Holy Medals

History and Symbolism

Holy Medals have been around since the early days in Christendom. The custom of wearing a medal dates back to ancient Greeks and Romans, who used to wear amulets to honor pagan gods. Similarly, Catholic Holy Medals are Tools encouraging Devotion to the Lord. When Blessed, Religious Medals become capable of Performing Amazing Miracles.

Holy Medals come in many forms and are very versatile for a number of applications. Some wear them around the neck, some as bracelet charms, some as pins, some as sun visor clips in a vehicle. We have Medals of all sorts, representing different Saints, with different designs, Images, and Graces. Many of the Saints’ Medals can also have beautiful Prayers inscribed on Them or associated with Them.

We wear or display Holy Medals for several Reasons; including invoking the Intercession of the Depicted Saint. Sometimes, we do so, because the Saint is our Patron Saint. Sometimes, we do so for Protection. Sometimes we do as a Devotion or a Reminder of It. Sometimes, we receive a Saint’s Medal for Baptism or Confirmation, and we treasure It as a precious memory of the Sacrament.

Blessed Sacramentals

After a Priest Blesses any Religious Medals with Holy Water, calling Christ’s Presence to mind, the Holy Medal becomes a Sacramental, a Holy Object designed to draw us closer to God. Holy Medals are used for Protection, Worship, and Devotion as They serve as reminders of the Things that we revere – in other words, we Worship the Things that which these Sacramentals represent. Just like a Crucifix is not Jesus, but a reminder of His Saving Passion, a Holy Medal like the Miraculous Medal is not just the Mother of God, but an Object that points to Her Son. Through the beauty of Holy Medals, our minds and hearts are drawn to what They signify. They are Signs pointing the Holy.

Top 5 Most Powerful Holy Medals

All Christians use Religious Medals to Venerate major Characters of Catholicism and to get Protection from the Saints Who have played a notable role within the Religion. Each Medal has a specific Meaning, Image, Inscription, and/or Purpose related to each Saint. They can be given as a Gift, especially for some important events, such as the Sacraments (e.g. Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, etc.).

1. Miraculous Medal

The story behind the Miraculous Medal is quite famous among Christians. After an Apparition of the Blessed Mother, the novice Saint Catherine Labouré, in 1830, designed this very popular Religious Medal. The Holy Virgin Herself shared the Image of the Medal to St Catherine and told Her about the Symbolism behind each Aspect of the Design. Furthermore, the Blessed Virgin promised that great Graces would be conferred upon the wearer of the Miraculous Medal.

O Mary, conceived without sin,
Pray for us who have recourse to You. Amen.

2. Saint Benedict Medal

This powerful Medal represents St. Benedict of Nursia, the Founder of the Benedictine Monastery at Monte Cassino (Italy) and the Benedictine Order of Monks. Since He is well known for His several Miracles and for being the Protector against poisonings and exorcisms, St. Benedict has a great number of Devoted Disciples. Celebrated on 11 July, He’s considered the Patron Saint of Europe, Engineers, Farmers, Agronomists, Architects, Chemists, Speleologists, Coppersmiths, Officers of Arms, Students, Monks and Dying People. He’s invoked against Poison, Witchcraft and the Devil. Furthermore, the powerful St. Benedict Medal provides the daily protection of God against evil and temptations through the intercession of St. Benedict.

On the reverse side of the Medal, we find some letters:

• C S S M L → Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux (May the Holy Cross be my Light)
• N D S M D → Nunquam draco sit mihi dux (May the dragon never be my overlord)
• C S P B → Crux Sancti Patri Benedicti (The Cross of our Holy Father Benedict)
• V R S N S M V → Vade Retro Satana Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana (Bedong Satan, Never tempt me with your vanities)
• S M Q L I V B → Sunt Mala Quae Libas. Ipse Venena Bibas (What you offer me is evil, Drink the poison yourself)
• PAX (Peace)

3. Scapular Medal

This amazing Religious Medal represents the famous Brown Scapular, also known as the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. According to the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship, the Scapular is “an External Sign of the Filial Relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the Faithful who entrust themselves totally to Her Protection, who have recourse to Her Maternal Intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the Spiritual Life and the need for Prayer”. Furthermore, wearing It gives one Protection from the Blessed Virgin and will indicate one belonging to the Family of Carmel Which voluntarily does the Will of God trying to build a world true to His Plan of community, justice, and peace.

4. Saint Christopher Medal

Another very Powerful Religious Medal is the St. Christopher Medal. Celebrated on the 25th of July, St. Christopher is the Patron Saint of Pilgrims, Travelers, Motorists, Athletics, Bachelors, Drivers, Sailors, Long Journeys, Surfing, and Gardeners; and is invoked against Sudden Deaths, Toothache, Epilepsy, and Storms.

5. Saint Michael the Archangel Medal

Last, but not least, of the Top 5 Christian Medals is the Saint Michael Medal, dedicated to the Patron Saint of Doctors, Paramedics, Police Officers, Soldiers, Jewish People, Military and Vatican City; and is generally invoked against sickness.

Conclusion

While Holy Medals are small pieces of metal with an Image or Text, worn as an act of Devotion, once they are Blessed, They become the Sacramentals that commemorate Persons (e.g. Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and the Saints), Places (e.g. famous Shrines), and past historical Events (e.g. dogmatic definitions, miracles, dedications, etc.); as well as personal Graces like First Communion, Ordination, etc. They are often concerned with the order of ideas (e.g. and may recall the Mysteries of our Faith, such as the Blessed Sacrament or the Divine Attributes) and are used to inculcate lessons of Piety. As such, They are specially Blessed to serve as Badges of Pious Associations or to Consecrate and Protect the wearer and are often enriched with Indulgences.

Holy Medals are a visible Sign of our Faith, a Reminder of the Virtues Symbolized by the Subject of the Medal, and a Bearer of Blessings. We are physical beings with five senses given to us by God, and we worship with our whole person. Many elements of our Faith reflect that understanding. Ours is a Faith in which visible and tangible realities reflect the Divine. The physical reality of a Holy Medal reminds us of the very real Mystery It represents. A Medal Itself is merely a Point of Reference—One that allows us to meditate on and contemplate the Mysteries of God more easily under the Spiritual Protection of the Saint for which the Medal is associated with. It is a Representation of a Heavenly reality, reminding us of the Eternal Destiny to which we are Called.