Author: Michelle Weiler

A member of Our Lady’s Association shared this story with us:

                “I am a survivor of cervical cancer. Even though I am Catholic, I never knew about the Miraculous Medal. When I was receiving radiation treatments, I found a Miraculous Medal on the ground. I decided to wear it because of my faith and my devotion to Our Blessed Mother. I am healed now, and I give thanks to Mary for her intercession.”

Our Lady places herself in the paths of people in all kinds of ways and places. Even on the sidewalk! Much more often, though, Mary comes to us through the love of others.

Is someone you know suffering in body, mind, or spirit? Present them with a Healing Remembrance Card. It announces to your loved one the gift of remembrance in the daily Mass and prayers at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The card can also be kept for future use.

There is no greater gift to give than the confident hope of your prayerful appeal for their needs through Mary’s intercession. Mary is their sign of hope Our Lady pledged to Saint Catherine Labouré that she would shower graces upon all who turn to her in faith and confidence. Sending a spiritual remembrance, you are expressing your trust in Our Blessed Mother’s promise.

Send me the name of the loved one you would like for us to remember in our daily Mass and prayers here at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. You may also request a Votive Light to burn near Mary’s Shrine Altar. (Be sure to enclose the Votive Light announcement slip with the Healing Remembrance Card you send so your loved one will know about this additional spiritual gift.)

Any offering you send is deeply appreciated. Gifts from you and fellow members allow AMM to continue its ministry.

Your support helps us reach more people with hope and healing. Contributions also help maintain the National Shrine, a haven of peace for thousands of visitors each year. Your gifts also support Vincentian priests and brothers in their apostolic mission and charitable works.

Supporters of Our Lady’s Association are encouraged to unite in prayer and good works for fellow members and their intentions. As members of this worldwide spiritual family, we are strengthened and blessed. Thank you for allowing the Association of the Miraculous Medal to join you in praying for your loved one in need of healing.

Faithfully yours in Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Kevin McCracken, C.M.
Spiritual Director

I am writing to you with a special invitation from the Association of the Miraculous Medal.

From April 14-25, 2023, I will lead a small group of members of the Association of the Miraculous Medal on a pilgrimage to sacred places across Europe. Three of these are well known sites of Marian apparitions of the 19th and 20th centuries—Lourdes, Medjugorje, and Rome.

We will entrust your prayerful petitions to the Mother of Our Lord during our Masses and prayers during our pilgrimage, and will also burn Votive Lights for you and your intentions. Your intentions will also be remembered in our prayers and Masses here at Our Lady’s Shrine in Perryville.

I hope you’ll think of AMM like you would a relative or friend whom you ask to pray for you along a pilgrimage they’re making. 

Our journey will lead us to …

Lourdes, France: We will begin where Mary appeared to a young teen, Bernadette Soubirous, in 1858. When the girl asked her name, Mary replied, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Today, Lourdes is a place of healing and hope for millions who visit each year.

Rome, Italy: Here, in 1842, a prominent Jewish man known for his contempt of the Church was suddenly converted to the faith following an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary while inside a Catholic church. A few days earlier, Alphonse Ratisbonne had scoffed at a friend’s request that he begin wearing a Miraculous Medal, though he agreed to appease the man. Ratisbonne was ordained a priest and spent his life working to convert Jewish people to Christianity.

Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina: Our final destination of prayer will be at the site where six young visionaries began reporting visions of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in 1981. Our Lady’s messages to the seers continued over time, with strong themes of prayer and repentance. “Return to prayer, nothing is more important than this,” she emphasized.

Should you wish to include a gift over and above the suggested offering, it will be gratefully accepted to further AMM’s ministry. Together we can draw many more people closer to Christ through Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

We are privileged to be your spiritual companion and be honored to remember your intentions during our April pilgrimage. May you receive Our Lady’s promised blessings in your life and in the lives of those you love!

Sincerely in Mary and Jesus,

Fr. Kevin McCracken, C.M.
Spiritual Director

On May 2, 1806, at the ringing of the six o’clock evening Angelus bells, Catherine Labouré was born to Pierre and Madeleine. “The bell of the little church across the lane had not ceased striking when the baby breathed her first breath and wailed,” Vincentian Father Joseph Dirvin, C.M., wrote later of the birth.

As the life of the future saint unfolded, the divine timing of her birth hinted at what was to come. May is the month of Our Lady. The Angelus is the Church’s beautiful meditation recounting the holy Virgin’s assent to be the Mother of God.

Saint Catherine loved and relied upon Mary as her very own mother, giving her own unreserved YES to the divine will for her life.

Today, as the month of May draws near, I invite you and your family to express to Our Blessed Mother the same love and devotion Catherine showed. Join fellow AMM members and friends visiting the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal for the Association’s annual May Procession. This year’s outdoor celebration will take place on Sunday, May 7, beginning at 1:00 p.m., CT, here at Saint Mary’s of the Barrens (the Shrine Church) in Perryville, Missouri.

Processing along the quarter-mile long Rosary Walk, hundreds of faith-filled individuals and families will recite the Rosary and sing hymns. At the Vincentians’ century-old grotto, we will present Mary with a wreath created from thousands of red silk rose petals, each one representing the prayers and petitions of members like you offering your YES to God through Mary, or a plea for heaven’s help with some earthly hardship.

Last year, thousands of AMM members returned their rose petal and petitions. The rose petals were used to help create a heart-shaped wreath which was presented to Our Blessed Mother at the grotto, and was then displayed inside the Votive Light Sanctuary at the Shrine after the May Procession. Following our May Procession this year, the wreath will also be placed near Our Lady’s Shrine Altar.

We hope you can be part of the May Procession in person. If not, please join us in prayer, in spirit, and/or by watching our livestream coverage on the AMM Facebook page.

Most importantly, please return your special intentions. We will humbly ask the Queen of the May to present your prayers of praise and petition to her son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Your needs will also be remembered throughout the month of May.

If you are able to send an offering, AMM deeply appreciates your generous support. Gifts allow AMM to continue its ministry to draw the world closer to Jesus through devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Burning a Votive Light can be another symbol of your prayerful presence at the National Shrine during the May procession, and beyond.

Our collective prayers can be a sign of hope for others.
Please join us in asking Our Lady to intercede for peace in our world, an
increase in religious vocations, healing for loved ones, a return to faith 
for those fallen away, and for all our needs.

Thank you once more for your caring support of the Association of the Miraculous Medal. We look forward to receiving your special intentions. And we hope to see you at the National Shrine on Sunday, May 7!     

Sincerely in Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Kevin McCracken, C.M.
Spiritual Director