author
Jean-Marie Aladel
1800–1865
Best known as the Vincentian priest who helped bring the Miraculous Medal into the world, he wrote about its origins and helped spread the devotion far beyond Paris. His life connects nineteenth-century Catholic history with one of its most enduring symbols of popular faith.
1 Audiobook
The Miraculous Medal: Its Origin, History, Circulation, Results
by Jean-Marie Aladel
About the author
Born in France in 1800, Jean-Marie Aladel became a priest of the Congregation of the Mission, the Vincentian community founded by Saint Vincent de Paul. He is most closely linked with the events surrounding Catherine Labouré at the Daughters of Charity seminary on Rue du Bac in Paris, where he served as her spiritual director and played a central role in the early history of the Miraculous Medal.
Aladel is remembered not only for pastoral work but also for writing. His best-known book, The Miraculous Medal: Its Origin, History, Circulation, Results, helped preserve and explain the story of the medal and the devotion that grew around it. That combination of witness, organizer, and author has made him an important figure for readers interested in Catholic spirituality and nineteenth-century religious history.
He died in 1865. Although he is not a household name outside devotional circles, his influence has lasted through the continuing popularity of the Miraculous Medal and the literature that grew from its story.