Our Miraculous Medal

As we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King at the close of the Church's liturgical year, we also recall
Saint Catherine Laboure' and the events of the Miraculous Medal.  In these events, we are reminded of the closeness of Mary to her son and her role as Co-Mediatrix.

Vincentians have a special devotion to the Miraculous Medal.

October - Honoring Christ in the Most Holy Rosary

October 7 is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. 

It is my personal opinion, one which is in accord with the mind of the Church, that you will profit very much by praying the holy Rosary every day. The prayer of the Rosary is the prayer of the holy Gospel, the Good News Who is Jesus. My best piece of spiritual advice to you, no matter who you are, president or plumber, priest or king...PRAY THE ROSARY EVERY DAY! You will be blessed beyond your wildest dreams.

                                          --Father John Corapi (Letters)

January 1 - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

From past homily of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on Solemnity of Mary (click text to read entire homily):

On the first day of the year, divine Providence brings us together for a celebration that moves us each time because of the riches and beauty of its correspondence: the civil New Year converges with the culmination of the Octave of Christmas on which the divine Motherhood of Mary is celebrated, and this gathering is summed up felicitously in the World Day of Peace.

Gaudete

What is "Gaudete" Sunday? 
Click the word "Gaudete" (above), or click here for more information.

Emmanuel - God With Us (reflection)

The Miraculous Medal

View a video about the Miraculous Medal

Read about the Miraculous Medal

Mary's Seven Sorrows

Throughout September, we continue to honor the Blessed Virgin. September 12 is the feast of the Blessed Name of Mary and September 15 is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.


Mary’s heart is pierced:

• at the prophecy of Simeon;
• at the flight into Egypt;
• having lost the Holy Child at Jerusalem;
• meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary;
• standing at the foot of the Cross;
• Jesus being taken from the Cross;
• at the burial of Christ.

Mary, Queen of Heaven

"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."

Rev 12:1

On the octave of the Feast of the Assumption, we celebrate the crowning of Mary, Queen of Heaven. (Click photo to learn about the artwork.)

Feast of the Assumption

ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

August 15

Gospel: (Luke 1:39-56)

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.

Reflection:

Mary’s “yes” unleashed a unique relationship with Jesus. This is why all generations will call her blessed: without knowing how and why, she believed that God would raise her up to be the Mother of God. For nine months she would nurture in her womb the Life that would bring life to all. For nine months she would give her body so that the Bread of Life might be born. Mary is blessed because she believed in God’s word. Mary is blessed because her body gave life to the Word incarnate. This is why we believe that her body is assumed into heaven: hers was a blessed body. Body and soul, she was assumed into heaven to enjoy eternal life with the divine Word, her Son. And, this because she believed and trusted in God! (Living Liturgy, p.190)

Vincentian Meditation:

Mary is the ideal disciple, the model listener. She hears God’s word and acts on it. Mary as the Listening Disciple, lies at the core of New Testament spirituality: all disciples, like Mary, are called to listen to the word of God attentively and act on it. There is almost nothing more important that Mary can teach us than to learn to listen. At root, being a disciple means being a hearer of the word. The whole of Christian life can be summed up in the phrase: “She listened to the word of God and acted on it.” (Maloney, Go! On the Missionary Spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul, p.110-111)

Journal: (Write down your thoughts after a moment of silence)

How can we better live our Vincentian devotion to Mary?

Closing Prayer:

Mary responded with joyful faith to your call,

-Lord, open our hearts to do your will.

Mary listened to the Word of God and acted on it,

-Lord, grant us the grace to follow her example.

Mary assumed into heaven, you are the Mother of the Church,

-Mary, full of grace, pray for us.

Mary lived the mystery of Jesus and followed him to Calvary,

-Mary, give us the grace to find God in all of the events of our lives.

Amen

Our Lady of Fatima

During Eastertide, the Angelus is replaced by this prayer, "Queen of Heaven" (below). Today, May 13, we recall the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima.

Regina Coeli

Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia:
For He whom you merited to bear, alleluia,
Has risen as He said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. Because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray:
O God, who by the resurrection of Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, granted joy to the whole world: grant, we beg You, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may lay hold of the joys of eternal life. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Stations of the Cross

Below are a number of links to help with understanding and praying the Stations of the Cross.

http://www.usccb.org/nab/stations.htm (John Paul II, from 1991)

http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/station.php (Catholic on line)

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/Stations-with-Mary.pdf (meditations based on perspective of Mary)

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/stations-how.html (guide to how to pray Stations of the Cross)

http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/xstations/index.html (about Stations of the Cross)

http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/Stations/face.htm (Mother Angelica, EWTN)

Mary in Darkness

As did Mary, we ponder the meaning of this Birth. Even in our darkness, our eyes adjust, the Light illuminates, and we see the world anew.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

New Year's Day, the octave of Christmas, marks the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.



Here is an excerpt of a homily:

Yet in the midst of all of this, Mary and Joseph are the happiest people to walk the face of this earth. Here in Bethlehem they are teaching us the amazing paradox that it is only when we lose ourselves in the love and service of Jesus do we find happiness. Happiness that this world can never give and no one can take from us. But how can we lose ourselves in the love and service of Jesus? Jesus has made it very simple, “Whatever you do for one of these least brethren you do for me.”

The Gospel reading (below) tells how Mary "treasured these things in her heart."

Gospel
Lk 2:16-21

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Holy Card: Immaculate Heart of Mary statue at Fatima Shrine in Russia (click image to learn about Our Lady of Fatima)

Feast of the Immaculate Conception December 8

Blessed Frederic Ozanam, founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, had a great devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. He declared Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception the patroness of the Society. We pray that Mary, the Immaculate Conception, will watch over and guide with her loving hand the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in our parish and community. We pray to the Lord.

October - Pray the Rosary

October is dedicated to the Rosary.

Pope John Paul II concluded his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, as follows:

May this appeal of mine not go unheard! At the start of the twenty-fifth year of my Pontificate, I entrust this Apostolic Letter to the loving hands of the Virgin Mary, prostrating myself in spirit before her image in the splendid Shrine built for her by Blessed Bartolo Longo, the apostle of the Rosary. I willingly make my own the touching words with which he concluded his well-known Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary: "O Blessed Rosary of Mary, sweet chain which unites us to God, bond of love which unites us to the angels, tower of salvation against the assaults of Hell, safe port in our universal shipwreck, we will never abandon you. You will be our comfort in the hour of death: yours our final kiss as life ebbs away. And the last word from our lips will be your sweet name, O Queen of the Rosary of Pompei, O dearest Mother, O Refuge of Sinners, O Sovereign Consoler of the Afflicted. May you be everywhere blessed, today and always, on earth and in heaven."

How to Pray the Rosary (click here).