Mary and the EU flag

We have seen many times the European Union flag with 12 stars on a blue background. But many people don’t know the connection this flag has with the Blessed Mother. It was in 1949 that the Council of Europe was organized, which eventually became the European Union. Various artists sent in designs for the official flag, and the one chosen was by Arsene Heitz, a young painter who was devoted to the Blessed Mother. He recalls how when the competition for the EU flag was launched, he happened to be reading the story of St Catherine Laboure, to whom the Blessed Mother revealed the Miraculous Medal. 

The Miraculous Medal, front and back.

He acquired a medal and instantly noticed the 12 stars surrounding the symbols in the back of the medal of Mary, and he used the same stars as the basis of his design, which was eventually adopted as the official European Union flag. And it was on December 8, 1955, that the flag was officially adopted as the EU flag, and still is displayed in Brussels, and in all the 27 EU nations, including Malta. The Miraculous Medal was designed by Adrien Vachette right after the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St Catherine in 1830. The 12 stars represent the 12 apostles, and also the reference to Mary in the Book of Revelation, where Mary is described as a woman clothed with the sun, a moon under her feet, and with a crown of 12 stars around her head. The 12 stars are on each Euro coin circulating in Europe, as well as the flag being printed on every 5, 10, 20, 50 Euro bank note. So a connection to Mary is on every coin and note in our pockets, banks and business transactions.