Before the General Audience, Pope Francis blessed this statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
The pope's gesture was quite significant since the statue was brought to mark the 190th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to St. Catherine Labouré in France.
TOMAŽ MAVRIČ
Superior General, Vincentian Family
“For us it’s a concrete sign of closeness of Pope Francis with us, with the Vincentian family, with the spirituality and carism of St. Vicent de Paul.”
Fr. Tomaž Mavrič is the Superior General of the societies founded by St. Vincent de Paul. He headed the delegation that brought the statue to the Vatican.
Fr. Tomaž remembered that the apparitions occurred in 1830, when France was affected by wars and a pandemic.
One hundred ninety years later, members of the Congregation of the Mission will take this statue on a pilgrimage across Italy to bring new hope, devotion, and faith to those affected by the current Covid-19 pandemic.
TOMAŽ MAVRIČ
Superior General, Vincentian Family
“That was in fact the first step, to ask Pope Francis to bless the statue and now the pilgrimage across Italy will start. Starting from the first of December.”
The pilgrimage is scheduled to last at least one year. The statue will visit many communities and parishes across Italy,
With this Pilgrim Mary, Vincentians wish to remind Catholics that even today, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal invites faithful “to the foot of the altar,” serving the poor and most affected by the current crisis.
Christian Campos
