Labouré, Catherine (1806–1875)

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Labouré, Catherine (1806–1875)

French saint. Name variations: Catherine Laboure. Born in 1806; died in 1875.

Catherine Labouré, who was born in 1806 and grew up in Yonne, France, spent her life caring for the sick in the environs of Paris. In 1832, Mary the Virgin appeared to Catherine three times in the chapel of her convent on the Rue du Bac in Paris. Catherine claimed that the Virgin had commanded her to have a medal struck in commemoration of the merciful goodness that the Mother of God extended to the human race. This is the origin of the "Miraculous Medal" of the Roman Catholic faith. Labouré's feast day is on December 31.

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