Holy Medals

[ZooMom]

Does anyone have a Holy Medal that they wear all the time? Any heirlooms? Antiques? Uniques?

I have a small collection, some of which are quite old. We purchased some of them online and some were gifts.

I have...

A Celtic St. Christopher
A St. Gerard with French writing
A St. Anthony of Padua
A very small silver St. Christopher (very old)
What looks like a Sacred Heart medal with the words "REGINA DE COR CARMELI O.P.N."
A fairly large, heavy, silver Sacred Heart medal
And last, one that looks like a clover leaf, with St. Joseph, St. Mary, St. Christopher, and Jesus' Sacred Heart. Is that what is called a 'Miraculous Medal' or is that something else?

 

[KC Catholic]

I have a "Scared Heart of Jesus " medal with Mary and baby Jesus on the back. It was made in Italy!

I've been looking for the right medal for me to wear and this one I found at the Lake of the Ozarks.

I wear it daily.

 

[ZooMom]

My husband wears a St. Michael medal every day. He wears his badge on a chain around his neck inside his shirt so it can't be seen, and he's attached the St. Michael medal to the chain.

 

[KC Catholic]

Cool. Keeping him safe!

 

[seebs]

Originally posted by KC Catholic
Cool. Keeping him safe!

Do you realize how hard your avatar makes it to take your posts seriously?

 

[KC Catholic]

Originally posted by seebs


Do you realize how hard your avatar makes it to take your posts seriously?

I thought about that!

It keeps ME from taking myself and role of "Admin" too seriously.

Is it really distracting?

 

[ZooMom]

LOL!!

 

[HisLamb]

Originally posted by ZooMom

And last, one that looks like a clover leaf, with St. Joseph, St. Mary, St. Christopher, and Jesus' Sacred Heart. Is that what is called a 'Miraculous Medal' or is that something else? [/B]

Hi, Sandy! That's not a Miraculous Medal. I forget the name for that one. A Miraculous Medal has Mary standing on the front with her arms stretched out to her sides (downwards), with rays streaming from her hands. Around the edge of this side is the prayer, "O Mary Conceived Without Sin, Pray For Us Who Have Recourse To Thee".

On the back of the medal is a capital "M" with a line through it (I forget the significance of this) and a Cross above the "M". Below the "M" are pictured the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart. Surrounding the edge of this are twelve stars.

I don't have any medals that I wear all the time, although I've always wanted a really "good" Miraculous Medal. I do have the one you described above and some others that I have put away. One belonged to my Dad.

 

[VOW]

ZooMom's medal is a "Four-Way Medal."

I have one I bought on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. It looks like a rosebud, which separates into two halves. Inside, on one half, is St Bernardette. On the other half is Mary at the Grotto in Lourdes.

I went to Lourdes when I was pregnant with my son, and it was a grueling, nonstop bus ride from Nuremburg. By the time we arrived, my ankles were so swollen I couldn't get my shoes on, and I hurt in places where only a pregnant woman can hurt. We were IMMEDIATELY dropped off in downtown Lourdes, and had to walk to the grounds of the Shrine....at least a five-hundred mile walk. I hurt so bad, I shuffled like Tim Conway's little old man. Once you reach the gates, then it's another one thousand miles to the Grotto. (Oh, yes, let's not forget: Lourdes is in the PYRENNES MOUNTAINS) It rained nearly every day we were there, but that particular day the sun was out. (Praise Jesus!)

The grounds were beautiful, but I hurt too bad to really look. Trees, acres of green grass, and the pathways intersecting. The main path I was on led to a huge statue of the Blessed Mother, and there was a wrought iron fence around the base of the statue. Flower boxes sat on the fence, and they were bursting with flowers. Geraniums. There were other flowers along the way, too. More geraniums.

I smelled roses.

I smelled them so strongly, I actually STOPPED and looked around me. No roses. And I wasn't even NEAR the statue yet. People were passing me too quickly for me to pick up any scent from them (besides, after being on that bus for something like twenty hours, we DID NOT smell like any type of flower!)

It was only the wonderful, comforting, blessed scent of roses wafting around me that gave me the strength to keep moving, until I finally reached the Grotto.

I wanted a holy medal to remember Lourdes by, and when I saw the rose, I HAD to have it. It's small, very cheaply made, and I wear it on a cheap, stainless steel chain.

I've busted two links, LOL, and the one that holds the medal on the chain now is SOLDERED. And I only take it off to shower.


Peace be with you,
~VOW

 

[jukesk9]

I have a St. Michael medal that I don't take off. My K9 wore one too but he lost it while tracking a suspect. The coolest one we have is a medal of St. Anne (BVM's mother). My mom worked in a Catholic hospital somewhere in Chicago back in the late 50s and a nun gave it to her. The nun told her that the medal had touched some of St. Anne's bones somewhere. Anyway, being the patron saint of mothers, I gave it to my wife (who is a mother of two) for Christmas a few years back.

 

[Wolseley]

What looks like a Sacred Heart medal with the words "REGINA DE COR CARMELI O.P.N."

What you have there is a scapular medal, ZooMom. It has the Sacred Heart on the obverse, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on the reverse, and it was approved by some congregations to be worn in place of the regular wool scapular. "O.P.N." stands for "Ora Pro Nobis"; the full translation from Latin is "Queen of Mount Carmel, Pray For Us".

I have several that I wear; on an alternating basis:

a pewter crucifix that was once part of a rosary; it has bunches of grapes and ears of wheat at each arm of the cross;

a sterling silver St. Patrick's medal (my patron saint);

an old brass crucifix that belonged to my mother, which is on a chain with another (pewter) St. Patrick's medal;

two pewter medals on a chain, one of St. John of God and one of St. Dismas the Thief, which I wear when I'm either sick or in need of Confession;

a pewter St. Christopher medal;

a pewter St. Andrew's medal (my middle name);

a stylized crucifix with the words "Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the Savior of the World" in Latin around the Corpus;

and I have a variety of Miraculous Medals, 4-ways, and various other saints; I hardly wear them any more.

Outside of my sterling St. Patrick's medal, the only ones I have that are actually worth anything are a 24-karat gold Franciscan Tau Cross medal that I got when I was a Franciscan, and a 24-karat gold St. Jude's medal that I used to wear when I was in college, on days when I had algebra tests (Patron of desperate situations and lost causes). Other than that, all of my medals are cheapie pewter jobs that are usually hung on steel dog tag chains.

 

[ZooMom]

Originally posted by HisLamb


Hi, Sandy! That's not a Miraculous Medal. I forget the name for that one. A Miraculous Medal has Mary standing on the front with her arms stretched out to her sides (downwards), with rays streaming from her hands. Around the edge of this side is the prayer, "O Mary Conceived Without Sin, Pray For Us Who Have Recourse To Thee".

On the back of the medal is a capital "M" with a line through it (I forget the significance of this) and a Cross above the "M". Below the "M" are pictured the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart. Surrounding the edge of this are twelve stars.

Yes! That is the pose Mary is in on the four-way medal with those words around her, and the 'M' with the Cross, Hearts, and stars is on the back at the bottom. At the top on the back is an engraving of Mary and the Christ Child, and in the middle are the words, "I am a Catholic. Please call a priest." I have just a plain Miraculous Medal, and it is stamped Italy, but I think it's made of tin or aluminum cause it doesn't weigh anything.

What you have there is a scapular medal, ZooMom. It has the Sacred Heart on the obverse, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on the reverse, and it was approved by some congregations to be worn in place of the regular wool scapular. "O.P.N." stands for "Ora Pro Nobis"; the full translation from Latin is "Queen of Mount Carmel, Pray For Us".

Cool! Yes, it has Mary holding the Christ Child on one side. She is wearing a crown and holding something in her hand that looks like an embroidered sash. The Sacred Heart is on the other side and done in bold relief, while Mary and Child are only slightly raised.

How interesting! Thank you all!

 

[Wolseley]

She is wearing a crown and holding something in her hand that looks like an embroidered sash.

I think if you look closer, you'll see that what she's holding is a scapular, at the apex of the strings with the wool squares hanging down.

That's why it's called a "scapular medal".

 

[ZooMom]

Doh! I knew that.


Cut me a break. The thing is smaller than a dime.

 

[Wolseley]

 

[HisLamb]

Originally posted by ZooMom
Yes! That is the pose Mary is in on the four-way medal with those words around her, and the 'M' with the Cross, Hearts, and stars is on the back at the bottom. At the top on the back is an engraving of Mary and the Christ Child, and in the middle are the words, "I am a Catholic. Please call a priest." I have just a plain Miraculous Medal, and it is stamped Italy, but I think it's made of tin or aluminum cause it doesn't weigh anything.

Wow, Sandy, I never noticed that there was a Miraculous Medal on the four-way medal. I have to dig the one I have (at least I think I still have it) out! There are alot of things I need to dig out and put in better order. It's hard when all your possessions are in one room... Things tend to get buried.

Hey, Wols! Make my day! Love it!!!

 

[Avila]

Well, BT (before Tommy), I wore a chain with:

miraculous medal that is contained in a rose (it swings open to reveal the medal inside) given to me as a confirmation gift from DH's sweet great-aunt Jane

crucifix given to me by DH on our first anniversary (the day our marriage was sacramentalized)

Medjugorie medal given to me by my favorite religious sister in the whole world - Sr Dolores

Jubilee medal given to me by MIL for Christmas 1999.

I tried wearing it again on Easter, but Tommy kept yanking on it & I didn't want any of the medals to get lost. So, I'll put it away for a while yet & hopefully be able to wear it again soon.

 

[jukesk9]

I just bought my little boy (almost 3) his first medal. It's a Guardian Angel. Of course, after wearing it for two days, he's already snapped the necklace part....oh well, just planting the seeds of faith.....

 

[VOW]

To Jukes:

I suggest you go to a jeweler, ask for a stainless steel chain with NO clasp, and have the link for the medal soldered closed.

You'll even the odds he'll keep everything together, LOL.


Peace,
~VOW

 

[jukesk9]

Thanks VOW. I'll try that.