Category: Father’s Letters

Dear Friend,

Greetings from the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal! I pray that you and yours are enjoying a beautiful summer.

Your spiritual family here at Mary’s Association continues to remember your needs in the daily Mass and prayers here at the Shrine.

Lifting each other up in prayer is a tradition dating back to AMM’s earliest days. In God’s love for Our Lady, he lifted her up, too — in the beautiful mystery we celebrate every August 15, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

On Sunday, August 6, at 11:00 a.m., CT, we will honor Our Blessed Mother as we begin the Shrine’s annual Assumption Novena of Masses.

I hope you will add your personal intentions.  Your petitions will be placed at Our Lady’s Shrine Altar for remembrance throughout the novena and during the Solemnity Mass on Tuesday, August 15.

You may also request a Votive Light that will burn as a symbol of your confident trust in Mary’s intercession. Any gift you add will help AMM draw others closer to Jesus through Mary, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, support Vincentian ministries, and form tomorrow’s priests and brothers who will shepherd God’s people.

Mary’s Assumption reminds us of God’s reward for those who live in faith-filled trust and obedience. Despite all the sorrow her Immaculate Heart endured, Our Lady always trusted God. She is our model for never giving in to discouragement or bitterness. Best of all, she is here to help us along every step of our journey to heaven.

I will watch for your intentions. May Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal keep you close to her heart and to the heart of her Son.

In the love of Mary,

Fr. Kevin McCracken, C.M.
Spiritual Director

P.S. This year’s Solemnity of the Assumption Mass on Tuesday, August 15, will be live streamed on our Facebook page beginning at 12:10 p.m., CT. You are invited to join us in this joyous Liturgy!

P.P.S. AMM members often share stories of how they’ve grown in faith through the Blessed Virgin. I hope they inspire you today …

Dear Father,
I decided to attach a Miraculous Medal to my bicycle, which I ride about six miles each day. I thought by doing so, Mary would intercede for my protection from any accidents. I was correct. Yesterday, a stone wall blocked both my view and that of an oncoming motorist … We nearly collided, but I was unharmed. Thank you, Mary!  Renee B.

Dear Father,
Last year, my daughter was gravely ill for six months. I began praying the Rosary daily and, after a blessing with Lourdes Water, during her third month in the hospital, she started to recover! I am so grateful … My daughter is now walking, talking, and has returned to work. Betty C.

Dear Father,
When I lost our child to SIDS at 2 months of age, I was devastated. I’d had a devotion to Our Blessed Mother since I was a child and — from one mother to another who had lost her child — I asked for strength to work through my grief. Many fruits came from this, including my husband’s conversion to the Catholic faith 20 years later. Lorraine H.

A member of Our Lady’s Association shared this story with us:

                “I am a survivor of cervical cancer. Even though I am Catholic, I never knew about the Miraculous Medal. When I was receiving radiation treatments, I found a Miraculous Medal on the ground. I decided to wear it because of my faith and my devotion to Our Blessed Mother. I am healed now, and I give thanks to Mary for her intercession.”

Our Lady places herself in the paths of people in all kinds of ways and places. Even on the sidewalk! Much more often, though, Mary comes to us through the love of others.

Is someone you know suffering in body, mind, or spirit? Present them with a Healing Remembrance Card. It announces to your loved one the gift of remembrance in the daily Mass and prayers at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The card can also be kept for future use.

There is no greater gift to give than the confident hope of your prayerful appeal for their needs through Mary’s intercession. Mary is their sign of hope Our Lady pledged to Saint Catherine Labouré that she would shower graces upon all who turn to her in faith and confidence. Sending a spiritual remembrance, you are expressing your trust in Our Blessed Mother’s promise.

Send me the name of the loved one you would like for us to remember in our daily Mass and prayers here at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. You may also request a Votive Light to burn near Mary’s Shrine Altar. (Be sure to enclose the Votive Light announcement slip with the Healing Remembrance Card you send so your loved one will know about this additional spiritual gift.)

Any offering you send is deeply appreciated. Gifts from you and fellow members allow AMM to continue its ministry.

Your support helps us reach more people with hope and healing. Contributions also help maintain the National Shrine, a haven of peace for thousands of visitors each year. Your gifts also support Vincentian priests and brothers in their apostolic mission and charitable works.

Supporters of Our Lady’s Association are encouraged to unite in prayer and good works for fellow members and their intentions. As members of this worldwide spiritual family, we are strengthened and blessed. Thank you for allowing the Association of the Miraculous Medal to join you in praying for your loved one in need of healing.

Faithfully yours in Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Kevin McCracken, C.M.
Spiritual Director

I am writing to you with a special invitation from the Association of the Miraculous Medal.

From April 14-25, 2023, I will lead a small group of members of the Association of the Miraculous Medal on a pilgrimage to sacred places across Europe. Three of these are well known sites of Marian apparitions of the 19th and 20th centuries—Lourdes, Medjugorje, and Rome.

We will entrust your prayerful petitions to the Mother of Our Lord during our Masses and prayers during our pilgrimage, and will also burn Votive Lights for you and your intentions. Your intentions will also be remembered in our prayers and Masses here at Our Lady’s Shrine in Perryville.

I hope you’ll think of AMM like you would a relative or friend whom you ask to pray for you along a pilgrimage they’re making. 

Our journey will lead us to …

Lourdes, France: We will begin where Mary appeared to a young teen, Bernadette Soubirous, in 1858. When the girl asked her name, Mary replied, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Today, Lourdes is a place of healing and hope for millions who visit each year.

Rome, Italy: Here, in 1842, a prominent Jewish man known for his contempt of the Church was suddenly converted to the faith following an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary while inside a Catholic church. A few days earlier, Alphonse Ratisbonne had scoffed at a friend’s request that he begin wearing a Miraculous Medal, though he agreed to appease the man. Ratisbonne was ordained a priest and spent his life working to convert Jewish people to Christianity.

Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina: Our final destination of prayer will be at the site where six young visionaries began reporting visions of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in 1981. Our Lady’s messages to the seers continued over time, with strong themes of prayer and repentance. “Return to prayer, nothing is more important than this,” she emphasized.

Should you wish to include a gift over and above the suggested offering, it will be gratefully accepted to further AMM’s ministry. Together we can draw many more people closer to Christ through Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

We are privileged to be your spiritual companion and be honored to remember your intentions during our April pilgrimage. May you receive Our Lady’s promised blessings in your life and in the lives of those you love!

Sincerely in Mary and Jesus,

Fr. Kevin McCracken, C.M.
Spiritual Director

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

In July 2021, Catholics around the world became aware of the victory of the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic gold medalist.

But it wasn’t just the athlete’s record-setting lift of nearly 500 pounds that captured everyone’s attention. It was that alongside her Olympic gold medal for weightlifting, Hidilyn Diaz triumphantly raised the Miraculous Medal she was wearing.

Her Miraculous Medal was a gift from friends who had prayed a novena for her just before the competition. Diaz called the medal “a sign of our faith in Mama Mary and Jesus Christ.”

When Our Blessed Mother gave Saint Catherine Labouré the design of the medal in 1830, she made clear it was meant for the whole world. “Graces will abound for persons who wear it with confidence,” Our Lady said.

Olympic medals show how much the world values physical victories. We push ourselves to be the strongest, fastest, and most talented. But all the while, heaven is urging us on to a different triumph; it is the only win that will really matter at the end of our earthly lives — our spiritual victory over sin through faith in Christ.

Countless people of faith wear a Miraculous Medal. If you don’t already have one, I hope you will begin wearing one, too. 

To let someone know you’re praying for them is a gift of kindness, love, and friendship.

You may share your special intentions and/or request a Votive Light to burn here at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

Daily we lift up the needs of members to Our Lord through “Mama Mary.”

Yet how can one small Miraculous Medal make any real difference in the world? Think about Hidilyn’s story. From the simple acceptance of her friends’ gift to taking part in the novena of prayer to shouting out her thanks to God to having it all captured on camera and broadcast to millions, inspiring people of every culture and creed.

We have a beautiful reminder of how powerful heaven is, and how important every gesture of love and friendship might be.

Our Lady will keep her promise of showering God’s graces on all who put their faith and confidence in her intercession.

You may request free, blessed oxidized Miraculous Medals on a card of explanation. These are a more “basic” model and are attached to a beautiful card sharing the story of Our Lady’s appearance to Saint Catherine.

Any freewill offering you include is gratefully accepted. We will use it to spiritually strengthen others through trust-filled devotion to Our Lady.

Thank you for drawing closer to Jesus by joining the international family of the Association of the Miraculous Medal. We are here to help you “come home with the gold” — attaining by your life of faith the supreme prize of everlasting joy in God’s presence. Your friend along the journey,

Fr.Kevin McCracken, C.M.
Spiritual Director

For Christians, a radiant star is one of the most revered symbols of Our Lord. As the world’s spiritual light, Jesus dispels the darkness of sin and death.

When Saint Catherine Labouré first beheld the vision of Mary in the image of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, her biographer says the Blessed Virgin “shone as the morning rising.” Yet, Mary was not the source of that brilliant light. Rather, it burst forth from 12 stars revealed to Catherine — the 12 stars that Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is often depicted wearing as a crown.

Jesus is the light. Jesus shines forth through Mary and reaches us through rays of countless blessings and graces won for us by her merits.

I thank you for placing yourself in the path of this saving light through your membership in the Association of the Miraculous Medal.

Souls living in God’s light radiate confident trust in Christ, never fearing to entrust even the greatest request into heaven’s hands through Mary’s intercession.

Through you, AMM continues to offer others this gift of Jesus’ saving light by freely sharing Miraculous Medals with anyone who asks. We also join you in praying for your intentions and support the formation and ministries of the Vincentian priests and brothers.

Today, I invite you to further this mission by joining the Association’s Twelve Stars of Mary Monthly Giving Club. Accepting this commitment alongside more than 300,000 current members, your year-round gifts will illuminate the lives of others with the blessings of a deepening faith and innumerable divine favors.

You may join at any giving level. You may easily stop or change your pledge at any time.

With a monthly commitment of $15 or more, you will receive several thank-you gifts, including a blessed sterling silver Miraculous Medal on a stainless-steel chain and a book of Marian Devotions, featuring 95 pages of prayers of the Rosary, novenas, litanies, devotions, prayers to Mary, and more. You are also entitled to a 10% discount (upon request) on all religious articles offered by the Association.

As a Twelve Stars of Mary member at any level, you will help Our Lady’s Association spread the gift of faith that changes the lives of members, such as this one:     

Dear Father,    

I visited an acquaintance who had ALS. I had heard a priest on a radio program advise everyone to wear a “Miraculous Medal,” so I told my friend and he got one. I prayed for a physical miracle for him, but he received a spiritual one instead. He praised his illness publicly because it granted him a relationship with God which he never had. He became Catholic shortly before he died and brought his entire family into the Church. I’ve been wearing the Miraculous Medal and have now come closer to Mary and her Son. May God bless all who read this.

This is Our Lord at work through Our Lady, and through AMM members like you!

Together we can continue to draw more souls into the saving light of Jesus through Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

Sincerely and gratefully in Christ,

Fr. Kevin McCracken, C.M.
Spiritual Director