“And as I look toward the sea and ships, I envision before my eyes the boat of the MI, with a group of missionaries and a few tons of copies of Kishi, of Miraculous Medals and appropriate publications, constantly calling in along the coasts and the islands of Japan…”
—St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe
Stories of Conversion
Alphonse Ratisbonne
In 1827, a proudly professed anti-Catholic Jew, Alphonse Ratisbonne was set to marry a young, Jewish woman at 27 years of age after his parents became greatly distressed that Alphonse’s older brother — Theodore Ratisbonne — had followed the path to priesthood. Thus, Alphonse set his sights on taking over the family banking business, but not before one trip to Rome, Italy. There, he was convinced that if he had become anything, it would be a Protestant, not a Catholic.
After some meetings with priests, he decidedly remained a staunch anti-Catholic. That is, until he wandered into the sanctuary of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte on January 20, 1842. It was there that he encountered the Blessed Mother who appeared to him in the following vision:
“I had only been in the church a short while when, all of a sudden, I felt totally uneasy for no apparent reason. I raised my eyes and saw that the whole building had disappeared. Only one side chapel had, so to say, gathered all the light. In the midst of this splendor, the Virgin Mary appeared standing on the altar. She was grandiose, brilliant, full of majesty and sweetness, just as she is in the Miraculous Medal. An irresistible force attracted me to her. The Virgin made a gesture with her hand indicating I was to kneel and as if saying, ‘Very Good!’ Although she did not say anything, I understood everything.”
The news of Alphonse’s conversion became widespread throughout Europe. After an investigation initiated by Pope Gregory XVI, it was deemed a truly authentic miracle that Alphonse had come to embrace the Catholic faith. Not only that, he accepted the call to become a Jesuit and joined his brother in founding the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, serving until both of them passed away in 1884.
It is thanks to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal that Alphonse’s heart not only softened, but that he came to understand his lifelong mission serving in the Church. Not only that, but he would continue to inspire millions through his adoption of the medal, including a young Maximilian Kolbe!
Charles Lindbergh
It was May 21, 1927 when 25-year old Charles Lindbergh made his famous nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in 33 hours and 32 minutes. Throughout his duration of venturing alone, he maintained himself in steadfast prayer.
On such a long flight, Charles became sleep deprived and began to wander off. As his plane plummeted towards the ocean surface, the tapping of his suspended Miraculous Medal awakened him, which helped him regain control of the plane. The medal was given to him by Fr. Hussman, who after being promised that the medal would be returned to him, preferred that it remain blessed in the hands of the Lone Eagle.
Upon his arrival to Paris, the New York Times wrote this about Charles: "The more one thinks of the behavior of Lindbergh in Paris, so much the more one arrives at the conclusion that God had a great part in the success of the aviator."
Servant of God
Father John Hardon, S.J.
Fr. Hardon, S.J. was one who struggled to accept the miraculous intercession of the Blessed Mother through the Miraculous Medal, despite the overwhelming accounts. Being hammered with the Medal as a priest, he never got one for himself, though he advocated it for others.
In 1948, he encountered an instance that would change his views forever. When a young, ten-year-old boy fell into a coma after a sledding accident, he offered the Medal to him to see if it would do anything. With the assistance of a Sister at the hospital, they hung it around his neck.
The boy was diagnosed with inoperable permanent brain damage, and Fr. Hardon initiated him into the Confraternity of the Miraculous Medal after reading the pamphlet. Once the prayer was complete, the boy immediately opened his eyes and asked his mother for ice cream — the first time he had spoken in nearly two weeks!
X-Rays revealed that the brain damage was completely gone and the boy was subsequently released after three days. Thus, Fr. Hardon, too, converted into believing that he should have a Miraculous Medal around his neck!