CATECHESIS FOR THE JUBILEE YEAR OF THE

CELEBRATING THE CENTENARY
In the reflections of this Jubilee Year that at the center of it all is undoubtedly the celebration of the Centenary of the “PONTIFICAL APPROBATION OF THE AMM”.  Perhaps we need to discuss what “a centenary” is.

SPIRIT OF THE CELEBRATION
One hundred years is a great deal of time which gives authenticity to anything that endures that long.  If it were something unimportant it would disappear quickly.  In 100 years are various generations of persons who value and live “that” which lasts 100 years, for it is not the whim of a group or a generation.  It is not a celebration without importance if it has served people of different mentalities and times.

WHAT IMPORTANCE CAN IT HAVE FOR AMM?
Very great because it is a confirmation that the spirit which animates is something that was understood and lived by many persons a great deal of the time.  If it were not the life and hope of the human person, it would have disappeared a long time ago.

The history of the AMM tells us that there have been many thousands of people who have believed the message the AMM spreads, which is a proof that speaks above all to the heart of the human being. Times, customs, mentalities, etc. change, but that which does not change is the heart, the interior of the human being.  The message, as it occurs in the gospel, always responds to the interior concerns of the heart of the human person.

CENTENARY OF WHAT?
What is the importance of the Centenary we now celebrate?
We are speaking of the AMM which existed long before 1909.

Therefore,
-we are not celebrating the centenary of the Apparitions, the origin of the message (which was much earlier, in 1830),
-nor are we celebrating the centenary of the Assocation which emerged-we’re not sure when-a little after the Apparitions,

We celebrate as the posters say, the “Centenary of the Pontifical Approbation of the AMM”.  That is to say, in 1909, Blessed Pius X, who was ruling the church, recognized the AMM as an official association of the church, and thus maintaining that its unity would extend to the whole church, named a Director General who would always be the visible head of the Association.

That is to say, in other words, he united all the diverse Associations of the Miraculous Medal which had appeared in different places and with distinct formats into one, with unifying statues and under a single director.

FOR DISCUSSION

1. What do you encounter in the document of Blessed Pius X (which follows below) that is important to know about the Association better?
2. Organizations that lack central organization, result in having difficulty maintaining unity, both in ideals and in life.  Do you believe this to be so?  What risks would the AMM have if it lacked general coordination?
3. What do you think are the benefits that derive from this pontifical document?

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