Miraculous Medal and the Vincentian Family by Fr. Alfredo Becerra Vázquez, CM

1. THE ASSOCIATION OF THE
MIRACULOUS MEDAL
AND THE VINCENTIAN FAMILY
byAlfredo Becerra Vázquez, CM

2. The Virgin was standing, dressed in
white, of medium height, her face so
beautiful that it would be impossible
for me to describe her beauty… Her
hands raised to the height of her
stomach in a very natural way,
supporting in them a sphere which
represented the world. Her face was so
beautiful that I am not able to describe
it. Suddenly I saw on her fingers rings
covered with precious stones, one more
beautiful than the other, some large
and others smaller, which emitted rays,
one more beautiful than the other.
THE MESSAGE
OF THE
VIRGIN MARY

3. THE MESSAGE
OF THE
VIRGIN MARY
“These rays of light are a
symbol of the graces which I
pour out on all who ask me,”
making me understand how
pleasing is prayer to the Most
Holy Virgin and how generous she
is towards those who pray to her,
what graces she gives to those who
ask them of her, what happiness
she feels pouring them out...

4. Share with your group:
1. Some moment in which you experienced
the intercession of the Virgin Mary.
2. What do you think the message of the
Virgin Mary asks us to do for the poor?

5. SAINT CATHERINE ON THE
APPARITION OF THE
VIRGIN MARY OF
18 - 19 JULY, 1830.
I entered (the seminary) the 21st of
April of 1830, which was the Thursday
before the translation of the relics
of Saint Vincent de Paul, happy and
pleased to have entered on this great
feast day; it seemed that I was walking
on air. I asked Saint Vincent for the
needed graces for me and for the double
[Vincentian] family and for all of
France. It seemed that they had great
need of these graces. Finally, I asked
Saint Vincent for a lively faith that he
might teach me what I should ask for.

6. [St. Vincent’s] heart… appeared to me every time that I came back
from Saint-Lazare. I had the sweet consolation of seeing it above
the reliquary where some relics of Saint Vincent were exposed. It
appeared to me at three separate times, the three following days:
white, color of flesh, which
announced peace, calm,
innocence and unity.
Then I saw the red of fire, which must inflame the
charity in people’s hearts; it seemed to me that the
whole community should renew itself and spread itself
to the ends of the earth.
And later I saw dark red, which filled my heart with
sadness; I felt a sadness which I suffered much to
overcome; I did not know why, or how, this sadness
had to do with the change of government…”
(LAURENTIN René–ROCHE Philippe, o.c. pp. 334-335).
SAINT CATHERINE ON THE
APPARITION OF THE VIRGIN MARY OF
18 - 19 JULY, 1830.

7. ...Looking at the Most Holy Virgin,
I was at her side in a single bound,
kneeling on the altar steps, with
my hands resting on her lap. There
passed the sweetest moment of my
life, it would be impossible for me
to describe what I experienced...”
“My child, I particularly love to
pour out graces upon the
Community. I love it very much. I
feel sorrow, there are great abuses
in regularity: the Rule is not being
observed, there is a great laxity in
both Communities.”
SAINT CATHERINE
ON THE
APPARITION OF THE
VIRGIN MARY OF
18 - 19 JULY, 1830.
(LAURENTIN René–ROCHE Philippe, o.c. pp. 337, 353).

8. 1. What connection exists between the
apparition of the 18-19 July, 1830 and the
feast of the translation of the relics of
Saint Vincent?
2. What graces do we ask for the Vincentian
Family all over the world through the
intercession of St. Vincent?
3. Think about the vision of Saint Catherine,
about the colors of the heart, as an
invitation to the whole Vincentian Family
to be builders of peace, training us more
in charity, committing us to renewal,
committing ourselves to promote an
authentic sense of governing our people.
4. Are we, as members of the Vincentian
Family, conscious of the graces which the
Virgin Mary bestows upon all the
members of the Vincentian Family?
5. What more must the members of the
Vincentian Family do to become closer to
the Lord?
Daughters of Charity
Congregation of the Mission
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Ladies of Charity

9. There formed a picture
around the Most Holy
Virgin, slightly oval, with
these words written in letters
of gold on the reverse side:
“O Mary, conceived without
sin, pray for us who have
recourse to you.”
Then I heard a voice which
said “A medal must be struck
on this model; all who wear
one will receive great
graces... these graces will be
abundant for those who
wear it with confidence.”
(LAURENTIN René–ROCHE Philippe, o.c. pp. 290-295).

10. 1. How do we promote devotion to
the most Holy Virgin Mary?
2. What is the message of the
Miraculous Medal for Christians
of our time?
3. What graces and blessings have
we received as members of the
branches of the Vincentian
Family through the intercession
of the Virgin of Miracles?
4. How do we spread the message of
the Miraculous Medal among all
the people of God?
5. How do we live the message of
the Miraculous Medal today?

11. The future of the Vincentian Family depends
on the basic formation of its members.
It is urgent to form the Vincentian laity.
We need to return to the sources of our
Vincentian and Marian formation.
Our Marian and Vincentian identity depend
on it. We need to renew ourselves continually. Fr. Alfredo Becerra Vázquez, CM

12. 1. Can you name the signs of renewal of the Vincentian Family in your country?
2. Does there exist unity, collaboration, accountability among the branches of
the Vincentian Family in your country?
3. Are we convinced that this renewal of the Vincentian Family in the world is a
grace which God gives us through the intercessions of the Miraculous Virgin?
4. Do we dedicate sufficient time for dialogue with the Virgin of Miracles for an
authentic renewal?

13. 1. How do we live our service
to and evangelization of the
poor as followers of Mary?
2. What do you feel is
authentic Marian devotion?
3. What ways do we have of
imitating Mary as the
Vincentian Family?
4. As members of the
Vincentian Family, what are
the Christian virtues that
Mary teaches us in order to
live with others?

14. CONCLUSION
We are able to come to a two-fold conclusion:
1. The presence of Mary in the history
of the Vincentian Family
The most holy Virgin Mary of the Miraculous
Medal has always been near to the whole
Vincentian Family in various moments:
crisis, trial, purification, renewal,
commitment, betrayal, etc.
We cannot deny her intercession as the true
mother of the whole Vincentian Family,
Mother of the Church, Mother of the Poor.
The message of the Miraculous Medal invites
us to renew our trust to renew our
commitment to living our baptismal
promises, to living our consecration.
Her motherly favor draws us to the world of
the poor, of the marginalized. To love Mary is
to love the poor and to bring the message of
hope of Jesus, her Son.

15. 2. The presence of Mary in
evangelization and her image as
most favored woman.
Mary is the Mother of the Evangelization of
the poor, she is the "star of evangelization"
in our world so in need of love, hope and
peace. Let us have the Miraculous Medal as
our model of evangelization in favor of the
poor. Today the Church offers us an image
of Mary as a more real, closer to us, more
human woman ...
who suffered and worked,
who lived the condition of the poor,
who knew flight and exile,
who knows what life costs us every day,
who was advancing along the path of faith
like any of us, amid struggles and shadows
and amidst the difficulties of life.
Mary, a woman faithful to the Word,
committed to God's project of liberation, is
not our goal, but rather the path that leads
us to her Son Jesus.

16. Source:
The Association of the Miraculous Medal and the
Vincentian Family by Alfredo Becerra Vázquez, CM