Since 1830, when the Miraculous Medal was struck, Christians have been continually “grasping” the fuller significance of their faith. Paragraph 66 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights that while the Revelation of Jesus is complete, its full meaning has not yet been fully understood. The Church’s mission is to progressively grasp this meaning over time. 

The Miraculous Medal, given to Saint Catherine Labouré, marks a moment in this ongoing journey of deepening understanding. As part of this process, we have added this section to explain our understanding of the need for the two medals that Saint Catherine Labouré specifically asked for – the Miraculous Medal and now the Purity Medal. With over 194 years of hindsight, we have come to realize that these medals encapsulate not only the vision Saint Catherine received, but also reflect the unfolding Marian age. In a sense, we have imagined this era into medal form, with Saint Catherine’s desires and the Marian devotion of the time guiding the imagery. These medals, both significant symbols of the Christian economy, serve as reminders of God’s revealed truth, which continues to unfold as we grow in faith. Theologians and the faithful alike engage in this process, uncovering new layers of divine insight with each generation. These two medals are not only symbols of grace and protection but also of our ever-deepening understanding of the Christian message, handed down through Scripture, Tradition, and sacred symbols like these.

The visions of Saint Catherine Labouré and the medals she helped introduce continue to be deeply significant to the faithful today. According to the teachings of the Church, the Miraculous Medal was given by Our Lady as a powerful sacramental that emphasizes her intercession. It serves as a reminder of the importance of turning to Mary, especially through her intercession, to obtain the graces needed to fulfill Christ’s two great commandments: to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). Wearing the Miraculous Medal invites the faithful to seek Mary’s aid in deepening their relationship with God and growing in love for others, as she points us toward Christ, the source of all grace and love.




We believe that the Miraculous Medal, first revealed to Saint Catherine in 1830, was given as a helpful reminder for the faithful to guide us toward the first of Christ’s great commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” Wearing the Miraculous Medal, as Our Lady specifically requested, serves as a constant reminder of our need to focus on our own conversion. By meditating on the graces it represents – especially through the powerful image of the Virgin Mary standing on the globe, crushing the serpent, and mediating rays of light – we are encouraged to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). In this way, the Miraculous Medal calls us to deepen our relationship with God and grow in holiness.

The purity Medal and the Second Great Commandment

The Purity Medal, which Saint Catherine also helped introduce, emphasizes the second great commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” We do not wear (although you may choose to) the Purity Medal, but rather carry it with us as a sacramental. The Purity Medal is a call to love others through prayer, charity, and sacrifice. Carrying the Purity Medal allows us to offer it to others, encouraging them to carry it if they choose, or to offer it for others, especially for souls in purgatory whom we may not know personally. By offering the Purity Medal to others, we invite them into God’s grace, fulfilling Christ’s commandment to love our neighbor.



Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican, offers a profound understanding of love, which can deepen our appreciation of the Purity Medal and its significance in fulfilling Christ’s command to love our neighbor. According to Aquinas, love is “to will the good of the other.” This definition of love highlights that true love is not a mere emotional attachment, but a rational and purposeful act of willing the best for the other person, especially their eternal good.  

In relation to the Purity Medal, we can see this as an expression of Aquinas’ teaching on love. By carrying or offering the Purity Medal, we are actively willing the good of others – especially their spiritual well-being. The Purity Medal calls us to help others grow in holiness, encouraging them through prayer and sacrifice. When we give the medal to others, we are not offering merely a material object, but a sacramental and an invitation to share in the grace of God and to be drawn closer to Him. This aligns with Aquinas’ idea that true love seeks the ultimate good of the other, which is union with God.

In Aquinas’ ethics, love for one’s neighbor is also closely tied to charity (caritas), the highest form of love. Charity seeks the good of others, even to the point of self-sacrifice. The Purity Medal serves as a tool for cultivating this kind of charitable love – by carrying it with us and offering it to others, we are living out the command to love our neighbors, both those we know and those we may not know personally. It is an act of love that transcends mere sentiment and reflects the deep commitment to will the good of others in accordance with God’s plan.



Saint Catherine once explained, when asked about her desire to strike “another” medal and the confusion it would cause to the faithful regarding the image of the Virgin of the Globe: “Oh, there is no need to touch the Miraculous Medal.” Her words emphasize the importance of the miraculous medal but, all through her life, insisted another medal should be struck. It seems now, now more than ever, a sacramental reminder is needed to love neighbor in such a selfish world. Through these acts of devotion, we are drawn closer to both God and neighbor as the Miraculous and Purity Medals assist us in fulfilling both of Christ’s greatest commandments.



The Miraculous and Purity Medals, introduced by Saint Catherine Labouré, are powerful sacramental reminders of the call to live out Christ’s two great commandments. The Miraculous Medal, given by Our Lady in 1830, encourages the faithful to wear to deepen their relationship with God and strive for holiness, reflecting on the command to love God with all one’s heart. The Purity Medal emphasizes loving others as ourselves, promoting charity, prayer, and sacrifice, and is often carried as a reminder to will the spiritual good of others. Both medals, as Saint Catherine explained, are not about their physical form, so to speak, but about the deeper spiritual call to fulfill Christ’s great commandments, drawing us closer to God and to our neighbor.