II.

_Graces Obtained during the Year 1835, in France, Switzerland, Savoy and Turkey._

CURE OF MADEMOISELLE JOUBERT.

NOTE.--The account of this very striking cure was sent us by M. Poinsel, Vicar General of Limoges, whom I took the liberty of asking for it.

"_Bishopric of Limoges._

"Glory to God! honor to Mary!

"The 10th of February, 1834, Mlle. Joubert, aged twenty-nine years, a person of solid piety, was suddenly cured of a painful and very serious infirmity. For more than a year, she had carried her left arm in a sling, by reason of an unaccountable disease which extended from the shoulder to the hand, and was of such a nature that the afflicted member seemed dead; when necessary to be handled, it had to be done with extreme precaution, and even then the pain was so excessive that often the patient fell sick in consequence. The disease was successively styled rheumatic gout, inflammatory and gangrenous rheumatism; science employed in combating it, baths, shower baths, poultices, liniments of all sort, vain remedies which only aggravated the evil and varied the suffering. Sometimes amputation was spoken of: 'Would to God, Mademoiselle, you had but one arm!' said the physician, not concealing his anxiety and fears of her death, as spring approached, for the diseased arm was pale, livid, and frightful to behold.

"The young lady, a true Christian, was resigned to all; by meditations upon the cross, she encouraged herself to suffer, and, perceiving the progress of the disease, she thought only of dying the precious death of the just. A friend, one day, proposed to her that she should wear the medal with confidence, and make a novena to Mary. She acted upon the suggestion; at the end of the novena, on the usual day of her confession (she was accustomed to confess weekly), she approached the sacred tribunal, and lo! at the very instant when recollected, contrite and humbled, she received the moral effect of the priest's benediction and holy words, an extraordinary physical change took place in the arm heretofore judged incurable, it suddenly became unloosed and free, all suffering vanished! 'I scarcely knew where I was,' said she, 'but it seemed to me as if a cord that had been tightly drawn around my arm was unwound, ring after ring, and I was cured! My surprise, my joy, were extreme and beyond all power of expression!'

"On reaching home, she exclaimed: 'A miracle! light a taper, light two, come, come, see the miracle! I can move my arm, animation is restored to it, I am cured!' Oh! how great the joy of that family! They surrounded the favored one, they looked at, they touched the resuscitated member, they tested its powers in various ways, making her lift divers objects and execute a variety of movements; then, all the members of this truly Christian family, moved even to tears, fell on their knees, and recited that hymn of thanksgiving, the _Te Deum_.

"Since then, (that is, for more than a year), her arm has been perfectly well. The physician himself was struck with this event, which it would be difficult to attribute to concealed resources, or the sudden agency of nature. What is nature without the intervention and action of God? He is sole Master of nature, life and death are at His will. It is not necessary, then, to reason so much on the subject; a little faith will easily make us recognize here a special grace of God, through the intercession of Mary, our kind, sweet Mother, to whom we must ever repair, invoking her with love and confidence.

"Such is the simple and conscientious account of the event given me, the undersigned, by the person herself, in answer to my questions, in the presence of an intelligent, reliable individual who saw all, having several times dressed the arm, and who, by reason of her skill and long experience, was well calculated to judge of the danger.

"In attestation of which, etc.

"POINSEL, Vicar General.

"_February 14, 1835._"

These details are confirmed by two letters of Madame and Mademoiselle Joubert, by the testimony of the Superior of the Daughters of Charity of Limoges, and that of M. Dumonteil, a lawyer and friend of the family.

CONVERSIONS AND CURES WROUGHT IN SWITZERLAND.

Letter from Sister Boubat, Superioress of the Daughters of Charity in Chesne:

"_February 12, 1835._

"I have not great miracles to recount to-day, but the facts I give are certainly very striking traits of protection. However, I shall tell them just as they are, and let you judge of them for yourself. Those of which I was not an eye-witness have been told me by very reliable parties who were.

"1st. A woman who had been sick a long time, and given up by the doctors, received, one evening, the Miraculous Medal, and was restored to her usual health that night; feeling perfectly well, she said to her husband next morning that she would get up and prepare breakfast. He treated this as nonsense, and when she really did arise, his astonishment was great, and beyond all bounds when he found that her health was fully restored.

"2d. In the same village, a young mother had two children, one six the other eight years old. The latter was attacked by a violent malady, described to me as a convulsion, and died in a few days. The younger had a similar attack, and seemed on the verge of death. The poor mother was in the depths of grief, when some one thought of offering her a medal. She received it as a treasure. It was evening; she put it on the dying child, who soon fell asleep, and slept soundly the whole night. In the morning he awoke perfectly cured! This good woman afterwards came to me to get medals for herself and some others. Oh! I wish you could have seen her as she wept for joy whilst expressing to me, with all simplicity, the transports of her soul! Never will I forget it, so deep was the impression it made upon me.

"3d. A child five years old had been racked for several months by a fever, which resisted all efforts to check it. One day, he was in his grandmother's arms when the paroxysm began. This woman, full of faith, applied the medal; the child soon grew better, and the fever never troubled him again.

"The attending physician was a relation; on seeing him after this, the child ran towards him, exclaiming with all the animation and artlessness of his age: 'I am cured, but it was not you who cured me, it was the medal.' He repeats these words nearly every time he sees the doctor.

"4th. A young man, on his death-bed, filled all his friends with serious apprehensions for his salvation. After several vain efforts of the most charitable zeal, the curé induced him to accept a medal, and very soon the dying man expressed a wish to confess. He expired in the most edifying dispositions.

"5th. Three sinners obstinately refused to assist at the exercises of a mission given in their parish, and even sought to oppose it. One of the missionaries persuaded them to accept a medal, and as soon as they had received it, a great change was visible. They not only made the mission, most devoutly, but became its zealous advocates.

"I get these details from a very venerable curé, who gave them to me himself.

"6th. There came to me recently a woman from the neighboring mountainous district, who said without any previous explanation: 'You cured one of my daughters whom all the physicians had given up; I now wish you to give me the same thing.' I tried at once to recollect what medicines I had prescribed, and asked question after question concerning the nature of the malady, so as to know what remedy I had dispensed. After puzzling my brain to discover, she told me it was a piece, thus suddenly reminding me that I had given a medal to a young woman from that place, who came to consult me about her failing health. To verify the fact, I sent word for the young woman to come to see me.

"I pass over in silence a multitude of other events which, without being termed miracles, are none the less real graces; and in my eyes one most precious and great grace for us is, that the Blessed Virgin deigns to make use of our poor little house to propagate devotion to her. Oh! if you could see these good mountaineers of every age and sex come with the greatest confidence and most touching simplicity, asking for _na médaillot_--a medal. It has affected me deeply, and I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude to our tender and Immaculate Mother.

"Even Protestants have asked us for these medals, and I am assured it was with perfect sincerity. The pastors in Savoy are also very zealous in propagating this devotion to Mary. Since reading the notice, they have mentioned it from the pulpit to their parishioners, many of whom have, in consequence, procured the medal. Likewise, do we see young men about to enter the army fortify themselves with it, and persons undertaking a voyage wearing it as their safeguard; indeed, every one has recourse to it as the universal remedy for soul and body."

CURE OF SISTER HYACINTHE, A RELIGIOUS OF CALVARY.

It is the Mother General of the Community who has given us these details. Her letter is dated February 7th, 1835.

"I am overwhelmed with joy; our poor patient is perfectly cured by virtue of the Miraculous Medal. I could say our patients, for our prayers were offered both for the paralytic and that young person whom I told you had been sick eleven months; she was able to remain out of bed only a few hours each day; whenever she could go to Mass, and that was rarely, she had to be assisted, and the support of an arm was necessary when she approached the Holy Table. Since Thursday she walks alone and eats without experiencing the slightest symptom of her former infirmity, except a little weakness. I hope the Lord will finish His work and restore her to perfect health; but let us speak of our dear Sister.

"The following is a copy of the account I wrote of this marvel to our holy Bishop day before yesterday, after Mass:

"'I acquaint Your Grace with an incident of God's great mercy, displayed to our Community in the sudden cure of one of our choir religious, named Hyacinthe, aged forty-seven years. This good Mother, the 14th of last January, had a stroke of paralysis. It did not affect her head, but immediately fixed itself in the left side, which became motionless and devoid of feeling. We hastened to summon the physician, who bled her freely in the arm; next day we tried leeches, medicines, a blister on the neck, and three days after one upon the paralyzed limb, but all of no avail. The poor patient, as well as ourselves, must submit to the decrees of Him who strikes and heals at will. At the end of fifteen days I was inspired with the thought of making a novena in honor of the Immaculate Conception, the medal of which, called the miraculous, we all wear. On the fourth day of the novena, as we were about to recite the prayers around her bed, the good Mother desired Holy Communion. She was taken to the choir by three persons; after receiving, the limb felt a little better, and she could return with the aid of two persons only. Her confidence in the Mother of God increased daily; yesterday she asked permission to come down on the last day of the novena, and this morning, with the assistance of a cane and some one to support her, she came down and had the happiness of receiving Holy Communion. Immediately after, we finished the novena prayers, just at the end of which she was seized with a pain in the paralyzed arm, followed by an icy chill and then a sensation of extreme heat. She came to me with both arms lifted, exclaiming, "I am cured!" And perfectly cured she was, being able to walk and use her limbs as freely as if she had never felt a symptom of paralysis.

"'To give you an idea of our joy and gratitude, Monseigneur, would be impossible. The patient fainted, and I came very near doing the same; it was with difficulty I could continue our prayers of thanksgiving, so marvelous did it seem that the Lord should have granted this favor to our Community, under the government of one of His most unworthy servants.'

"I send you this copy, which we had kept, of the letter.

"In the same letter I asked Monseigneur's permission to have a _Te Deum_ chanted at the end of Benediction. His Grace hastened to send word that he not only permitted but ordered it, which order was joyfully complied with. The Vicar General, our Superior, wrote, asking me to defer our Vespers half an hour, as he wished to assist at the _Te Deum_. Several other ecclesiastics also came, and saw our healed ones blessing God. Since that day our good Mother Hyacinthe follows the rules, complies with all her duties, and has never felt the least return of her malady.

"This miracle created great excitement in our city; the laborers who were working at the house having learned it on the spot, immediately spread the news; the evening previous, they had seen our poor Sister dragging her limb, a cane in hand, and almost carried by two persons, and next morning they beheld her perfectly cured! These men, who have seldom much religion, sang the praises of God's power, and asked me to give them medals. I gave a medal to each with great pleasure. Clergymen have come to learn the particulars of this event, and I let the miraculously cured herself recount the wonders of the Lord.

"I must not omit informing you that the physician having vainly exhausted all remedies, had been nine days without seeing the patient; and the very eve of her recovery he told one of our boarders that the disease having settled itself he believed our afflicted one might be able to walk, but she could never use her arm again. On coming next day to visit his other patients, he was surprised beyond expression when she appeared before him perfectly cured. Wishing to get his candid opinion on the subject, I remarked that probably it was not real paralysis, but only a numbness. 'It was a strongly marked case of paralysis,' he answered, 'and there is certainly something supernatural in her recovery.'

"In thanksgiving we continue the novena prayers, but preface them with the _Laudate_.

"Make such use of this letter as you may deem advisable. If you insert it in the notice, you are at liberty to name our city and house. Oh! how we long to spread abroad the knowledge and love of God's power, signally displayed in answer to our invocation of the Immaculate Mother of His Divine Son.

"SISTER ST. MARIE, "_Superioress of Calvary of Orleans_."

CURE OF MADAME LEBON (DIJON).

NOTE.--"The venerable lady upon whom this cure was wrought belongs to a highly honorable family of Dijon, and her personal character is very well calculated to inspire the utmost confidence," says _L'Ami de la Religion_, in its issue of April 17th, 1835. Moreover, the letter she wrote, March 12th, to one of her friends, and which she was anxious should be transmitted to us, is accompanied by the certificates of the pastors of St. Michael of Dijon, of Dampierre and Beaumont-sur-Vingeanne, also of five members of the municipal council, and several other very reliable persons, some of them members of her family; more than this, it is followed by a detailed account given by the medical attendant, who had charge of her case for sixteen years.

"_Dijon, March 12, 1835._

"_Madame and Dear Friend_:

"You ask me the details of the miraculous manner in which it has pleased God to restore me to health. Well! it might be summed up in these few words: I implored Mary to obtain my recovery, and she did obtain it instantly; having said this, you know all, but you desire me to recall the circumstances of my sickness and my experience subsequent to the cure. I give them as follows:

"You doubtless remember that, for more than twenty years, I could not walk, in consequence of an abscess on the intestines, which left me in such a state of sensibility that ever after a walk of more than a hundred steps I was exposing myself to the most serious accidents. Neither are you ignorant of the fact that, nearly fifteen months ago, by reason of influenza, a second abscess formed, and so increased the irritability that I hovered between life and death, and even when at my best I was scarcely able to drag myself from one room to another. But you have probably never heard that, since the 1st of last December, my condition was so critical that, with great difficulty, could I remain out of bed three or four hours at a time, which made me, as well as those around me, think my end was near and I would not survive the spring.

"This was my condition, dear friend, when some one mentioned to me the medal of the Immaculate Virgin, and urged me to get it. I was a long time deciding to do so, for I considered it presumptuous to solicit the cure of an infirmity the physicians had pronounced incurable. At last, having thought, on the one side, that the more desperate the malady, the greater God's glory should He deign to cure it; and, on the other, that He had wrought the most wonderful miracles for those who were least worthy, I decided to mention it to my confessor. I did so, and he encouraged me to make the novena.

"The 2d of February, Feast of the Purification, the first day of the novena and one ever memorable for me, I was taken to church in a carriage; my daughter, sole confidante of my intentions, assisted me to the Blessed Virgin's altar, where, after hearing Mass as well as my infirmity would permit, I received Holy Communion. Scarcely had I knelt to make an act of adoration, when I was obliged to take my seat. A Sister of Charity, whom I did not know was there, for I had not hoped to receive the medal just yet, put it on my neck. Immediately, I got on my knees to beg the Mother of the afflicted to intercede with her divine Son for the restoration of my health, should He foresee that it would be conducive to God's glory and her honor, to my salvation and the happiness of my husband and children. Scarcely had I pronounced a few words, petitioning our Lord to graciously hear His holy Mother's prayer, ere Mary had interceded and God in His great mercy had hearkened; I was cured, Madame, entirely cured.... I finished all the prayers of thanksgiving after Communion and those of the novena on my knees, and, without experiencing the slightest inconvenience, my malady had disappeared and I have never felt the slightest symptom of it since. I walked, unassisted, to the church door, sent away the carriage and returned home on foot.

"I have given you a detail of the facts, but to express the feelings that filled my heart on re-entering my house would be impossible; my joy, my astonishment, were boundless; I could hardly realize it myself. Cured in an instant! The thought was overpowering! It seemed as if I must be in a dream, but my husband's astonishment, my mother's, and that of the servants, who, seeing the great change wrought in me, although they were ignorant of the means, could not forbear exclaiming: 'But a miracle must have been worked upon you!' convinced me that I was not asleep.

"Since that time I walk as well as any one; scarcely was my novena finished ere I could go from one end of the city to the other. It has not been six weeks since my cure, and I have already walked more than three miles at a time, and could have accomplished twice as much. You see, Madame and dear friend, that the miracle is a most striking one.

"I now beg of you, as well as all other pious souls, to unite heartily with me in thanking God and His august Mother.

"Your ever devoted "ÉLIS. M. DARBEAUMONT LEBON."

The physician's certificate ends thus: "Whatever may have been the cause of a cure, heretofore regarded as impossible by all the doctors who attended Mme. Lebon, it should be considered none the less certain and positive, for the evidence of the fact is indubitable.

"Wherefore, I sign the present attestation, which I declare sincere and true.

"FOURNIER, Doctor. "_Dampierre, March 19, 1835._"

CURES WROUGHT AT SMYRNA AND CONSTANTINOPLE.

Extract of a letter from M. Le Leu, Lazarist missionary:

"_Constantinople, March 16, 1835._

"It has been a long time since I proposed writing you something about the medal. In my eyes, one of the greatest miracles it has ever worked is the rapidity of its propagation and the confidence it inspires. By our demands upon you for medals, you may judge of their effect in this country. We could dispose of thousands and yet not satisfy the innumerable calls we have for them. At Smyrna, it is the same. We had occasion to send a few into the interior of Asia, and the Blessed Virgin showed herself no less powerful or beneficent there than in Europe. At Angora, an old man was deprived of the use of all his limbs, and had neither walked nor worked for years; he lived in frightful poverty, and sighed for death, for he was especially grieved at being so long a burden upon a family in indigent circumstances. (In this country there are numbers of Armenian families very devoted to the Blessed Virgin, and this was one of them.) He had no sooner heard of the Miraculous Medal, than he solicited the happiness of obtaining and wearing it. In these countries the Faith has retained its primitive simplicity; this recipient of a medal does not content himself with praying before it, or hanging it around his neck, but he kisses it with profound respect and applies it to the affected part; the Blessed Virgin cannot resist such confidence, and the good old man instantly recovers the use of his limbs--he now works and supports himself.

"Here is another incident: A young woman belonging to a respectable and very pious family had, for a long time, been a prey to a disease, the nature of which neither the French, Greek nor Turkish physicians could understand. Its symptoms were most violent pains in the side, which prevented her walking, eating or sleeping, and which sometimes disappeared, only to return with renewed violence. Having heard of our medal, this lady felt interiorly urged to employ it for her recovery, but believing herself unworthy of obtaining a direct miracle, she besought the Blessed Virgin to enlighten the physician and make known to him the proper remedy. Thereupon, she went to the country. At the end of several days, she was astonished to see her physician, who exclaimed as soon as he saw her: 'Madame, good news! I have found the remedy for your disease. I am sure of it; in a few days you will be perfectly well. I do not know why it is, but your case has constantly occupied my mind since your departure, and by a careful study of it I have at last discovered the cause of the disease and the manner of treating it.' The lady recognized at once that this knowledge came from above, and she had not implored Mary in vain. To-day she is in excellent health. It was from the mouth of her mother I received these details. 'O Monsieur,' exclaimed this good mother, 'how happy I am at my poor daughter's recovery! It is the Blessed Virgin who has restored her to me. If you could only get me a few more of these medals; I am overwhelmed with requests for them.' The physician himself published the details I have just given. So persuaded is he of the efficacy of the medal that he calls it his final remedy, and advises his patients to wear it whenever he is at a loss concerning their malady. And the Blessed Virgin has rewarded his faith; for one of his own daughters, a most pious person, but in miserable health, has just experienced its beneficial effects.

"I could mention numberless other incidents, as many conversions as cures, but one more will suffice for to-day. Not long ago the mother of a family had every symptom of an attack of apoplexy; she had already lost consciousness, when her son, a very pious young man, who wore one of these medals, took it off his neck and put it around hers. He then ran for a doctor and a priest. On reaching the house they were all three astonished to find that she had quite recovered. That evening the son asked his mother for the medal, and she returned it, but a moment after was stricken with another attack. The protection of the Blessed Virgin seemed to have been withdrawn with this sign of her power. He immediately put the medal on her neck again, this time to remain, and she has been well ever since.

"Oh! do not delay, I beg you, in sending us the medals we have asked of you."

CONVERSION AND CURE OF AN OLD MAN AT CASTERA-LES-BAINS.

NOTE.--These details are sent us and attested by M. Bellos, clerk of registration at Auch, and by other very reliable persons.

"In the early part of March, 1835, an old man in the parish of Castera-les-Bains (Gers), fell dangerously ill. The venerable parish priest, M. Barère, hastened to visit him, hoping he might persuade the poor creature to cast himself into those arms that were extended on the cross for all sinners. Our patient, who had not been to confession for long years, received him like an infidel as he was, refused all religious assistance, and ended by saying: 'M. curé, I would rather lose my speech than comply with your wishes!' The charitable pastor retiring, though very reluctantly, now thought of the Miraculous Medal he wore, and, taking it off, gave it to one of the household with instructions to put it in the patient's bed; advising, however, in case the ruse were discovered, no allusion to the subject, so as to spare the unhappy one all occasion of invective against religion. But, oh! marvelous to relate! a little while after, the dying man awakens as if from a profound slumber, and earnestly begs that the curé be sent for to hear his confession. At this news, the good pastor flies to his lost sheep, who receives him with every expression of joy, begs his pardon, and asks to receive the Sacrament of Penance. It would be superfluous for us to dwell at length upon the sentiments and language of the charitable minister of religion. He was so touched by his penitent's dispositions, that he did not hesitate to take him the Holy Viaticum next morning. Many of the faithful accompanied the Blessed Sacrament to the sick man's chamber; confessing again, he abjured his errors before all the assistants, and earnestly entreated them to pardon the scandal his past conduct had given them. Every one was affected to tears, and it was in the midst of this universal emotion that he received the good God, with the deepest sentiments of humility and compunction, and recommending himself to the prayers of all present. In the course of the following night, fearing he might be carried off by a spell of weakness, he requested Extreme Unction, and received it with the same evidences of faith and piety. This conversion was followed by his perfect recovery, and the good old man now blesses Divine Providence, which, through Mary's protection, rescued him from the borders of a frightful abyss into which his infidelity would have plunged him forever.

"The undersigned, who got these details from the mouth of the curé of Castera, vouches for their authenticity. He has neither added to nor taken from them in the slightest, knowing full well that the Blessed Virgin has no need of falsehoods to prove her power and goodness. It is, then, on his word of conscience he gives this fact, which none of the inhabitants of Castera and the neighboring country would deny, even were he incredulous."

CURE OF ROSALIE MORVILLIERS, ACKNOWLEDGED AS MIRACULOUS BY ALL THE PARISH.

"_Hangest_ (_Somme_).

"I have mentioned to you the cure wrought by the Miraculous Medal upon a person aged fifty years; the fact is incontestable. Rosalie Morvilliers, the recipient of this favor, had never been free from suffering since her seventh year; an affection of the nerves caused almost constant palpitations of the heart and severe headaches, which, however, did not hinder her performing some slight work without aggravating the malady. But about five years ago, she was afflicted by an unmistakable attack of epilepsy, which threw her family into the greatest consternation. Henceforth, she was obliged to keep her bed, and saw no one but her most intimate friends; the very sight of a face that was not familiar was sufficient to throw her into dreadful convulsions for several hours. Independent of any external cause, these paroxysms usually came on three times a day, and so violent were they, that it was with great difficulty she could be kept in her room; she uttered most frightful cries, her features were horribly distorted, her mouth covered with foam, and, indeed, according to the testimony of those who usually witnessed the attacks, it was some time before she regained consciousness.

"Such was her condition when some one gave her a Miraculous Medal. She received it with the greatest confidence, and immediately applied it to that part of her head where the pain was most acute; the pain disappeared immediately. From that moment she felt urged to make a novena in honor of the Immaculate Conception for the cure of her epilepsy. But diffidence in mentioning the matter to her director made her defer the execution of this pious design six weeks. At length, she yielded to her desires, saying she felt fully persuaded that this novena would ensure her recovery through the Blessed Virgin's intercession, and her confidence was not misplaced. The curé immediately began the novena, engaging in it the sodality of the Holy Family. Whilst at Mass on the morning of the last day, the 17th of Mary's month, the patient was seized with the most violent attack possible, the worst she had ever had, although during the novena, the paroxysms had increased in intensity. Suddenly it ceases. A number of persons begin to pray and recite the chaplet; the patient, regarding them with a smile, gently falls asleep. A few minutes after, she opens her eyes and exclaims: 'I am cured! I am cured! The Blessed Virgin has just cured me of epilepsy! Oh! how good she is, how powerful! It seems to me as if there had just been a general revolution throughout my body. I feel confident, my friends, that this disease has been banished from my system forever.'

"It was very easy for the assistants to believe that some extraordinary change had really been wrought in her, for her countenance presented not the slightest vestige of the attack. She now desired to communicate, and oh! with what transports of faith, gratitude and love she received the good God!

"The noise of this cure soon reached the neighboring villages. How beautiful yet, Monsieur, is the simplicity of the faith in these rural districts! Henceforth, every one wished to wear the medal.

"This event took place on the 17th of May, at nine o'clock in the morning. Since that time the patient has not felt the slightest symptom of epilepsy. She leaves her room, walks about the garden, and receives visitors indiscriminately, without experiencing any ill effects. However, the Blessed Virgin did not cure all her infirmities; she still has the nervous affection that existed before the epileptic attacks, but I should observe that as the novena was made solely for the cure of epilepsy, the Blessed Virgin has obtained all that was asked of her.

"This, Monsieur, is the exact statement. Some, no doubt, would attribute the cure to natural causes; as for ourselves, we, like the patient, feel convinced that it was owing to Mary's powerful intercession. The curé agrees with us, and so do all who glory in the truths of religion. Honored, then, be the power and goodness of Mary conceived without sin!"

CURE OF A DAUGHTER OF CHARITY AND ANOTHER PERSON (DIOCESE OF MOULINS).

The following letter was sent by a gentleman of unquestionable veracity to the _Journal du Bourbonnais_, and published in its issue of June 6, 1835:

"_Monsieur_:

"We are all Mary's children; at the foot of her Divine Son's cross did her maternal heart adopt us as her own. All ages have felt the salutary effects of her powerful protection; our fathers have admired them, we ourselves admire them, and our days are filled with marvels. Even recently has she appeared, shedding torrents of grace upon a privileged kingdom, and this kingdom is France. The vision is verified, for the age which saw it has also witnessed the multiplication of countless miraculous cures and conversions.

"And shall Bourbonnais, our dear country, be excepted in the distribution of Mary's favors? Oh! no; it also shall have a share in this harvest of glory. The truly astonishing rapidity with which the thousand Miraculous Medals brought to our city have been disposed of is to me a sufficient guaranty of our hopes, and it would keep one's pen in daily use to note the wonderful traits of Mary's protection.

"1st. Sister Chapin, of St. Joseph's Hospital, was for more than two years racked by pains and a fever that defied all medical skill.

"This angel of earth lamented her inability to fulfil the duties of her noble vocation; far from abating, her charity, zeal and resignation seemed to increase with her gradually declining health, which now excited our serious fears. Having vainly exhausted all the resources of medicine, she turned her back upon art and nature that she might address herself to faith alone. Full of confidence in the Miraculous Medal, she began a novena to Mary for the recovery of her health. Before the novena was ended, both pains and fever had disappeared, and henceforth, she began a new existence, her strength returned, and she is happy to prove herself by deeds (fulfilling with ease the most painful duties) what her virtues have ever proclaimed her, a true daughter of St. Vincent de Paul.

"2nd. Yesterday, again, was witnessed in our Bourbonnais, another wonderful trait of Mary's protection. Here are the facts: On Monday, June 1st, at eight o'clock in the evening, in the parish of Montilly, near the borders of Allier and the castle of Beau-Regard, a woman was stricken with a violent rush of blood to the head; the lamentations and piercing cries of the family attracted their neighbors. Two alarming crises succeeded; they were followed by a third, which was thought to be mortal. The patient, after violently struggling against the combined efforts of four men to restrain her, fell motionless and apparently lifeless; her limbs were stiff and chill, her face a livid blue, her features distorted, her eyes fixed, her respiration insensible, death seemed imminent. This frightful attack had lasted about half an hour, when some one present thought of the Miraculous Medal; she approaches the dying woman and lays the medal upon her lips. At that instant the latter arouses from her slumber, she breathes, she clasps her hands as if thanking the person who had restored her to life she recognizes all around her, speaks to them and thanks them for their kind attentions.

"The next morning, Tuesday, it was not at the gates of death she was to be found, but in the streets of Moulins, where I saw her myself and spoke to her.

"Pardon me, O divine Mary, if among a thousand striking traits of your power and goodness, I dwell upon some which are comparatively slight, it is only because of their recent occurrence in our very midst. Happy shall I esteem myself to awaken among my brethren a passing tribute to Faith, that living, salutary Faith, whose efficacy I have experienced, and whose truths I long to see planted and nourished in all hearts!

"Deign to accord, etc."

We have learned that Sister Chapin's recovery is permanent.

CURE OF MARIE LACROIX (DIOCESE OF LANGRES).

NOTE.--It is M. Barillot, Vicar General, who sends us this account:

"_Bishopric of Langres, June 20, 1835._

"_Monsieur_:

"M. Regnault, curé of Ormoy, canton of Chateau-Villain, in our diocese, an excellent pastor and judicious priest, writes me the subjoined letter of the 19th inst.:

"'A very extraordinary thing has just taken place in my parish. A young woman aged twenty went blind in consequence of a fall; her hip was displaced, and she lost all use of her limbs, except the arms. For three months she was at a hospital of Bar-sur-Aube, under treatment for these severe afflictions, but in vain. At last, judging her case hopeless, the physicians sent her back to her parents at Ormoy. Here, as at Bar-sur-Aube, she endured for three months incredible sufferings, not even being able to turn herself in bed or change her position in the slightest. Her recovery was now despaired of by all, and lately the minister received a petition (with the accompanying certificates of the two physicians who had attended her at Bar-sur-Aube) asking her admission into the hospital of Quinze-Vingts. Meanwhile, this young woman, who had always appeared to me very pious and submissive to God's will, having received a Miraculous Medal, immediately begins a novena. Seven days elapse, and her sufferings, far from diminishing, are intensified; on the eighth she is bathed in a profuse perspiration, after which she suddenly rises, dresses herself, and walks through the streets to church, to the great astonishment of all the people, who, seeing her, cannot restrain their tears.

"'I questioned her closely, but did not express my opinion on the subject. I went to Bar-sur-Aube to get additional information; the physician declares it astonishing, especially when we consider her former hopeless condition. The hospital Sisters, the curés of Bar-sur-Aube, the patients, all say it is truly a miracle. The people of Ormoy and even of the vicinity, who come to see her, wonder that I do not mention it from the pulpit. I beg of you to let me know how to act in the affair, and also that you will speak to the Bishop about it.'

"The Bishop has since sent word through me to the curé of Ormoy, to publish this miraculous occurrence to his parishioners; he has also charged me with forwarding you a copy of the good curé's letter, leaving to your discretion the use you may make of it.

"I am, etc.,

"BARILLOT, Canon, Vicar General."

Before printing this, we wished to ascertain if the cure were permanent, and the Vicar General sent us the following response from the curé of Ormoy:

"The cure is permanent; for several months past the young woman has been with the Ursulines of La Chapelle, who consider her physically able to share in the labors of the house; her condition having been attested by three doctors. Her sudden recovery, as above mentioned, leads us to believe that it was surely supernatural. I was far from meriting this favor which has been granted my poor parish. I hope the Blessed Virgin will finish her work.

"_November 3, 1835._"

CURES WROUGHT IN THE CHABLAIS DISTRICT (SAVOY).

"_The Borders of Lake Geneva, June 18, 1835._

"_Monsieur_:

"The country purged of Calvin's heresy by the labors of Geneva's holy bishop, is not a stranger to the blessings figured by the medal's mysterious rays. This wonderful instrument of Mary's liberality has been propagated with astonishing rapidity, though only a few months since we heard of it in our midst. I consider it a pious obligation to offer you a few small stones towards the construction of that temple of glory now in process of erection, to the honor of her, who has lately proved herself more powerful and merciful on earth than ever before. I am a young villager living amidst my family; I do not announce miracles to you, but merely recount facts just as I have seen or heard them. I could have subjoined a list of signatures, but I did not judge it necessary, the docile, religious heart deeming them superfluous, and the skeptic, fraudulent, like the facts. On a perusal of the first few phrases in each incident, persons living in the vicinity will recognize the individuals concerned, and thereby be more deeply impressed.

"1st. In the month of July, 1824, Mlle. C., aged twenty-nine years, bade, as she thought, a last adieu to her family; she and some other generous companions were going to one of the large cities in southern Italy to consecrate themselves there to the service of the sick and poor. After a few months' novitiate in a religious house devoted to works of this nature, she was attacked by one of those debilitating, wasting maladies that physicians are at a loss to define. Attributing it to the climate, the Superiors, after twenty-two months' ineffectual treatment at the novitiate, sent her to breathe her natal air. But change of air proved vain also, and the doctors at last ceased their visits, judging the re-establishment of her health an impossibility. About six years ago, she had improved sufficiently to walk a few steps beyond her chamber, and even remain in the open air some minutes, but amelioration was illusory, and since 1830 she had not been able to leave her couch of suffering except for a few instants. Many times during these last five years was she apparently on the verge of death, and that for several consecutive days, always, however, retaining her hearing and intellectual faculties, since she could respond by signs to the priest who visited her. It was he who gave me these particulars. Her condition had become such that it was judged advisable to administer the Last Sacraments. This house was now a school of edification, where Christians might study the price of sufferings and the heroism of patience. Finally, about the end of last April, this poor creature, so tortured for the past eleven years, conceived a hope of relief through the Miraculous Medal, but, mistrusting the somewhat extraordinary impressions the thought made upon her imagination, it was only from obedience she could be induced to commence a novena. The sole exercises consisted of repeating, three times a day, the invocation: 'O Mary! conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!' On Wednesday, April 24th, the second or third day of the novena, she felt an irresistible desire to arise. It was yet very early in the morning; a little child assisted her to dress. Finding that her limbs support her, she begins to think it must be something miraculous, and, filled with joy, she wishes to announce the news to her mother, who is in an adjoining room. Arrived at the door, she is seized with fright, and precipitately turns back; but, being reassured of her newly restored strength by the facility with which she reaches her own chamber, she overcomes herself, and, retracing her steps, seeks the embraces of her mother, her sister and brother. Her unexpected appearance fills them with great emotion, and abundant tears attest the depths of their joy and gratitude. A clergyman, who often visited this lady, soon heard rumors of her recovery, but gave no credit to them. Meeting her mother on the street not long after, she burst into tears at sight of him, and was unable to express the cause of her emotion. Suspecting it, he went immediately to the house, and saw for himself what a miracle had been wrought. With Mlle. C., he unites in blessing her powerful protectress, the Immaculate Mary.

"Since that time, April 24, to the present date, June 18th, Mlle. C. rises about seven o'clock, hears Mass on her knees, employs herself in various duties during the day, makes visits and walks of half an hour's or even an hour's duration, and continues well, even her complexion begins to assume a healthy tinge. Her legs are still a little swollen, and she cannot yet take much nourishment.

"The sudden appearance of this person, whom every one had known to be seriously afflicted for eleven years, created an extraordinary sensation. All eyes were fixed upon her, and many persons even followed her. This took place in the capital of the province.

"2d. In the month of August, 1833, my sister, at the sight of a child who barely missed falling through an open trap door, was suddenly attacked by frightful nervous convulsions, which henceforth returned daily, and even as often as fifteen times a day. It was only at the end of two months that remedies, and a four weeks' strict hospital treatment, succeeded in checking them. Last year, they manifested themselves again in the month of February, but disappeared, leaving her a prey to great weakness, and a fever that kept her in bed four weeks.

"In the February of this year, the nervous convulsions returned, and with a frequency and force that were truly alarming. The patient wasted visibly, the paroxysms were renewed seven and ten times a day, and were of a most frightful character; the circulation of her blood seemed checked, her feet and hands were deathly chilled, she jerked her head with violence and precipitation, an agitated cry escaped her breast; the attack lasted from three to six minutes, and left her completely exhausted. The witnesses of this painful spectacle were affected to tears. She was taken to a skillful physician, who after seeing her in one of these convulsions, pronounced the case hopeless, saying, 'it baffled him, he could not understand it.' However, he prescribed remedies. Meanwhile, the first medals arrived in our midst. On Shrove Tuesday, my sister had five attacks, which she assured me were the worst she had ever had. Next day, wearing the medal, she began a novena, and the two convulsions she had that day were the last; never since has she felt the slightest symptom (and that without employing the prescribed remedies), neither has she had a sign of the fever, which last year replaced the less violent convulsions. This cure was wrought in an insensible, but very efficacious manner, the first day of a novena made through the medal. My sister immediately resumed the manifold duties of a laborious household. She attributes, and we also, her recovery to Mary alone. Thousands of times be love and glory to this good Mother!

"3d. In the Chablais district, on the frontiers of the canton of Geneva, lived a poor widow, the mother of quite a large family. This good woman, about sixty years old, had a natural predisposition to paralysis. At the age of forty-eight, an attack of this disease deprived her of the use of her left arm. At intervals since then, she has had spells of illness so serious and so protracted, that at least a hundred times she seemed on the verge of the tomb. She never consulted a physician, but animated with a lively, persevering faith, she employed only supernatural means. 'God and the Saints are the only good doctors,' she would say, and 'God and the Saints' rewarded her confidence. She has recovered from these hopeless maladies in an extraordinary manner. On the first of last March, her left foot lost the power of supporting her body in walking, doubtless owing to her natural predisposition to paralysis. Persons informed on the subject have given the following description of the convulsive movements of this poor woman's foot: suspended, it preserved its natural position, but on putting it to the ground, it immediately lost its balance; her body was bent, her knee turned out, the sole of her foot exposed, and the left side of her foot was the foundation of support for the left limb in walking. She went thus to church, distant about four minutes' walk; but even in that short space of time, the convulsive movements of the foot were sometimes such that she was not able to keep her balance, but fell to the ground. Every one pitied her, she was always calm and perfectly resigned. Her children had made for her an iron brace which reached to the knee, but after a trial, she was obliged to discard it, the remedy causing more suffering than the disease. During the Lenten season, some charitable persons advised her to seek Mary's assistance through the Miraculous Medal. The good widow did so, and wore her medal with the utmost confidence. On Holy Saturday, she perceived that her foot had become steady; the next day, Easter, without any remedies having been used, it resumed its natural position, and since that time, though a little weaker than the right, not once has it given way or turned. She attributes her recovery to the Blessed Virgin, whom she invoked by wearing the medal, so justly styled miraculous.

"I could cite many other less striking cases; one time it is a hardy peasant who attributes to Mary's intercession relief from violent pains; another time, a little child, who in a few days, is completely cured of a large tumor under its arm, accompanied by fever; a mother who tells me how her daughter's ill health is sensibly improved by the application of the medal; or a Protestant girl, who, after wearing it, abjures heresy, etc. Nearly all the children of our village wear the Miraculous Medal around their neck, they recite the invocation, they kiss the precious image and give it to their little sisters and brothers in the cradle to kiss.