Saint Catherine

Description

Saint Catherine Labouré, D.C.. (May 2, 1806 – December 31, 1876) was a member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and a Marian visionary. She relayed the request from the Blessed Virgin Mary to create the famous Miraculous Medal of Our Lady of Graces worn by millions of Catholics.
Catherine (Zoe) was born in the Burgundy region of France to Pierre Labouré, a farmer, and Madeleine Louise Gontard, the ninth of 11 living children. Catherine’s mother died on October 9, 1815, when Catherine was nine years old. It is said that after her mother’s funeral, Catherine picked up a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and kissed it saying, “Now you will be my mother.” Her father’s sister offered to care for his two youngest children, Catherine and Marie Antoinette (Tonine). After he agreed, the sisters moved to their aunt’s house at Saint-Rémy, a village nine kilometers from their home.
Labouré was observed to be extremely devout, of a somewhat romantic nature, given to visions and intuitive insights. As a young woman, she became a member of the nursing order founded by Saint Vincent de Paul, the Daughters of Charity; she chose this order after a dream about St. Vincent De Paul.