The Association’s annual Rosary Octave of Prayer will begin Monday, October 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Saint Pius V established this feast in 1573 in gratitude for the triumph of Christians over the Turks at Lepanto. That victory was credited to the overwhelming response of the faithful, who heeded the Pope’s plea to recite the Rosary.
Pope Francis has encouraged the faithful to pray the Rosary, “which has nourished the faith of the Christian people through the centuries … The recitation of the Rosary is the most beautiful prayer we can offer to the Virgin Mary; it is a contemplation on the stages of the life of Jesus the Savior with his Mother and is a weapon that protects us from evils and temptations.”
The Blessed Virgin has urged praying the Rosary as a means of restoring peace in the face of war, oppression, and social injustice. You are invited to join AMM members in reciting five mysteries of the Rosary daily for eight days. Send your intentions to be remembered in prayer throughout the octave at Our Lady’s Shrine. You may also request Votive Lightsto burn for your needs –– or as a gift of gratitude for favors Our Lady has already obtained for you and those you love.
How will you keep Jesus at the center of your Christmas gift-giving this year?
Spiritual remembrance Christmas cardsfrom the Association of the Miraculous Medalmake thoughtful gifts for loved ones near and far. Each design and sentiment focus on the true meaning of the holiday –– God becoming man to save us from our sins. Each Christmas card you send offers your recipient a special remembrance 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 2025. Order today! To learn more, read Father Clay’s letter.
Do you keep Christmas cards you received from years past?
I have saved many Christmas cards over the years that depicted the reason for the season, the birth of Christ. I collected enough of them that when I was pastor of a parish, I would decorate the Christmas tree in the rectory with the many spirit-of-Christmas cards I have received. It really made a beautiful tree, full of many memories of loved ones and friends from throughout my life.
“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air,” wrote W.T. Ellis. What better way to share the Christmas spirit than through beautiful images of the Madonna and the Christ Child, the nativity creche, and the Holy Family?
The holidays have a way of sneaking up on us, so I am writing to you early with the invitation to order Christmas cards this season.
In our world that is increasingly secular, here is a spiritual gift that keeps Christ in Christmas by celebrating the birth of Jesus in a meaningful way.
Each card offers your recipient a remembrance in prayer during an octave of Masses beginning on Christmas Day at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and in a weekly Mass offered by a Vincentian priest throughout 2025.
If you would like more cards to use this Christmas, you can order them here. Or call us at 1-800-264-MARY (6279), Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., CT.
Know that my fellow Vincentian priests and brothers send their greetings and all of us at the Association of the Miraculous Medal wish you and your family a happy, holy, and healthy, holiday season. We are here to remember you and your intentions in prayer this Advent and Christmas and in every season of life. I look forward to your reply.
May God bless your efforts to serve him, and may he draw you ever closer to himself, especially through his saving gift of the Christ Child, “Emmanuel.” God is with us!
On November 27, 1830, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré in the image of the Miraculous Medal. Mary gave the young novice God’s mission –– to produce and share the medal with the world. Catherine’s 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.”
The apparition revolved, to reveal the back side of the medal. It contained a large “M,” surmounted by a bar and a cross. Beneath the “M” were the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the one crowned with thorns, the other pieced with a sword. Twelve stars encircled the whole.
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 Wednesday, 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 Blessed Mother and wearing the Miraculous Medal as a sign of their confident trust in receiving the graces promised. Every year, hundreds of AMM members give witness to God’s work in their lives. One recent email read:
Dear Father,
I would like to thank Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal for ensuring that my laboratory tests were normal. I always believe in the power of Mary’s intercession. I am grateful for the Miraculous Medal, which I always wear around my neck.
I invite you to be a part of a special novena of Masses which begins on Monday, November 18, here at the National Shrine in Perryville, Missouri, in honor of the feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. You may join us by sending your prayer intentions. We will place your intentions near the foot of Mary’s Shrine Altar and remember them in the daily Mass during the novena and on November 27, the feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
You may also request a Votive Light to burn for your intentions. Your light gives witness to your faith. It is a sign of your spiritual presence with us.
The first Miraculous Medals were distributed in 1832. From that time until our own day, countless people have told of receiving grace-filled blessings through Mary’s intercession, even favors they call miraculous. Recently, several AMM members shared their own stories:
From Mark in Alabama: “I worked with a woman who was a fallen away Catholic. All of her father’s sisters had died from breast cancer. One of her sisters was undergoing treatment for this same aggressive form. Lumps were discovered on her breast, and the doctor recommended a double mastectomy. I asked if she would accept a Miraculous Medal. She immediately put it on a chain she was wearing. At her next appointment, the doctors could find no signs of cancer. The doctor was completely surprised.”
From Lisa in Illinois: “I was going through a divorce and was so scared and really sad. The night before the divorce date, I was switching purses and ran across the Lourdes prayer card in my wallet. My divorce date fell on Our Lady of Lourdes feast day! I knew then that Mary was with me. I will be okay, and I am forever thankful. I felt like Our Lady was with me at this painful time. I love you, Mary!”
From Anthony in Pennsylvania: “I always carry the Miraculous Medal. About 40 years ago, I was broadsided. The car was totaled. The policeman exclaimed, ‘You should be dead. There is not even a scratch on you.’ A few weeks ago, I fell and hit my head. Had I been two inches closer to the window, it is likely I would have broken my neck, been paralyzed, or died. I was wearing my Miraculous Medal.”
Hardly a family is left untouched by the brokenness in our world. All of us can use Mary’s help, whether for ourselves or for a loved one.
With all confidence and trust, I invite you to appeal for the spiritual, material, or physical help you need during the Miraculous Medal Novena of Masses. Or, use this opportunity to offer prayers of gratitude and praise to God for blessings already received through Mary’s intercession.
I, along with my fellow Vincentian priests and brothers, and AMM members, keep you in prayer. Jesus taught that we should be united as one in him, as one Church. May Our Lady look kindly upon her Association members, keeping us united in faith along our journey to her Son, Jesus.
I commend your faith and 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,
Fr. Clayton Kilburn, C.M. Spiritual Director
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 the Lord.
P.P.S. You may also order the 2025 Miraculous Medal Planner is our gift to you. It will help you follow along with the Church year, which is marked with Marian feast days, novenas, and more. For a suggested offering, you may request additional planners using the enclosed reply form. Adding one with Christmas cards or special occasion gifts is a thoughtful gesture.
On November 2, Catholics around the world will celebrate All Souls’ Day.
Asking Our Lady to help obtain the final purification of the souls of your departed loved ones is a powerful gift of love –– one that can hasten their journey toward full and everlasting union with God.
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. In his all-powerful existence that transcends the limits of earthly time, 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.
“We pray to the Lord for our dead … that the Lord 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. So be it.” Pope Francis, 2023 All Souls Day
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.
September 15 is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Ahead of this feast, the Association will celebrate its monthly member Novena of Masses beginning Friday, 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.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta called our sufferings “the kiss of Jesus –– a sign that you have come so close to Him on the cross that He can kiss you.” Please share your petitions so that we may present them to the Holy Mother of God on your behalf.
When someone we love faces a loss, we are all called to be missionaries of hope. Our words can comfort them, encourage their trust in God, and help them recall the truth that life will prevail over death.
You can request Memorial Remembrance Cards 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.
It shares the Blessed Mother’s motherly concern for them in a special way.
When you receive the card(s), simply complete it and mail it to your recipient(s). Then, write the name of the departed loved one 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 the intentions of the bereaved.
When you return the name of the deceased, any charitable offering you add will support the mission of the Association of the Miraculous Medal: to draw all people closer to Christ through increased devotion to Our Blessed Mother. Read Father Clay’s letter here. It shares more about how the Memorial Remembrance Card can bring hope to someone in their time of need.
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 Cardto 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.
A sacramental is a sacred sign instituted by the Church to prepare us to receive the fruit of the sacraments and to sanctify different circumstances of our lives. The Association of the Miraculous Medal’s online gift shop is now offering a combination pack of three traditional Catholic sacramentals. You can use the blessed and exorcised salt, blessed oil, and holy water around your home as a spiritual aid to encourage the faith of family members, ask God’s blessing upon those you love, and appeal to heaven for protection of your temporal possessions.
Request your trio set of sacramentals here. Each one-ounce bottle of blessed and exorcised salt, blessed oil, and holy water will be blessed here at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Perryville, Missouri. The suggested offering is $26 for the set of three. Your donation covers the material costs plus shipping and handling – with some left over to support Mary’s ministry at the Shrine.
This sacramental collection makes a wonderful gift for loved ones. Thank you for supporting AMM’s mission to draw souls closer to Jesus through Mary, whose glorious Assumption gives all Christians a joyous assurance of God’s love and faithfulness.
Many members of Mary’s Association have shared the sorrow of a loved one leaving the Church, or even losing their faith altogether.
If you are experiencing this in your own life, know that Our Blessed Mother understands your heartache. In her motherly love, she desires to intercede with and for you to bring all those you love back to the Church.
You are invited to join the Association of the Miraculous Medal in lifting up your loved ones to Jesus through Mary. You may share their names here for remembrance during Mass 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.
You may also request to burn a Votive Light for your loved ones inside the beautiful Votive Light Room here at the Shrine.
Saint Paul writes that 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. Prayer and compassion are spiritual gifts you can pour out on those you love. God can use your faith-filled gesture to spiritually revive those you love. Read Father Clay’s letter about ways you can help loved ones return to the faith.
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