We invite members to greater holiness,
• attending to their pastoral and spiritual needs
• forming them in the Christian life
• involving them in the apostolate of charity especially toward the clergy and the most abandoned.

In order to spread devotion to Mary as our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, an association was formed shortly after the first medals were distributed. The Association was established at the motherhouse of the Congregation of the Mission in Paris. (In appearing to Saint Catherine, a Daughter of Charity, Mary entrusted to the Daughters of Charity and the priests of the Congregation of the Mission the work of spreading this devotion to her through her medal.)

Gradually, other associations were established elsewhere in the world. Pope Pius X recognized these associations in 1905 and approved a charter in 1909.

In 1918 an Association was established by the Western Province of the Congregation of the Mission in the United States. Its headquarters were at Perryville, Missouri. At first it was operated by the students at Saint Mary's Seminary under the direction of their religious superior. Soon the Association expanded and was given its own director, staff, and office space. The first director was Father Joseph Finney, C.M. He served from 1924 until his death in 1962. He was succeeded by Father Charles Rice, C.M., who served until 1982. From 1983 to June 30, 2005, Father Charles Shelby, C.M. served as director and president of the Association. He was succeeded on July 1, 2005 by Father Henry Grodecki, C.M..

The Association has approximately 1,000,000 members enrolled by approximately 65,000 Promoters. There are about 350,000 contributors to the Association.

1. We are convinced of the important role and mission of the laity in the Church and in the future of evangelization. As it has been said, "The third millennium will be the age of the laity." We are especially aware of the importance of the laity in Saint Vincent de Paul's spirituality and in his mission of evangelization and charity.


2. Mary's apparitions to Saint Catherine Labouré are a message of love and of salvation for our Vincentian Family. Through us they can become a message of salvation especially for the poor.

   The message of the rue du Bac is a prophetic, Christocentric, and truly evangelistic message. In the apparitions we find a manifestation of God's fatherly love and a revelation of Mary's motherly concern. And they challenge us with a mission to serve and evangelize all, especially the poor.

3. Today we continue to meet the conditions faced by Saint Vincent. The poor continue to grow in number, and they do not know where to turn. Day in and day out we see new poor and new forms of poverty.

   The message of the Virgin Mary to Saint Catherine, together with the Vincentian charism, represent a liberating force, a saving word for the poor of today, and a challenging response to the new forms of poverty.

4. We recognize the family as the "domestic Church." Yet all around us we see it facing lack of love, infidelities, loss of gospel values, disintegration, hopelessness, economic crises, consumerism.... The presence of Mary in the midst of the family is a saving presence. She offers an abundance of peace and unity, love and hope.

   Through its apostolates the Association of the Miraculous Medal comes face to face with these realities. It reaches out to isolated communities, simple people, needy families. It brings Mary into our midst, interceding with her Son as once again she says, "They have no wine."

5. We are convinced that the Vincentian family is a powerful force for contemporary evangelization. The world of today longs for our charism, a charism we should share with the laity, especially with youth. God asks us, as we serve and evangelize the poor, to collaborate with all the other groups in the Vincentian family and to work in unity.
6. We have discovered great wealth and dynamism alive in the Association of the Miraculous Medal. It is more imperative than ever to continue our serious and systematic reflection on our Association. We have only begun to expand our horizons and to discover many new opportunities for serving the gospel and the poor. As we reevaluate and renew our Association, we continue to grow in appreciation of this gift of God to the Vincentian Community for the service of the whole Church.

Gifts to the Association of the Miraculous Medal are tax-deductible under the I.R.S. Code 501(c)(3). Contributions, bequests, and legacies should be sent to: