Send the gift of prayer along with your Christmas greetings this year!
AMM’s spiritual remembrance Christmas cardskeep Jesus and the Holy Family at the heart of it all. Each design and sentiment focuses on the true meaning of the holiday –– God becoming man to save us from our sins. The Christmas greetings you send will announce a special remembrance of your recipients in an octave of Masses beginning Christmas Day at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and during a Mass offered by a Vincentian priest every week throughout 2026. Order today! To learn more, read Fr. Clay’s letter.
I invite you to join fellow Pilgrims of Hope who will ask Mary’s help during the Jubilee Year Novena of Masses honoring Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Our novena begins Tuesday, November 18, here at the National Shrine in Perryville.
Send your prayer intentions now. We will place them near Mary’s Altar inside the Shrine Church, where they will be remembered in the daily Novena Masses and on November 27, the feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
Since the first Miraculous Medals were shared in 1832, countless people have reported receiving special blessings through Mary’s intercession.
The following are among the many AMM members we’ve heard from recently are …
Leonor S.: Last August, I placed a call to AMM about my daughter-in-law, who was having surgery to remove a huge tumor, possibly cancerous. I sent a petition for Votive Lights, Masses and prayers. Results showed no cancer. Truly a miracle. The beautiful healing and grief cards, along with the medals, have touched the lives of countless people locally and out of state. Again, thank you for the prayers and support.
Doug K: Six years ago, I was diagnosed with a very rare cancer, usually considered fatal. Here in Tucson, a city of a million people, I am considered to be the first known case. I have worn the Miraculous Medal and prayed for Mary’s intercession every day since my original diagnosis. Recently, tests detected no trace of the disease in my body. My oncologist was jumping for joy. There is no medical explanation. However, I know there are forces at work beyond medicine. What happened is nothing less than a miracle. Of course, I continue to pray for Mary’s help.
A New York member: I had been giving out Miraculous Medals to elderly nursing home residents. Visiting there again, I saw many of the people wearing them. One lady asked for more so she could give the medals to her children. I felt Our Blessed Mother was with us. She is there for the sick, the lonely, and the elderly. She is always a Mother to her children.Leonor S.: Last August, I placed a call to AMM about my daughter-in-law, who was having surgery to remove a huge tumor, possibly cancerous. I sent a petition for Votive Lights, Masses and prayers. Results showed no cancer. Truly a miracle. The beautiful healing and grief cards, along with the medals, have touched the lives of countless people locally and out of state. Again, thank you for the prayers and support.
Whether the need is great or small, all of us can use Mary’s help. She awaits us to turn to her with confidence and trust. Our petitions also invoke her power over Satan as she holds her foot on the head of the serpent on the face of the Miraculous Medal.
Along with my fellow Vincentian priests and brothers, as well as AMM members, I am keeping you in prayer.
We look forward to receiving your Miraculous Medal Novena intentions. May God bless your every effort to serve him, and may he draw you ever closer to himself.
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 and Our Lady.\
P.P.S. You may order the 2026 Miraculous Medal Planner for yourself. It will help you follow along with the Church year, which is marked with Marian feast days, novenas, octaves, and more. For a suggested offering, you may request planners now. Adding one with Christmas cards or special occasion gifts is a thoughtful gesture.
On November 27, 1830, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré in the image of the Miraculous Medal. Mary gave the young novice a mission from God –– to produce and share the medal with the world. Catherine’s biographer gave this account:
… her arms swept wide in a gesture of motherly compassion, while from her jeweled fingers the rays of light streamed upon the white globe at her feet. An oval frame formed around the Blessed Virgin and written within it in letters of gold Catherine read the words, “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Our Lady spoke: “Have a medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for persons who wear it with confidence.”
Each year, AMM invites members to celebrate the anniversary of this holy apparition. AMM will hold its annual Miraculous Medal Novena of Masses November 18 – 26 at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Share your personal prayer intentions here to be placed near Mary’s Shrine Altar throughout the nine days of the novena and on Thursday, November 27, the feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. You may also request a Votive Light to burn for your petitions.
Generations of faith-filled people have grown closer to Jesus through devotion to Our Lady and by wearing the Miraculous Medal as a sign of their confident trust in receiving the graces promised. Every year AMM members give witness to God’s work in their lives. One recent message read:
Dear Father, Recently a blessed Miraculous Medal from AMM arrived in the mail at a most opportune time. My husband’s dear cousin was in hospice care … I wanted to take something meaningful to her bedside. With the family’s permission, I pinned the medal onto Sandra’s pillow and prayed a Hail Mary … Following her peaceful passing two days later, with joy I saw the medal pinned to her clothing as she lay in repose at the funeral home, as her family requested the medal go with her to her final resting place … I believe it was divine intervention that it arrived just as it was needed.
On November 2, Catholics around the world will observe All Souls Day.
Praying for the final purification of the souls of your departed loved ones is a gift of love. We can hasten their journey to heaven, especially when we ask for Mary’s help.
Join AMM’s All Souls Day observance at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on November 2. Sharing the names of deceased relatives and friends offers them a special remembrance in prayer throughout the month of November and during the anniversary month of their passing. With all power to transcend earthly limits of time and space, God can apply the merits of your prayer to assist those you love. What a powerful gift this is! You may also request a Votive Light to burn for your deceased loved ones. Father Clay’s lettertells more about All Souls Day.
Quote fromPope Francis, 2024 All Souls Day
“O God … Listen to the prayer we offer to You for all our loved ones who have left this world. Open the arms of Your mercy and receive them … You, who placed on the Church’s path the Blessed Virgin Mary as a radiant sign, sustain our faith through her intercession, so that no obstacle may lead us astray from the path that leads to You …”
Did you know that praying for the dead has been a pious practice since long before the Catholic Church began?
More than a century before Jesus was born, Scripture records the story of Judas Maccabeus. This Jewish priest urged his soldiers to pray for their fallen comrades who had violated the law. The men asked God to blot out the offense of these dead. In further atonement, Judas gathered a sin offering and sent it to Jerusalem, indicating how confidently he believed in a resurrection of the dead. (2 Maccabees 12:38-46)
What prayers must have been in Mary’s heart as she clung to the dead body of her only Son? Did she beg God to restore Jesus to life in her loving arms? Did she ask the Father to receive him back into the heavenly realm from which he was sent? We do not know.
What we do know is that praying for relatives and friends who have gone before us is an expression of our own confident hope in the eternal reward that awaits God’s people of faith.
On Sunday, November 2, Catholics worldwide will observe All Souls Day.
Your prayers are a gift of priceless spiritual value. If your loved one is already in heaven, Our Lady will see to it that your prayers benefit another soul along the way.
Any offering you include will help the Association of the Miraculous Medal bring more souls to Jesus through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother. Your gift will also support the apostolic mission and charitable works of our Vincentian community.
May God continue to bless your efforts to serve him, and may he draw all of us ever closer to himself.
September 15 is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Ahead of this feast, the Association will celebrate its monthly Members’ Novena of Masses beginning Saturday, September 6, and concluding on the eve of the feast day.
You are invited to send your petitions for remembrance during these Masses and on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15. Your needs will be placed near Mary’s Altar here at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
You may also burn a Votive Light at the Shrine as a sign of your spiritual presence throughout the novena. Please share your petitions so that we may present them to the Holy Mother of God on your behalf.
Join Catholics worldwide who are celebrating the canonization of the “first millennial saint.” Carlo Acutis was an Italian youth who died in 2006 at age 15 from leukemia, diagnosed just days earlier. Carlo had dedicated much of his adolescence to researching and compiling information on Eucharistic miracles. His efforts inspired a renewal of interest in these events.
Sunday, September 7 Canonization Day for Carlo Acutis –– Venerate his 1st and 3rd class relics at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., CT Admission is free, and no RSVP is needed for this day’s event.
Sunday Mass at the Shrine begins at 11:00 a.m., CT. You are invited to join us ahead of the exhibition.
Unite in prayer with fellow AMM members during this fall’s Pilgrimage to Italy.
Your personal petitions will be carried to holy sites visited across Rome and Assisi and remembered during Masses celebrated by Vincentian Father Kevin McCracken from October 13-22. Also, throughout the Pilgrimage, your needs will be lifted up during our daily Mass here at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
To further commemorate the Year of Hope Pilgrimage, you are invited to request one of the following special gifts being offered as spiritual keepsakes or another item from AMM’s online gift store:
A beautifully colored Miraculous Medal with gold accents and rim (1″ x 11/16″).
Sending your Pilgrimage intentions is a beautiful way to unite with us in prayer during this Jubilee Year of Hope.To learn more, call the Shrine at 1-800-264-MARY (6279) weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., CT.
I invite you to join us in person for a special day with Our Blessed Mother here at the beautiful National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Perryville, Missouri.
Saturday, September 6 Marian Day of Recollection 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., CT
Keynote reflections by Fr. Clayton Kilburn, C.M. –– “Mary’s Apparitions and Gifts”
Opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Mass
Enjoy the National Shrine Church, Rosary Walk, century-old Grotto, Marian Meditation Circle, Visitor Center Gift Shop, and more
Rite of Investiture in the Brown Scapular & Miraculous Medal
Ticket includes continental breakfast and lunch from Hoeckele’s Bakery
When someone we love faces a loss, reaching out to offer spiritual comfort and encouragement can be a gift of immense meaning.
You can request Memorial Remembrance greeting cards to express your care for 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.
It shares Our Blessed Mother’s loving compassion amidst their grief.
When you receive the card(s), simply complete and mail it to your recipient(s). Then, write the name of the departed loved one on the reply form on the enclosed reply form and return it to the Association of the Miraculous Medal.
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.
When you return the name of the deceased, any charitable offering you add will support AMM’s mission: to draw all people closer to Christ through devotion to Mary, especially under her title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
On Friday, August 15, Catholics around the world will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption. The Church has long taught that at the conclusion of her earthly life, Mary was assumed into heaven, body and soul. You are invited to be part of the Association’s celebration of this great feast by
sending your special intentions for remembrance throughout the Association’s Assumption Novena of Masses, which begins Wednesday, August 6, and leads up to the August 15 feast. The Queen of Heaven will not delay in presenting your special intentions to Jesus, our sovereign King.
May we look to her who is clothed and crowned with light … be for others a radiant sign of truth and bearer of Jesus’ love … live each day as she did, that we too will one day merit heaven’s crown.
“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” — Revelation 12:1
… making or changing your will? Creating a sound estate plan is important to ensuring that your personal and charitable values are upheld upon your death. In this third issue of the Rays of Light Newsletter, AMM members and friends are invited to receive a free brochure sharing some of the most common life changes that make it prudent to update a will that directs the distribution of your assets. “You Never Need to Change Your Will Unless …” is available free upon your request by calling our office at 1-800-264-MARY (6279). Enjoy this issue’s inspiring stories of others who are supporting AMM’s ministry. Thank you for your generous and prayerful support, which is helping ensure that the Association and National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal can continue to draw the world closer to Jesus through Mary and her medal.
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