St. Catherine was connected to St. Vincent through dreams and visions whose meaning she did not understand at first.

1. S T. C AT H E R I N E L A B O U R É A N D
S T. V I N C E N T D E PA U L
A D R E A M C O M E S T R U E

2. Before the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin took place, it is
good to recall how Saint Catherine encountered Saint Vincent.
As a young farm girl in Fain-les-Moutiers, she would often go
to the parish church to pray, even in the cold of winter.

3. O n e n i g h t , s h e d re a m e d
t h a t s h e w a s i n t h e v i l l a g e
c h u rc h , w h e re a n e l d e r l y
p r i e s t w a s c e l e b r a t i n g
M a s s . S h e a t t e n d e d t h i s
M a s s , a n d w a s g re a t l y
t o u c h e d b y i t . A f t e r a l i t t l e
w h i l e , t h e p r i e s t w h o m s h e
d i d n o t k n o w s i g n a l e d f o r
h e r t o c o m e c l o s e r.
F r i g h t e n e d , s h e d re w a w a y
f ro m h i m .

4. A f t e r l e a v i n g t h e c h u rc h ,
s h e w e n t t o v i s i t a s i c k
p e r s o n . S h e m e t t h e
e l d e r l y p r i e s t t h e re o n c e
a g a i n , a n d h e s a i d t o
h e r : “ M y c h i l d , i t ’s g o o d
t o t a k e c a re o f t h o s e w h o
a re i l l . Yo u f l e e f ro m m e
n o w, b u t o n e d a y y o u w i l l
b e h a p p y t o c o m e t o m e .
G o d h a s a p l a n f o r y o u ,
n e v e r f o rg e t t h a t . ” W h e n
s h e a w o k e , s h e re a l i z e d
i t w a s a l l j u s t a d re a m
w h o s e m e a n i n g s h e d i d
n o t y e t u n d e r s t a n d .

5. T h e re w a s a h o u s e o f
D a u g h t e r s o f C h a r i t y i n
C h â t i l l o n , a n d s o m e t i m e
l a t e r C a t h e r i n e w e n t t h e re
o n e d a y t o t a l k t o t h e
S u p e r i o r a b o u t h e r p o s s i b l e
v o c a t i o n a n d t o a s k h e r
a d v i c e . A s s h e e n t e re d t h e
p a r l o r, C a t h e r i n e ’s a t t e n t i o n
w a s d r a w n t o a p a i n t i n g t h a t
p e r f e c t l y re s e m b l e d t h e
p r i e s t s h e h a d s e e n i n h e r
d re a m . S h e a s k e d w h o i t w a s ,
a n d w h e n s h e l e a r n e d t h a t i t
w a s S a i n t V i n c e n t d e P a u l ,
t h e m y s t e r y b e c a m e c l e a r
a n d s h e u n d e r s t o o d i t a s a
c a l l f ro m G o d .

6. And so in early 1830,
having finally received
approval from her father,
she began her Postulancy
with the Sisters in
Châtillon.
On April 21, 1830, after
this three-month stage in
Châtillon, she arrived at
the novitiate at rue du
Bac in Paris. She was
twenty-four years old.

7. A t t h e t i m e o f h e r a r r i v a l i n t h e s e m i n a r y,
S i s t e r C a t h e r i n e h a d t h e j o y o f
p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n a m a g n i f i c e n t c e re m o n y.
T h e b o d y o f S a i n t V i n c e n t d e P a u l , w h i c h
h a d b e e n h i d d e n d u r i n g t h e F re n c h
R e v o l u t i o n , w a s b e i n g s o l e m n l y
t r a n s p o r t e d f ro m N o t re D a m e C a t h e d r a l
t o t h e V i n c e n t i a n s ’ n e w c h a p e l o n r u e d e
S e v re s . H i s b o d y w a s l a i d o u t i n a s i l v e r
re l i q u a r y t h a t h a d b e e n d o n a t e d b y t h e
d i o c e s e o f P a r i s , j u s t a s i t a p p e a r s n o w,
a n d t h e p ro c e s s i o n w a s a c c o m p a n i e d b y a
h u g e c ro w d . E i g h t h u n d re d D a u g h t e r s o f
C h a r i t y p ro c e s s e d b e h i n d t h i s re l i q u a r y,
a c c o m p a n i e d b y g ro u p s o f c h i l d re n .
S i s t e r C a t h e r i n e , i n g re a t a w e , w a s
f o l l o w i n g t h e o n e w h o e a r l i e r h a d c a l l e d
h e r t o s e r v e t h e G o d o f C h a r i t y. H e r
d re a m w a s c o m i n g t r u e t o t h e l a s t d e t a i l .

8. R e t u r n i n g t o r u e d u B a c , S i s t e r
C a t h e r i n e t h e n h a d a v i s i o n o f
t h e h e a r t o f S a i n t V i n c e n t . S h e
w ro t e : “ I t a p p e a re d t o m e
t h re e d i ff e re n t t i m e s , o n t h re e
c o n s e c u t i v e d a y s ; f i r s t i t w a s
w h i t e re p re s e n t i n g p e a c e ,
c a l m , i n n o c e n c e a n d u n i o n ,
t h e n re d l i k e f i re , re p re s e n t i n g
t h e c h a r i t y t h a t s h o u l d s h i n e
i n o u r h e a r t s , t h e n a b l a c k i s h -
re d , w h i c h m a d e m e f e e l a
s e n s e o f s a d n e s s w i t h i n , a n d
s e e m e d t o h a v e t o d o w i t h
g o v e r n m e n t c h a n g e s . ”

9. T h re e m o n t h s l a t e r, K i n g
C h a r l e s X w a s o v e r t h ro w n a n d
F r a n c e s u ff e re d t h e h o r ro r s o f
a re v o l u t i o n . C a t h e r i n e , f o r
h e r p a r t , w i t h a h u m b l e a n d
s e l f l e s s d i s p o s i t i o n , o ff e re d
h e r C o m m u n i t y a l l h e r g o o d
w i l l , a n d g re a t d e s i re t o s e r v e
p o o r p e r s o n s , t h e s u ff e r i n g
m e m b e r s o f J e s u s C h r i s t . S h e
l o v e d M a r y a n d h o p e d t o s e e
h e r. I n t h e s i l e n c e o f t h e
S e m i n a r y, f u l l o f t r u s t , t h e
y o u n g S i s t e r w a i t e d . T h a t w a s
w h e re s h e w a s f a v o re d w i t h
t h e a m a z i n g a p p a r i t i o n s t h a t
y o u a l l k n o w.

10. Catherine spent her whole
life taking care of elderly
persons. In our day, this
responsibility remains a
very important one. There
are many persons in our
midst who are in need of
presence both corporally
and spiritually.

11. F o r t h e m a n d f o r u s , M a r y
i n v i t e s u s t o [ … ] s e e t h e
d i v i n e i m a g e o f C h r i s t i n
t h e h u m a n b e i n g s a l l
a ro u n d u s . M a r y t e l l s u s t h e
m e a n i n g o f C h u rc h a n d
m i s s i o n . S h e i n v i t e s u s t o a
c o n v e r s i o n o f h e a r t s i n
o rd e r t o m o d e l t h e t w o
h e a r t s t h a t a re o n t h e
[ M i r a c u l o u s ] m e d a l .
E v e n i n h i s t i m e , S a i n t
V i n c e n t d e P a u l u n d e r s t o o d
t h i s m e s s a g e w e l l , a s d i d
S a i n t L o u i s e d e M a r i l l a c . I t
i s u p t o u s t o c o n t i n u e t h i s
w o n d e r f u l m i s s i o n .

12. A R C H I V E S O F T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L M I R A C U L O U S
M E D A L A S S O C I AT I O N
From a homily by Fr. Daniel Planchot, C.M.
P R E S E N T E D B Y