Our Lady of the Miracle –

January 20
(Madonna del Miracolo)
In 1842, a 28-year-old French Jew named Alphonse Ratisbonne was
visiting Rome. He was the youngest son of an important banking
family in Strasbourg, a close
relation of the Rothschilds. As
often happens with European
Jews, a family takes the name of
a city. The French Ratisbonne
comes from Ratisbona, the Latin
name for Regensburg, a famous
German city near Munich.
Alphonse was a Jew by race and
religion, virulently anti-Catholic,
and libertine in his customs.
Alphonse Ratisbonne was making a tour of
Europe and the East before settling to
marry his cousin Flore and assume a
partnership at his uncle’s bank. Ending by
coincidence in Rome instead of Palermo as
he had intended, he was well received by
the French diplomatic circle residing there.
He reluctantly made a call on Baron
Theodore de Bussières, a very fervent
Catholic. Even though the Jew seemed
Alphonse Ratisbonne became a Jesuit priest,
quite far from any conversion, the Baron,
took the name Marie-Alphonse, and later co-
undaunted by his sarcasm and blasphemy,
founded the Order of Sion to convert Jews
saw in him a future Catholic and
encouraged his visits.

One afternoon, during a lively

conversation in which Ratisbonne
was ridiculing the superstitions of
the Catholic religion, the Baron
challenged Ratisbonne to submit
to a simple test and wear the
Miraculous Medal. Taken aback
but wanting to prove the
ineffectiveness of such religious
baubles, Ratisbonne consented
and allowed the Baron’s young
daughter to put the medal around
his neck. Baron de Bussières

The Miraculous Medal Ratisbonne was

wearing when Our Lady appeared to him
also insisted that Ratisbonne recite the Memorare once a day.
Ratisbonne promised, saying, “If it does me no good, at least it will do
me no harm.”

The Baron and a close circle of aristocratic friends increased their

prayers for the skeptical Jew. Notable among them was a devout
Catholic who was seriously ill, Count Laferronays, who offered his life
for the conversion of the “young Jew.” On the same day he entered a
church and prayed more than 20 Memorares for this intention, he
suffered a heart attack, received the last Sacraments, and died.

The next day, his friend Baron de Bussières was on his way to
arrange the Count’s funeral in the Basilica of St. Andrea delle Fratte
when he met Ratisbonne. He asked him to accompany him and wait
in the church until he had arranged some matters with the priest in
the sacristy.

Ratisbonne did not accompany his friend into the sacristy. He

wandered through the church admiring the beautiful marbles and
various works of art. As he stood before a side altar dedicated to St.
Michael the Archangel, Our Lady suddenly appeared to him. It was
January 20, 1842.

Standing over the altar, Our Lady appeared wearing a crown and a
simple long white tunic with a jeweled belt around her waist and blue-
green mantle draped over her left shoulder. She gazed at him affably;
her hands were open spreading rays of graces. Her bearing was
quite regal, not just because of the crown she was wearing. Rather,
her height and elegance gave the impression of a great lady, fully
conscious of her own dignity. She transmitted both grandeur and
mercy in an atmosphere of great peace. She had some of the
characteristics of Our Lady of Graces. Alphonse Ratisbonne saw this
figure and understood that he was before an apparition of the Mother
of God. He knelt down before her and converted.

Returning from the sacristy, the Baron was surprised to see the Jew
fervently praying on his knees before the altar of St. Michael the
Archangel. He helped his friend to his feet, and Ratisbonne
immediately asked to go to a confessor so he could receive Baptism.
Eleven days later, on January 31, he received Baptism, Confirmation
and his First Communion from
the hands of Cardinal Patrizi,
the Vicar of the Pope.

His conversion had enormous

repercussions over all
Christendom. The entire
Catholic world became aware of
it and was impressed by it.
Afterward, Ratisbonne became
a Jesuit priest. Ten years later,
he and his brother Theodore,
who also had converted from
Judaism, founded a religious
congregation - the Congregation
of Sion - turned to the
conversion of the Jews.
The significance of the miracle Our Lady of the Miracle appeared over a side
altar, below, in the Church of Sant' Andrea
Shortly after the apparition, delle Fratte, Rome
based on the description of Fr.
Ratisbonne, a picture was
painted representing Our Lady
who had appeared to him that
day in Sant' Andrea delle Fratte.
When the picture was
completed, he viewed it and
said that it only vaguely depicted
the beauty of the apparition he
had seen. This is not difficult to
believe since the actual beauty
of Our Lady must far surpass
any mere representation. The
picture was placed on the exact
spot where she had appeared to
him, and became know
as Madonna del Miracolo, Our
Lady of the Miracle, referring to
the two-fold miracle, her
apparition and the instantaneous conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne.

Obviously, that apparition represented a great benefit for the soul of

Ratisbonne. It also represented a benefit for the Catholic Church with
the foundation of the Congregation of Sion, with its special mission to
work for the conversion of the Jews. This congregation expresses
well the Church’s position toward the Jews. Her position is not to hate
the Jews, but rather to defend herself against their attacks. To the
measure that they attack the Church, she defends herself. But above
all, she desires their conversion, the eradication of Judaism as a
religion, and the entrance of the Jews into the Catholic Church, which
is the true continuation of the chosen nation.

But in the doctrinal and psychological context of those times, the

Ratisbonne miracle had a more profound significance. In the 19th
century, the Revolution was strongly promoting Rationalism, a school
of thought that today has become outdated. Then the Revolution was
emphasizing this point: the rational man, the man who tries to
determine everything according to reason, cannot find the necessary
supports in reason to believe that God exists, that the Catholic
Church is the true Religion, and that she was founded by Jesus
Christ. Therefore, the Revolution concluded, the entire Catholic
edifice of doctrines cannot be accepted by human reason.

Those revolutionary assertions were just myths, like the Roman

mythology or legends of the indigenous and African peoples. Most of
the rationalist arguments were chicaneries or sophisms, with only a
few proceeding from captious arguments. But because the Revolution
insisted relentlessly on those points and presented a torrent of
objections to Catholic doctrine, many people of that time lost their
faith.

To counter this unrelenting wave of attacks against the Catholic Faith,

Our Lady appeared and made miracles in several places.
The miracle of Ratisbonne’s conversion that took place in Rome shook up all of
Christendom. In those times there was not this accursed ecumenism we are witnessing
today. Then, the separation of the religions was much deeper and, therefore, so also was
the gorge that separates truth from error, and good from evil. A wealthy and influential
Jew, with absolutely no reason to favor the Catholic Church, suddenly converted because
he saw Our Lady. He gave proof of his sincerity by giving up his positions in the world
and breaking his advantageous engagement. He embraced the religious life, and founded
a religious congregation to convert other Jews and to combat Judaism. It is impossible to
imagine a more objective proof of the truth of the apparition. This episode had an
enormous impact throughout Italy and France, and then the whole Catholic world.

It was evidently a miracle, a miracle

that fell from Heaven like a drop of
water on a parched mankind that
was being influenced by the
rationalist myths of the Revolution.

Divine Providence had done

something very similar already in
1830 with the apparitions at Rue du
Bac (Paris) to St. Catherine
Labouré. There, among other things,
Our Lady gave the world the
Miraculous Medal, opening a torrent
of graces and miracles for mankind.
Our Lady also appeared in the grotto
at Lourdes in 1858, and soon after
there were reports of many miracles
of healing for those who bathed in its
At Lourdes, Our Lady appeared and waters. The miracles of Lourdes
worked miracles to counter the constitute the longest series of
Rationalism of the times miracles ever to occur in the History
of the Church. Inserted in this
general sequence is the apparition of Madonna del Miracolo to
Alphonse Ratisbonne.

This series of apparitions and miracles was the blow Our Lady chose
to give to the Revolution at that time. She counter-attacked with a
skillful strategy, very well calculated. It was her way to smash the
head of the serpent. The very head of Judaism was smashed by the
public witness of an important Jew who affirmed that the Catholic
Church is true.

We should, therefore, analyze the miracles Divine Providence gives,

looking for the higher rule that governs them. Miracles become more
frequent in the epochs when they are more necessary.
The miracle needed today

Today we have reached the situation where the action of the Devil is
becoming more evident with each passing day. I am speaking not
only about UFOs and the hippy revolution. It is clear, in my opinion,
that these phenomena are linked to a preternatural invasion.

I am referring also to the death of rationality in public opinion. That

men effectively stopped using their reason - as they did in the '80s
and '90s - and acted only by temperamental impulses is something
that cannot be explained except by a special action of the Devil. He is
making an enormous effort to keep the Revolution going,
notwithstanding its failure to convince public opinion. Since we cannot
explain this preternatural action, it is also difficult to combat it
efficiently. It continues to grow and is reaching such an apex that it
seems to me that an astounding miracle is necessary.

What kind of miracle will it be? What would be the miracle that could
move contemporary man to return to the Catholic Faith? The
mysterious designs of God are beyond the knowledge of man. But
this does not prevent us from speculating based on what He has
done in the past.

Contemporary man has reached such a hardness of heart that he is

no longer touched by miracles like the one that took place with
Ratisbonne, nor the series of miracles at Lourdes.

In my opinion two miracles are necessary:

First, we are in need of a miracle that would move the good Catholics
to be unafraid to disagree with the prevailing opinion of the
revolutionary milieu around them. They should become indifferent to
that opinion. Further, they should take the offensive against it. This is
the first part of what is necessary. It was what happened at
Pentecost. Tongues of fire appeared over the Apostles, and they left
the Cenacle with the courage to face everyone. Before this, they were
cowards, but with this they became invincible fighters.

Was it something interior or exterior that took place there? I do not

know. The whole city of Jerusalem heard an enormous exploding
sound that came from the Cenacle. Therefore, it seems that it was
not only an interior action within their souls, but that it was preceded
or followed by some exterior miracle. What really happened there we
do not know. But since today commemorates the Madonna del
Miracolo, we should ask Our Lady to give us a similar miracle to
transform us into the Apostles of the End Times predicted by St. Louis
Grignon de Montfort.

Second, this divine intervention should be a chastisement that would

punish the world for its acceptance of and concessions to the
Revolution, and especially for the sin committed within the Catholic
Church. To be more clear, for the acceptance of Progressivism within
the Church even to her highest summits.

I am referring to the chastisement Our Lady predicted in Fatima in

which many nations will disappear. The miracle of the sun that left its
orbit and raced toward the earth seems to prefigure a cosmic
chastisement where the very equilibrium of the sun may be altered in
obedience to a command of Our Lady. What would be the
consequences in our solar system if the sun would actually shake
and change its course for a short period of time? Such a cosmic
disequilibrium could produce all kinds of meteorological catastrophes
on the face of earth, destroying countless things and people.

Even after that, many of the people who survived these catastrophes
would still need the miracle of a conversion like the one Ratisbonne
experienced.

Both of these perspectives point to grandiose miracles necessary to

make contemporary men return to the right path and make possible
the Reign of Mary, as Our Lady predicted in Fatima.

In order to be prepared for such miracles, I would advise praying

the Memorare, the prayer that Ratisbonne said before his conversion.
We should pray it often, asking the Madonna del Miracolo to give us
these two miracles and the victory of the Holy Church over the
Revolution.