, foreseen by Thee, didst preserve her from all stain of sin, to grant that by her intercession we also may be purified, and so may come to Thee. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Raccolta adds a prayer for the Pope and a prayer for the Church; the Litany of Loreto is on its own page. Finish with the medal's invocation three times:

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Two more prayers to Our Lady Immaculate

The 1910 Raccolta gives this prayer, indulgenced by Pope St. Pius X in 1905, for any day of the novena:

Most holy Virgin, who wast pleasing to the Lord and became his Mother, immaculate in body and spirit, in faith and in love, look kindly on the wretched who implore thy powerful patronage. The wicked serpent, against whom was hurled the first curse, continues fiercely to attack and ensnare the unhappy children of Eve. Do thou, then, O Blessed Mother, our Queen and advocate, who from the first instant of thy Conception didst crush the head of the enemy, receive the prayers which, united with thee in one single heart, we implore thee to present at the throne of God, that we may never fall into the snares which are laid out for us, and may all arrive at the port of salvation; and, in so many dangers, may the Church and Christian society sing once again the hymn of deliverance, of victory, and of peace. Amen.

The English edition of Fr. Aladel's book opens with a dedication that is itself a prayer, good for the last day of a novena:

O Mary, conceived without sin, Virgin incomparable, august Mother of Jesus, thou who hast adopted us for thy children, and who hast given us so many proofs of thy maternal tenderness, deign to accept this little book, feeble token of our gratitude and love! Oh! may it be instrumental in attracting and attaching inviolably to thee, the hearts of all who read it!

How to make the Miraculous Medal novena

1. Choose one intention, and if you have one, wear the medal, blessed by a priest.
2. Pick your nine days. To end on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, pray from November 18 to November 26. The Raccolta itself sets this novena from November 29 to December 7, ending on the eve of the Immaculate Conception. Or keep nine Mondays in a row, as the parishes of the Perpetual Novena do.
3. Each day, pray the Come, Holy Ghost, the preparatory prayer, nine Hail Marys and a Glory Be, the prayer for the day, the closing prayer, and the medal's invocation three times.
4. Go to Confession and receive Holy Communion during the nine days. The Raccolta's plenary indulgence for this novena asked for both, with prayer for the intentions of the Pope.
5. Give thanks, whatever God's answer. "Abundant graces will be bestowed upon those who have confidence."

The Monday Perpetual Novena

On December 8, 1930, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Vincentian priest Fr. Joseph A. Skelly, C.M., began a weekly novena service at the Miraculous Medal shrine of the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal in Germantown, Philadelphia. He had founded the association in 1915 to spread the medal. The National Catholic Register reports that the novena has been held there every Monday since, without a single week missed, and that in its early decades the Monday crowds reached upwards of ten thousand people.

Parishes across the United States and beyond took up the same Monday service, so that for many Catholics "the Miraculous Medal novena" means the Monday novena after evening Mass. Its prayers, published by the Central Association, include an opening prayer to the Immaculate Virgin "with confidence in her intercession," as EWTN's summary describes it, a petition for the favor asked if it is for the good of the soul, and a request for hatred of sin and purity of heart. The shrine, now the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, still holds a solemn novena each November before the feast.

The feast and the chapel on the rue du Bac

Pope Leo XIII granted a feast of the Manifestation of the Immaculate Virgin under the title of the Miraculous Medal in 1894, kept on November 27 by the Vincentian family; the full story is in Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The chapel where Our Lady appeared is still open at 140 rue du Bac in Paris, and the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Labouré lies there under the altar of the Virgin of the Globe.

The medal spread faster than anyone expected. Fr. Aladel had it struck in 1832 with the permission of Archbishop de Quelen of Paris, just as cholera swept the city. Healings and conversions were reported among those who wore it, and people began to call it "miraculous." The conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne in Rome in 1842, after he agreed to wear the medal, was examined by the Church and declared a true miracle; it is told in Our Lady's entry. In the courtyard of the chapel, a wall is covered with stone plaques of thanks left by people whose prayers were answered.

A medal is a sacramental, not a charm. Its grace comes from God, through the prayer of the Church and Mary's intercession, received by the faith of the one who wears it. That is why the medal carries a prayer instead of a picture alone, and why the promise Catherine heard was for "those who have confidence."

Related prayers and pages

• Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: the apparitions, the design of the medal, the cholera of 1832, Ratisbonne and the feast.
• St. Catherine Labouré, the seer, and St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac, founders of her community.
• St. Maximilian Kolbe, who spread the medal through the Militia of the Immaculata.
• Saint medals, the Memorare and the Litany of Loreto.
• More novenas through the year on our novenas page.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.