In 1908,Saint Pope Pius X gave formal papal recognition to the Association of the Miraculous Medal. Within 10 years, an Association was formed on the campus of Saint Mary’s Seminary in Perryville, and it is still here today, over 90 years later.
There are Associations in 50 countries around the globe. And as you might expect, most of the older Associations are in developed countries in Europe, the Americas, and Australia. The newer Associations are springing up in Asia, Africa, Central America, and in the island nations around the globe. Almost half the Associations around the world are so new that they are still in the process of writing and receiving approval of their National Statutes.
One of the Newest Associations
During a recent visit to our Lady’s Association office here in Perryville, Father Lennoxie Lusabe, C.M., brought news about one of the newest Associations.
Father Lusabe is the pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Thigio, Kenya. Holy Cross is a rural parish with five outstations at the edge of the Great Rift Valley about an hour’s drive from Nairobi.
Father Lusabe and a group of about 15 parishioners formed the Association, in part, in response to a series of attacks by unknown assailants on members of the parish. They placed the parish and the local residents under the protection of our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
And since the formation of the Association in Thigio, the village and surrounding region have remained at peace, even during the violence and bloodshed that wracked Kenya in late 2007 and early 2008.
The Association members pray the Miraculous Medal Novena and have an adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Wednesday, and pray the novena and have a weekly meeting every Saturday morning.
One of their charitable works is to provide about 300 meals a week to the poor of the parish and surrounding area. On November 1, 2008, members of this small Association celebrated their first anniversary.
An Aid to Growth of the Association Around the World
The creation of the International Association of the Miraculous Medal web site in the late 1990’s has been of great aid to those around the world who are seeking information about forming Associations in their own countries, and news about Associations around the globe.
Visitors to the web site can choose from three languages, English, French, and Spanish. The web site content includes, but is not limited to, international statutes, news items, formation materials, monthly catecheses, bulletins, and a listing of related links. It is proving to be a powerful tool in the expansion of our Lady’s Associations into new areas of the globe, and for the growth of existing Associations. You can visit and explore the web site at www.amminter.org.
100 Years of Journeying with Mary
When Father G. Gregory Gay, C.M. announced the Jubilee Year to celebrate the centenary of the Association’s papal recognition, he chose this theme: “100 years journeying with Mary…United with Jesus in the Poor through the Miraculous Medal.”
In a message to the worldwide Vincentian Family, Father Gay wrote about the Association: “The principal apostolate has been one of prayer to promote a greater devotion to the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our mother. She is an example for all of us of how to live our life according to the teachings of Jesus Christ, she being the first disciple of her Son.
“In the more recent history of the Association, a service-apostolate has been developed in imitation of Mary who visited her cousin Elizabeth, giving the consolation that only the God of life can give to anyone in need. Together with this apostolate, there has been a tremendous growth in the art of loving the poor and the Virgin Mary, the principal representative of the ‘anawim—the lost and the forgotten ones’ of the Lord, through the formation of the members.
“Throughout this festive year, we invite all the members of the Association of the Miraculous Medal and other members of the Vincentian Family to develop activities to promote a greater devotion to our mother, Mary, and a greater love for the poor, doing all that we do for the greater honor and glory of God.”
Thank You
Through your generous support, you have helped our Lady’s Association here in Perryville grow in size and maturity. You’ve helped support many Vincentian works of charity throughout the world. You’ve helped spread the good news of the gospel to the poor, and you have helped spread devotion to our Lady of the Miraculous Medal to many who need to know of her love for them. You have my sincere thanks, and I remember you in my daily prayers and Mass.
