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How The Miraculous Medal Changed My Life
- By Anne Van Tilburg
- Published 12/10/2007
- General Short Stories
- Unrated
One of the most memorable experiences that I ever had was with the Miraculous Medal. It changed my life.
In the fall of 1948, the year after my ordination, I was in what we call the Tertianship. This is a third year Novitiate before taking final vows. In October of that year, a Vincentian priest came to speak to us young Jesuit priests. He encouraged us to obtain faculties, as they are called, to enroll people in the Confraternity of the Miraculous Medal. Among other things, he said: "Fathers, the Miraculous Medal works. Miracles have been performed by Our Lady through the Miraculous Medal.
I was not impressed by what the priest was telling. I was not the medal-wearing kind of person, and I certainly did not have a Miraculous Medal. But I thought to myself: "it does not cost anything.: So I put my name down to get a four page leaflet from the Vincentians, with the then Latin formula for blessing the medals and enrolling people in the Confraternity of the Miraculous Medal. About two weeks later, I got the leaflet for blessing and enrollment, put it into my office book and forgot about it. In February of the next year, I was sent to assist the chaplain of St. Alexis Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. I was to be there helping the regular chaplain for two weeks.
Each morning I received a list of all the patients admitted into the hospital that day. There were so many Catholics admitted that I could not visit all as soon as they came in. Among the patients admitted was a boy about 9 years old. He had been sled-riding down hill, lost control of the sled and ran into a tree head-on. He fractured his skull and x-rays showed he had suffered severe brain damage.
After blessing the boy and consoling the parents, I was about to leave his hospital room, but then a thought came to me: "That Vincentian priest, he said: 'The Miraculous Medal works.' Now this will be a test of its alleged miraculous powers!"
In the fall of 1948, the year after my ordination, I was in what we call the Tertianship. This is a third year Novitiate before taking final vows. In October of that year, a Vincentian priest came to speak to us young Jesuit priests. He encouraged us to obtain faculties, as they are called, to enroll people in the Confraternity of the Miraculous Medal. Among other things, he said: "Fathers, the Miraculous Medal works. Miracles have been performed by Our Lady through the Miraculous Medal.
I was not impressed by what the priest was telling. I was not the medal-wearing kind of person, and I certainly did not have a Miraculous Medal. But I thought to myself: "it does not cost anything.: So I put my name down to get a four page leaflet from the Vincentians, with the then Latin formula for blessing the medals and enrolling people in the Confraternity of the Miraculous Medal. About two weeks later, I got the leaflet for blessing and enrollment, put it into my office book and forgot about it. In February of the next year, I was sent to assist the chaplain of St. Alexis Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. I was to be there helping the regular chaplain for two weeks.
Each morning I received a list of all the patients admitted into the hospital that day. There were so many Catholics admitted that I could not visit all as soon as they came in. Among the patients admitted was a boy about 9 years old. He had been sled-riding down hill, lost control of the sled and ran into a tree head-on. He fractured his skull and x-rays showed he had suffered severe brain damage.
After blessing the boy and consoling the parents, I was about to leave his hospital room, but then a thought came to me: "That Vincentian priest, he said: 'The Miraculous Medal works.' Now this will be a test of its alleged miraculous powers!"