Author: Michelle Weiler

In 2021, the Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported on a Gallup poll that surveyed more than 6,000 adults in the United States about their religious practices. Of those who called themselves Catholic, only 58% said they belonged to a church — a near 20% decline in just two decades.

Another public religion institute recently confirmed that the number of U.S. Catholics attending Mass has fallen significantly since before COVID.

Suffering runs deep for parents, grandparents, spouses, and other family of fallen away Church members. Fearing the eternal loss of someone’s union with God in heaven is a heavy burden to carry.

If you are struggling with this difficulty, I write with good news.

You are neither ALONE nor POWERLESS against atheism, secularism, distrust, misinformation, sin, scandals, and persecution which are forces that may drive our loved ones outright from the Church —  they can cause them indifference or disillusionment with their faith.

The primary mission of the Association of the Miraculous Medal is to draw people to, or back to, Jesus through Our Blessed Mother.

Is there someone who needs your prayers and ours?

Please, send me their names. AMM will be celebrating a special Mass for them on November 28, the feast day of Saint Catherine Labouré.

This saint devoted herself tirelessly to win back souls for Christ. She ministered for more than four decades tending to the physical and spiritual needs of elderly men confined to a French hospital/nursing home. Through loving care and constant prayer, Catherine reformed a great many of the hardened hearts and rough characters she encountered there.

In fact, many of the earliest heavenly favors associated with the Miraculous Medal were the blessings of loved ones returning to the faith when no one thought it possible.

Allow me to share a note from an AMM member in Missouri:

“My brother left the Church many years ago following a painful divorce. Hurt and angry, he felt abandoned by God. He remarried an atheist and had nothing to do with God or the Church. Recently, he took the first step to rejoining the Church and is again a practicing Catholic. He is also raising his newborn twins in the faith. My mother, father, and I have been praying for this for many years. Our prayers have been answered. Thank you, Mother Mary, for your intercession … God is good … all the time.”

Do not doubt that God is merciful and can use your faith and prayers to spiritually revive those you love.

I pray that you never give up hope. Your faith can move mountains.

Please send your petition for remembrance in the special Mass on November 28 at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. I, along with my fellow Vincentian priests and brothers, will prayerfully remember your intentions and the names of the loved ones you entrust to us.

Members of my staff are available to take your prayer requests. We can be reached at 1-800-264-6279 weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., CT.

Our Lord gave the world his own Mother to accompany us and guide us throughout life. May God continue to bless all your efforts to serve him and draw you ever closer to himself.

Yours in Jesus and Mary,

 

P.S.       You may also request free, blessed Miraculous Medals on a card of explanation to share with family and friends. Each medal is presented on a story card sharing its fascinating origins. Placing them inside gifts or greeting cards is a gesture of your faith.

There’s an endearing Christmas legend told of five young shepherds who hurried to the stable to see the newborn King.

Each hoped to outdo the others in offering gifts for the baby. But one, the poorest shepherd, had nothing to offer. He kept his distance, feeling unworthy and ashamed.

Receiving the gifts, Mary and Joseph’s arms were filled, and there was no place to lay Jesus. Our Lady noticed the poorest shepherd, in whose arms she tenderly placed the child. Suddenly, the one who had nothing to offer was aware he’d been given everything; his empty hands now held the greatest gift of all time.

Filled with love and joy, he eagerly began showing Jesus to the others, for he longed to share with them the gift of all gifts, God himself.

How do you plan to share the gift of Jesus this Christmas?

Giving loved ones the gift of prayerful remembrance in the Eucharist is a time-honored offering I invite you to consider.

Christmas cards would make beautiful spiritual gifts for relatives and friends. Each one celebrates the true meaning of the season—that God entrusts himself to us with unconditional love, even when we have nothing to offer him back.

Each card also offers your recipient a special remembrance in an octave of Masses beginning on Christmas Day at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal — and during a weekly Mass offered by a Vincentian priest throughout 2024.

You can request more cards here to use this Christmas.  Or, call us at 1-800-264-6279.
As the Holy Father emphasized in his homily about the poorest
shepherd …

“We realize that, when we failed to measure up, God became small for our sake … to me, to you, to each of us, he says today: ‘I love you and I will always love you, for you are precious in my eyes.’”

And just as Mary sought out the poorest shepherd to fill his emptiness with the Christ Child, the gift of all gifts, so she longs to do the same for each of us at every moment. We need only open ourselves to receive him as freely as he desires to give himself to us.

Thank you for all you do to bring others to Our Lord through the love of his Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

Know that my fellow Vincentian priests and brothers send their greetings —we will be praying for you and yours in a special way this Advent and Christmas.

Yours in the Holy Family,

P.S.    Be sure to request extra cards before November 11 to help ensure you receive them in time to mail out for Christmas.

“He is born in utter poverty to win our hearts
by the wealth of his love.”

Pope Francis
December 24, 2019

Our Lady awaits you to turn to her with faith and confidence. She is your sign of hope, your help in adversity, and your most loving Mother at every moment.

I hope you will say YES to this special invitation to draw closer to her and her Son during a novena of Masses being held at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal beginning Saturday, November 18.

Join us in person — or take part in spirit by sending your petitions. We’ll place your prayer intentions near the foot of Mary’s Shrine Altar and remember them in the daily Mass during the novena and on November 27, the feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

You may also burn a Votive Light for your intentions. Its glowing rays will illuminate the Shrine’s Votive Light Sanctuary, giving witness to your faith and representing your spiritual presence with us.

From 1832, when the first Miraculous Medals were distributed, until our own day, countless people possessing Mary’s medal have told of grace-filled blessings received through her intercession, including favors they call miraculous.

Here are just a few stories shared by members of the Association of the Miraculous Medal:

From a member in Ireland:  “I have been profoundly disabled since birth, with many difficulties to deal with. By wearing Our Lady’s Miraculous Medal, I found the strength to endure them. I realize that I have received many powerful graces from Our Lord through Our Blessed Mother, not because I am holy, but by overcoming the difficulties attached to my disabilities. Be assured that you will receive wonderful graces if you wear Our Lady’s Medal and pray to her with faith and confidence.”

From Teresa in Nebraska: “When I lost our child, Joseph, suddenly from SIDS at 2 months of age, I was devastated. I leaned on Our Blessed Mother for consolation and strength. From one mother to another who lost her child, I asked for strength to work through my grief. Many fruits came from this, including my husband’s conversion to the Catholic faith 20 years later.”

From a member in Texas: “Several years ago I promised Mary I would send a donation in her name to the Association of the Miraculous Medal. My four-year-old niece had been diagnosed with leukemia and I requested prayers for her. Today, she is a beautiful girl who is cancer free. I am so grateful for this answer to my prayers.  I was not able to send a contribution that initial year, but Mary continued to bless our family. I will always give thanks to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.”

Are you grateful to Our Lady? Do you have loved ones in need of physical healing or peace in their lives? Are you in need of prayer for family members who have left the Church? 

As you face each day’s joys and struggles, the very purpose of the Miraculous Medal is to help you draw nearer to the love of Jesus through Our Blessed Mother. So, with all confidence and trust, appeal for the help you need; offer prayers of gratitude; and ask for God’s divine mercy during the Miraculous Medal Novena of Masses. Through Mary’s intercession, God will pour out endless grace and blessings upon you and your loved ones.

This is Our Lady’s promise. She will keep it.

AMM is here for you along your spiritual journey. We remember you and your intentions in prayer. I thank you for praying for me and for fellow AMM members, living and deceased. May Our Lady keep us united in faith until we arrive home, where at last we will rest safe and sound, forever in the loving arms of Jesus.

Sincerely yours in Mary,

P.S.     Request free, blessed Miraculous Medals to further AMM’s ministry. Each is affixed to a beautiful card explaining the medal’s origin. Share them with family, friends, parishioners, and anyone you meet who is seeking to draw closer to Our Lord.
P.P.S. You may order the 2024 Miraculous Medal Planner to help you remember important Marian feast days, novenas, and more. Adding one with Christmas cards or special occasion gifts is a thoughtful gesture.