Author: Michelle Weiler

At the funeral of a loved one or dear friend, we experience two emotions—sorrow that the person will no longer be a part of our lives as they were before, and joy that they will experience the promises Jesus has made for all who believe in him and are faithful to him. Later, when we visit their graves, peace comes with remembering how they influenced our lives with their love for us.     

My parents are buried in a family cemetery in the tiny southeast Missouri community of Hermondale, near the Arkansas border. I presided at my mother’s burial there two years ago this November. Praying for her and my father during their funeral Masses and at our family cemetery each time I visit their graves, gives me a sense of deep peace, hope, and even joy.     

I also felt a spiritual closeness to other Frazer family members interred on those grounds. How much life and love flowed down to me from my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.     

Thinking of deceased relatives and friends who have shaped our lives is especially meaningful on November 2 when the Catholic Church observes All Souls Day. While we hope that all of them are already in heaven with Our Lord, on November 2, we also pray as a Church for those who may be in purgatory.     

I invite you to join in our appeal for all souls during our feast day Mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal here in Perryville, Missouri.   

Send the names of those you would like to be remembered in prayer on the “Remembrance List.” The names you share will be placed at the foot of Mary’s Shrine Altar during our All Souls Day Liturgy. Your loved ones will also be remembered in the daily Mass and prayers at Our Lady’s Shrine throughout the month of November, and during the anniversary month of their passing.     

What more could your loved ones ask for than your spiritual aid as they look forward to fully entering into God’s presence?     

You may also request a Votive Light for your departed loved ones as a symbol of your prayerful desire to “light their way” home or to celebrate their union with Our Lord in heaven. Check the Votive Light box on your “Remembrance List” option and kindly return the suggested offering by mail.     

Feel free to include any other special intentions you would like remembered in the daily Mass and prayers at the Shrine throughout the month of November.     

We will use your All Souls Day offering to bring Jesus to the world by inspiriting devotion to Mary. Your gift will also support the apostolic mission and charitable works of our Vincentian priests and brothers.     

Let us unite ourselves in the sentiment Pope Francis offered on All Souls Day last year: “We pray to the Lord for our dead, that [God] will receive them all. And we pray also that the Lord will have mercy on us and give us hope: hope that we can go forward and … find them all together with him when he calls us.”     
May God continue to bless your efforts to serve him, and may he draw all of us ever closer to himself.                                                            
In Jesus’ everlasting love and mercy,

Fr. Clayton Kilburn, C.M.                                                            
Spiritual Director

P.S.  May God’s grace and mercy be with those who have gone before us. I, along with my fellow Vincentian priests and brothers, will pray for your deceased loved ones on All Souls Day and throughout the month of November.

The Easter lily pictured on our Memorial card is a Christian symbol of the triumph of life over death. Recently, I learned these flowers have also been called “white-robed apostles of hope.”     

A beautiful image! An apostle is someone sent on a mission. We are all called to be missionaries of hope in Jesus. Our words can comfort someone facing loss, encourage their trust in God, and help them abide in the confident expectation that life will prevail over death.     

Request a Memorial Remembrance Card to send to someone who has recently lost a loved one or will soon mark the anniversary of their passing. This card offers a spiritual remembrance of the deceased in the daily Mass and prayers at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal for one year.     

By using this card, you become an apostle of hope.

You will also help share the motherly concern of Our Blessed Mother with them in a special way.     

Send me the names of the departed loved ones. This gift of prayerful remembrance will not only console and comfort someone you love, it will also offer a gift of great spiritual value to someone they love.     

To add to your memorial remembrance, you may also burn a Votive Light at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal for the deceased person and intentions of the bereaved.      

Any charitable gift will support the mission of the Association of the Miraculous Medal: to draw all people closer to Jesus through increased devotion to Our Blessed Mother.     

Let us continue in every way possible to be apostles of hope in our world, which is so badly in need of prayer at this time. May God bless you for the solace and spiritual care you offer someone in their time of need. And may Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, watch over and comfort you always.                                                            

Sincerely in Jesus and Mary,                                                                                                                     

Fr. Clayton Kilburn, C.M.                                                            
Spiritual Director  

P.S. You may request additional Memorial Remembrance Cards by calling us at 1-800-264-6279, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., CT. Or, order through AMM’s website at www.amm.org.

How much can your gesture of comfort mean? Recently, an Association member shared her gratitude for AMM’s remembrance on the first anniversary of her husband’s passing.     

“It is hard to express just how much your words of comfort and support meant to me during the most difficult time in my life. Losing my husband has been unbelievably hard. We had an amazing 66 years of marriage before he died in March of 2023 … My family and I are still struggling from day to day, but I was comforted and encouraged by your kindness … ”

May God bless the ones you love through
your gift of the Memorial Remembrance Card.

On Sunday, September 15, Catholics will honor Mary under her title of “Our Lady of Sorrows.” We call to mind the Blessed Virgin’s sufferings that sprang from her love for Jesus, especially during his Holy Passion.     

Most of us will never be called to endure those particular “heart-piercing swords.” However, many of us know the sadness and pain of someone dear to us falling away from their faith.     

If you are experiencing this in your own life, there is HOPE. Our Blessed Mother desires to intercede with and for you to bring those you love back to the Church.     

My uncle married a woman who did not believe in God, and he stopped practicing his faith as well. After many years away from the Church, a tractor ran over his chest in a farm accident, and he suffered for some days in the hospital. The day before he died, he became lucid, and my mother asked him if he would like to see a priest. He said, “Yes.” He went to Confession, received the Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion. The next day, he passed away.  There is always hope.     

Saint Paul says nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus. That includes being away from the practice of faith, no matter how long it’s been. Individuals fall away from their faith for many reasons. The more time that passes, the more difficult it may seem to ask forgiveness and renew the practice of their faith. But God continually provides “actual grace” that calls us back to himself. I have heard confessions of individuals whose had not received the sacrament for 20 or 30 years.     

Our prayers do help loved ones return to the faith!  Here are several other ways you can help:

• –Entrust your loved ones to Jesus through Mary by letting myself, along with my fellow Vincentian priests and brothers, remember them during Mass here at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Perryville, Missouri, on Sunday, September 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Send me their names to be placed at Our Lady’s Shrine. 
• –You may also request a Votive Light to burn for your loved ones inside the beautiful Votive Light Room here at the Shrine.       

Here’s a rather amazing story a faith-filled Association member shared with us:     

Our son had been away from the Church for many years. My husband and I added the “Return to Faith” prayer to our daily prayers. Last week, our son was hospitalized, and doctors did not expect him to pull through. I called a priest who administered the Anointing of the Sick and gave him Communion. A few days later, our son came home from the hospital! He has a ways to go, but he wants to return to the practice of his faith. Truly two miracles — a physical and a spiritual healing. 

Do not doubt that God is merciful and can respond to your faith and prayers to spiritually revive those you love. I pray that you never give up hope. Your faith can move mountains.     

Our AMM staff is available to take your prayer requests by phone. We answer calls weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., CT, at 1-800-264-(MARY) 6279.     

God gave the world his own Mother to guide us and those dearest to us throughout our lives. May he continue to bless all your efforts to serve him and draw you ever closer to himself.                                                            
Yours in Jesus and Mary,                                                            

 

P.S.    If you choose to send a contribution with your intentions, we are grateful. Your generosity allows Mary’s Association to fulfill our spiritual mission.  

Si al leer esta carta solo puede quedarse con una cosa, espero que sea el mensaje de esperanza de la Medalla Milagrosa: “¡Todos los que la lleven puesta recibirán grandes gracias!”, incluyendo usted.

Esta es la promesa de Nuestra Señora. Cuando María se apareció a santa Catalina Labouré en 1830, le pidió que acuñara una medalla según su visión y le dijo:“Ahora deben dársela a todo el mundo y a cada persona”. ¡En menos de 10 años se habían distribuido más de 100 millones de medallas en todo el mundo! Casi inmediatamente, las bendiciones empezaron a derramarse sobre quienes llevaban puesta su medalla. Milagros de gracias, salud, paz y prosperidad siguieron, y la gente comenzó a llamarla la “Medalla Milagrosa”.

El testimonio de este miembro de la Asociación es una señal de lo que sucede cuando creemos en la promesa de María: “derramaré gracias sobre quienes rezan con confianza”.

“En 1998 me diagnosticaron con cáncer de seno. Había llevado una Medalla Milagrosa al cuello por muchos años. Le prometí a la Santísima Virgen que se me ayudaba a superar la mastectomía parcial y la radiación, nunca me quitaría la medalla. Le agradezco mucho a Nuestra Señora por su intercesión y nunca me he quitado la Medalla Milagrosa. Ella es mi testigo del poder de la medalla de María”.

Por favor reciba una Medalla Milagrosa como un regalo de la Asociación. Si ya tiene una Medalla, puede compartir esta con otra persona que necesite las bendiciones de la Virgen María.

Me gustaría que tuviera en sus manos esta Medalla Milagrosa. Le invito a rezar y recibir las gracias que la Virgen promete a quienes llevan su medalla con devoción. Únase a miles de personas que han experimentado la milagrosa intercesión de la Virgen María desde 1830.

Será un privilegio rezar por usted. Las intenciones de oración que me envíe hoy las presentaremos a la Virgen durante nuestras Novenas, misas y oraciones en el Santuario de la Nuestra Señora.

No deje que el mensaje de esperanza y bendiciones de la Virgen se quede a la puerta. Recíbalo y hágale un espacio en su hogar para que derrame sus gracias.

Y las bendiciones espirituales pueden seguir derramándose al hacerse miembro de la Asociación de la Medalla Milagrosa si aún no lo es.

Por favor ayúdenos a promover la devoción a la Virgen al solicitar medallas para compartir con familiares, amigos, compañeros de trabajo y de su comunidad.

Por una ofrenda de $5, puede solicitar una Medalla Milagrosa bendecida de resina epoxi como la que está sujeta a esta carta. Con una ofrenda de $20, puede solicitar 5.

Recuerde, los milagros todavía existen; ¡especialmente para usted! Que la Virgen María y Nuestro Señor Jesús obtengan para usted la gracia y la misericordia de Dios.

Siempre con la Virgen María,

Rev. Prudencio Rodríguez de Yurre, C.M.
Director Espiritual

P.D. Si lo desea, puede encender una veladora en el Santuario de la Virgen por cualquier petición que tenga para la Madre de Dios.

Salt is mentioned dozens of times in Scripture. It was known for its use in preserving and flavoring foods, as well as for sacrificial offerings. Jesus called his disciples the “salt of the earth.” He wanted them to understand that by taking his words to heart, living by them and sharing his teachings with others, they would season and preserve the world.     

Faithful Christians are truly the salt of the earth in a world that is full of prejudice, hatred, violence, persecution, greed, and waste.     

Blessed and exorcised salt has been approved by the Church as a sacramental for use in conjunction with prayer to deepen one’s faith and increase God’s grace in one’s life.     

In a reverent appeal for protection from harm, many Catholics sprinkle blessed salt around the perimeter of one’s home and property, the perimeter of a child’s room, inside vehicles, around hotel rooms, and vacation properties. Similarly, one might add a dash to a family meal while asking Our Lord to bring good health and blessings to those gathering at the table.     

Faithful users understand that it is not a “good luck charm” and has no power of its own, as the superstitious “throwing salt over the shoulder” might indicate. Like the Rosary or Miraculous Medal, when used during prayer, blessed salt is a visible sign of one’s invisible faith. It is a tangible substance to be used while asking for God’s intangible grace and protection.

The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is delighted to offer you the blessed and exorcised salt through our gift shop. I invite you to request one or more bottles of this sacramental for your family’s use and to share with loved ones.

“My Nonna (Italian grandma) used to give my siblings and me little bottles of blessed salt wrapped in a crocheted covering to keep in our rooms or cars,” one AMM member told us in a recent call. “I’m ordering 10 bottles and can’t wait to pass down this tradition to my children and grandkids!”

Each six-ounce bottle of salt has been blessed by me with the prayer of exorcism pronounced over it in accordance with the Roman Ritual.      

Request your blessed and exorcised salt. At the same time, even if you aren’t ordering right now, — I hope you will return any special intentions you would like me and my fellow Vincentian priests and brothers to remember in the daily Mass and prayers here at the National Shrine.     

The mission of the Association of the Miraculous Medal is to draw souls closer to Jesus through devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Including you. So please, let us pray with you and for you.

Additionally, you may request to burn a Votive Light for whatever pressing spiritual and temporal needs you want to lift up to Our Lord through Our Lady. Its rays will shine forth in the Shrine’s beautiful Votive Light Room near Our Lady’s Altar.     

All offerings made when requesting devotional items and Votive Lights make possible our continuing ministry from here in Perryville, Missouri. Our work is a continuation of the mission given to Sister (now Saint Catherine Labouré when Our Lady entrusted her with creating and sharing “the Medal of the Immaculate Conception” – which people soon began calling the Miraculous Medal     

It is a fascinating story unto itself, which you can learn more about at: amm.org. (You can do a lot while you’re there, including shop for other religious gifts, take a tour of the beautiful National Shrine, submit prayer intentions, enroll yourself or your loved ones as a perpetual member of AMM, and much more.)     

May God bless you for the many ways you continue to be the salt of the earth, truly making our world a better place through your faith-filled discipleship in Christ.     

I look forward to receiving your reply.                                                              

Yours in Jesus and Mary,

                                                             

P.S. When we first offered blessed and exorcised salt arrived last year, the Association was met with a truly astonishing response from around the country. We ran out quickly. Request your blessed and exorcised salt soon.       

Here are two simple prayers you may use with the blessed and exorcised salt:

With this blessed salt, may all evil be removed from this (house/object/etc.) and God’s protection overshadow it for the accomplishment of his will.  Amen.                                                              

or  

I seal this home/room and ask our all-merciful Savior to protect this dwelling and keep all who enter here safe from physical or spiritual harm, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.