Friday, July 18, marks 195 years to the day since Our Lady first appeared to Sister Catherine Labouré inside the Daughters of Charity Motherhouse Chapel in Paris. The Blessed Virgin spoke with the future saint at length, a deeply personal conversation in which Mary promised that heaven’s graces would be bestowed upon all who ask for them with confidence. Send your anniversary intentions today for remembrance at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on July 18. You may also burn a Votive Light in the Shrine’s beautiful Votive Light Room. Finally, this video highlights a statue on the Shrine grounds depicting that moment when Catherine held Mary’s hands in complete trust and devotion. You can do the same by sharing your needs and the needs of those you love with the Queen of Heaven.
Category: What’s New?
Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us!
Last year, a member of AMM thanked us for sending her Back to School greeting cards like these.
She explained …”My sister teaches children with special needs. I gave her one of the cards, which she posted on the bulletin board in her classroom. The students could see it was very special to my sister. The card became special to them, too.”
A bulletin board. It’s where teachers put on display the most important things they believe their students need to learn. Many of us would agree –– there are few lessons today’s youngsters need to understand better than that God loves them, and Our Blessed Mother is with them at every moment to guide and care for them.
Yes, one simple greeting card can teach this timeless truth in a quiet and beautiful way that even the smallest child can understand!
That is why I hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to order and present the back to school cards to an educator, family, or individual student close to your heart. Each greeting offers your recipients a remembrance in the daily Mass and prayers offered at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal from September through May.
Send me their names, which we’ll place near Mary’s Shrine Altar. You may also burn a Votive Light for your recipients as an expression of your prayerful desire that they experience a fulfilling academic year ahead.
If you’d like to browse AMM’s selection of medals and rosaries that make great back to school gifts, go online to amm.org/store. You may also order religious gifts by phone.
The 3/4” tall, pewter Miraculous Medal (M080) is our most popular back to school gift item. Its lobster-claw clasp keeps it securely attached to a backpack, purse, keychain, or zipper. Request one or more for a suggested donation of $13 each.
You give a gift of priceless value in asking Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, to watch over those you love along their educational pathway this school year.
Thank you for your devotion to Mary’s mission carried out here at the Association of the Miraculous Medal. May God continue to bless your efforts to serve him, and may he draw you ever closer to himself.
Sincerely in Jesus and Mary,
P.S. You may also request free, blessed Miraculous Medals and “Story of the Medal” cards (I086) to share with school children, educators, and family members. Or, call us at 1-800-264-MARY (6279), Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., CT. Any gift offering you add will be gratefully appreciated and used to continue the mission of Our Lady’s Association.
Here’s the impact your offering can make this back to school season:
Recently, an AMM member in Canada wrote … Dear Father, I have been giving Miraculous Medals to children in two classrooms in each of our schools. I received reports from the teachers that once the children began wearing this sacramental, their anxiety and stress levels went down. The children are happier, and discipline problems have diminished. I am so grateful that I have been able to obtain the medals from AMM and that Our Lady is interceding for these children.
Request Medals to Share with Students, Educators
It’s back to school time! Please join AMM members in praying for students and teachers as they return to the classroom. You may share the names of those you’d like remembered in the daily Mass and prayers offered at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal throughout the coming school year. Request up to 100 free, blessed Miraculous Medals to distribute to Catholic schoolchildren, educators, and family members. Each comes on an attractive fold-over card explaining its origin. (Browse AMM’s online gift shop for more medal options, Votive Light cards, and more.)
For a suggested offering of $13 each, you may also request our most popular back-to-school gift item, this “Backpack Mary Medal” for a special child, grandchild, or teacher. The one-inch tall, Miraculous Medal with a sturdy, lobster-claw clasp will stay securely attached to a backpack, purse, keychain, or zipper.
As Fr. Clay’s letter reminds us, there are few lessons today’s youngsters need to understand better than that God loves them, and Our Blessed Mother is with them at every moment to guide and care for them.
Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, intercede for those we love!
Mother of Divine Grace Novena of Masses Begins Monday, July 14
Send your petitions and burn Votive Lights at Our Lady’s National Shrine here in Perryville, Missouri, during the Association’s annual Mother of Divine Grace Novena. Your petitions will be remembered in our daily Mass and prayers throughout the nine days of the novena and on the feast of the Mother of Divine Grace, Wednesday, July 23. You are also invited to recite this prayer to Our Lady throughout the nine days of this novena, a beautiful appeal focusing our minds and hearts on the eternal joy that awaits us in her presence at her Son’s side in heaven.
Celebrate Our Lady’s Birthday
Each year, the Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8. AMM continues its tradition to honor Mary’s birth with an octave of prayer beginning September 8 and concluding on September 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. You are invited to entrust your intentions to the Mother of God. Mary welcomes your devotion, your prayers for a loved one, or a simple expression of your gratitude to the spiritual Mother who cares for you with constant, tender affection. Burning a Votive Light in Our Lady’s honor is an especially fitting gift to the Immaculate Mother of Our Lord. Read Fr. Clay’s letter to learn more about this year’s commemoration.
Safe Summer Travels
“The Lord is your guardian; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The Lord will guard your coming and going both now and forever.” Psalm 121:5,8
Blessings on your summer travel.
We hope your plan includes visiting the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Perryville, Missouri, where you can personally place your prayer intentions. Remember, our church has been designated as a Jubilee Year sacred site, where the faithful may gain a plenary indulgence. To obtain an indulgence, a Catholic must meet the “usual conditions”: be truly repentant and free from any attachment to sin, go to the sacrament of confession (available at the Shrine Church on Mondays at 11:45 a.m.), receive Holy Communion, and pray for the intentions of the pope.
If a visit is not possible, you may include your intentions for remembrance in the daily Mass and prayers and burn a Votive Light for your needs from the comfort of your own home using this link.
Here is a special Prayer for Travelers
Here is a special blessing from Fr. Clay
Assumption Novena of Masses
Please share your prayer intentions for remembrance in our annual Assumption Novena of Masses beginning Wednesday, August 6. Throughout the nine days, we will call to mind the divine grace and privilege bestowed upon Mary from above –– her being taken up, “assumed” into heaven, body and soul. This long-held Christian belief was declared as official dogma of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1950.
Saint Mary’s of the Barrens Church, home of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, was lovingly referred to as the “Church of the Assumption” by the original Catholic settlers in our area. Nearly two centuries after the Church’s construction, a majestic depiction of the 4th Glorious Mystery still graces the main altar. The painting remains an ever-present reminder of Our Lady’s unique role in the redemption of humanity –– Jesus’ own Holy Mother bridging heaven and earth.
Lift up your prayers to God during the Novena of Masses and Solemnity observance. You may also burn a Votive Light as a sign of your prayerful presence for this joyous feast.
Your intentions will be remembered from August 6-15 at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. We will celebrate Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption Friday, August 15 at 12:10 p.m., CT.
June Members’ Novena
A special Members’ Novena begins Wednesday, June 18.
This nine-day dedication of prayer falls over the June 22 Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (the Feast of Corpus Christi) and leads directly into two important Church feasts: the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (June 27 & 28).
You are invited to place your novena intentions for remembrance in prayer at Mary’s Altar inside the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. You may also burn a Votive Light as a sign of your spiritual presence with us throughout the novena and feast days.
It is our hope that whomever you are praying for –– yourself or someone else –– will enjoy God’s peace and the consolation of healing for any spiritual or temporal woundedness, as this mother received:
Dear Father, I had been in prayer for my daughter as she no longer wanted anything to do with church. Since her father belonged to a different religion, she had told me she didn’t believe in Mary. This year, I felt Our Mother was asking me to distribute rosaries. In obedience, I started handing out rosaries to those who would accept them. One day I asked my daughter in faith, “If I gift you this rosary, will you take it?” My daughter said, “Yes! It’s so beautiful. I’ll keep it in my car for protection.” Mind you, my daughter no longer wanted any religious articles. Thank you, Mother Mary. I wear a Miraculous Medal with faith. Amen.
We invite you to join us in praying the Miraculous Medal Novena Prayer, June 18-26.
Father’s Day … Sunday, June 15
Celebrate the loving fathers, grandfathers, foster fathers, and father figures in your life. Whether they are living or deceased, you can offer the loving gift of prayer by sending the names of your loved ones for remembrance at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
This year, Father’s Day coincides with Trinity Sunday. It is a beautiful opportunity to reflect upon the familial nature of God –– Father, Son, and Spirit. You are invited to join fellow AMM members in praying this Father’s Day prayer.
Read the Summer Bulletin – Hope… Trust… and Cars that Drive Themselves
This season’s Bulletin is overflowing with inspiring member stories, thoughtful reflections, helpful information, and more. Father Clay offers a deep dive into the virtue of hope and its many manifestations throughout the Old and New Testaments. It is a timely commentary in this Jubilee Year of Hope. Don’t miss Don’s “backseat brief” about trusting in what is eternal while living in a temporal world of constant – and sometimes terrifying – change. See page 3 for AMM’s latest Votive Light card available to you by phone or email. Let someone special know you’re thinking of them through this beautiful greeting and prayerful remembrance at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. You may also send your intentions and request Votive Lights.
Lord, Send Out Your Spirit, and Renew the Face of the Earth”
On Friday, May 30, AMM begins its annual Pentecost Novena of Masses here at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
Please join your AMM family in prayer, adding your intentions alongside theirs. The petitions you share will be entrusted to Our Lady and rest near the Shrine Altar throughout the novena, concluding with the Solemnity of Pentecost on Sunday, June 8.
You may also burn a Votive Light — a sign of the fire of your love in the Spirit.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus assures his disciples that he will obtain from the Father an Advocate “to be with you always [and] teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” This is quite a gift! Let us give thanks for the constant companionship and spiritual guidance of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. May Our Lady obtain for you and your loved ones a generous share in the gifts of the Spirit to draw you ever closer to her Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Request this Healing Remembrance Card: Send the Gift of Prayer to Someone You Love
Is a dear friend or relative in need of healing from illness of body, mind, or spirit? Entrust your loved one into the hands of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
Request Healing Remembrance Card(s) to let your recipient(s) know you’re thinking of them. You may also request cards to keep on hand for future use.
Each card announces the consoling gift of spiritual remembrance in prayer at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Freewill offerings you make as you use each card help AMM spread devotion to Our Lady to help draw the world closer to Jesus. You may also request Votive Lights to burn for your recipient(s).
Read Fr. Clay’s letter for an inspiring story of
hope and healing connected with these cards.
Finally, if you send AMM the name of your recipient, your loved one will be remembered in the daily Mass and prayers here at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Perryville, Missouri, for as long as there is a need for healing.
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