Author: Michelle Weiler

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

In 2018, life changed forever for 12-year-old Bryana. The healthy, happy Florida preteen was diagnosed with bone cancer.

While her dad stayed behind in Florida with the family’s two other children, Bryana and her mother, Myrna, moved to New York. There, the girl began months of treatment and surgery.

The following Mother’s Day, Bryana wrote Myrna a heartfelt note of appreciation.

“You were there for me when I was ready to give up and call it quits. You would say that once all this is over, we can look back and say ‘Remember that?’ or ‘We made it through this together.’ And you were right.”

For a young girl enduring such a great trial, Bryana found tremendous comfort in her mother’s love. “You’ve been by my side since the beginning,” she continued. “Even now as I write this, I’m looking back at all those times and wondering, ‘What would I have done without you?’”

Bryana’s words of gratitude to her earthly mom strike me as a beautiful prayer one might address to Our Heavenly Mother.

               “Mary, you’ve been by my side since the beginning. You
               are here when I’m ready to call it quits. I know we will
               make it through this life together. Looking back on
               hard times, I wonder, what would I do without you?”

I pray you are consoled daily by Our Lady’s ceaseless love for you! I also hope the blessing of your own earthly mother has been a priceless one in your life. God calls all mothers to love and care for their children unconditionally, in every trial, just like Mary.

As another Mother’s Day draws near, I invite you to join mein praying for all mothers, living or deceased, as we entrust them into Our Lady’s loving care.

You can commend someone special in your life to Our Blessed Virgin’s intercession by sending them one of the Mother’s Day cards.  Each card offers your recipient a special remembrance in Masses offered here at Our Lady’s National Shrine on Mother’s Day and throughout the month of May.

As another sign of your love, you may also request a Votive Light to burn.

What mother doesn’t cherish even the simplest expression of love from her child? Sending your mother, or those who have been like a mother to you, one of our Mother’s Day cards is a gesture that will bring joy and spiritual blessing.

On the Mother’s Day remembrance list, feel free to send me the names of all loved ones you would like remembered in prayer throughout May. (If you are requesting Votive Lights, you can indicate this on the remembrance list.)

To receive more Mother’s Day cards, simply call us at 1-800-264-6279. Or, visit our website www.amm.org/store.

If you choose to include an offering for the cards, AMM will use your gift to further our mission to draw more souls closer to Jesus through Mary.

Thank you for your loving support of our AMM family. Trust Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal to intercede for you and those you love this Mother’s Day, and every day.

Together with Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Kevin McCracken, C.M.
Spiritual Director

The Bible never says so, but saints through the ages have shared a certainty that when Christ rose from the dead, the first person he appeared to was Our Lady.

During one Easter sermon, Saint Vincent Ferrer pointed out that if a good son returned from afar, knowing everyone believed he had perished, he surely would not go to other friends before visiting his own mother.

“There never was a mother who loved her son more than Mary loved Christ … It follows that he appeared to her first, who was [tried] more than all the others.”

Mary knows and feels your sufferings as keenly as she did Our Lord’s.

As you journey with Jesus throughout Lent, I invite you to stay close in prayer to his and Our Blessed Mother. She desires to walk beside you in your need, shower you with heaven’s graces, and rejoice with you as you are renewed in spirit this Easter.

Daily, the Association of the Miraculous Medal hears from members about Mary’s intercession along their way of suffering. This letter is from a faithful member in Minnesota:

“Dear Father,  

I am not perfect in my prayer life, but I do my best. I always prayed to Our Lord, but not to Our Blessed Mother because I did not have a deep devotion to her.

Maybe that was because I was not a mother myself. I always wanted a family of my own, but life had other plans for me.

I remember the night I was crying in desperation and complete agony. In much physical pain, I was lost and feeling hopeless. Nothing made sense. My sobs became uncontrollable. I was so confused and started looking around the room as if the answers were there. Suddenly, my eyes came across a small picture of Our Blessed Mother. I cried out loud, “O Mother Mary, help me! Please help me!” I was still crying, but something inside my soul changed. An incredible sense of peace came over me — almost like someone saying to me that everything would be okay. At that moment, the fears and anxieties that had almost consumed me were quelled. I now know why.

Our Blessed Mother was watching over me. She heard my desperate plea for help. My life has gone on and today I am doing much better. Mary has become my constant heavenly comforter and special confidant.”

This Easter, may God bless you with a similar blessing, rising beyond sorrows or doubts to new life in Christ!

And to help you share this joyous grace of hope found in the love of the risen Lord through Our Lady’s intercession, Order your Easter cards that you can send to loved ones. They contain the promise of prayer for each recipient. If you return their names to us, they will be remembered in the Association’s octave of Masses beginning on Easter Sunday and concluding on Divine Mercy Sunday. You may send your special intentions or request to burn a Votive Light for the needs of your loved ones.

Our Vincentian priests and brothers offer their prayerful support for you and your needs not only at Easter, but all year long.

If you would like more Easter cards, we’ll be happy to send them. Please request them before March 16. You can order your cards here or call us at 1-800-264-6279 weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., CT.

Our Lord gave the world his own Mother to perfect us in love along our daily road. Let us rejoice as she leads each of us to the fullness of new life in her Son this Easter season!

Yours in Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Kevin McCracken, C.M.
Spiritual Director