1. The topic speaks of DIMENSIONS, FORMATION and the ASSOCIATION OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL (henceforth referred to as AMM). On this matter, I want to make some clarifications about these three terms, which are more than plain terms. Clarifications that, on one hand, define the direction of the topic as well as set its limits. I present then these clarifications more "by way of introduction" in the first part of the topic. In the second part, I will focus on the topic proposed: "The Dimensions of Formation in the AMM". I am moved by the desire to reassess the formation process in the AMM, (in all the ways and means it will be imparted, whether during the imposition of the Miraculous Medal or in Encounters such as these, going through the so-called Perpetual Novenas).

PART I. CLARIFICATIONS ON THE TOPIC

Clarifications on the term DIMENSIONS:

2. Above all, we talk of DIMENSIONS (of formation in the AMM), and not of aspects, fields or areas. Dimensions and/or aspects are usually used in the same way, although they are very different and imply different ideas and methods. The aspects of formation can be and are usually many; they can be discussed lengthily and independently, as what, in a matter of fact, happens. With regard to the Formation in the AMM, we usually speak of the aspects - incorrectly called dimensions - human, spiritual, communitarian, Christian, Marian, apostolic, socio-charitable, biblical-theological, etc.

3. Only certain qualified aspects - those basic elements that deepen and form a thing, constituting and shaping it - are what can properly be called DIMENSIONS. And these are always only a few, specific, interactive and integrative aspects, we can talk of material dimensions (length-width-height-space-time) or… that of formation. In this case and in relation with the AMM, there are only three that qualify, and in accordance with its Statutes, coincide with the ecclesial, Marian and Vincentian marks. (Vincentian is synonymous to missionary and socio-charitable and referring to the Family to whom the Virgin Mary entrusted her Medal.) Hence, these are the three dimensions of being of the AMM, constitutional and identified with the nature, ends and spirit of the Association, that I present as dimensions of formation in the AMM.

4. Only three, but with all its connotations, such as that of appreciating other important characteristics and integrating them, of generating convictions, attitudes and commitments, which is where all formation should be directed to. Not many things, only a few, but they should be significant, enduring and capable of making a change, offering an easy, attractive and actual vision of the AMM, in what we now call its New Image. We have to set aside all that does not correspond directly to this since it will only serve to tire, confuse, discourage and distract our energy and time.

5. In the ecclesial dimension, aside from its spiritual, essential and specific contents, all those other aspects that integrate it are also given, such as the liturgy, New Evangelisation, human promotion, inculturation, etc., but always only as components of what is ecclesial. Among the many trees - the different topics - we never lose sight of the forest - our being ecclesial or the Church. The Marian dimension is related to how we live our being eclesial, meaning, in union with and following the style of Mary. It does not mean that we principally have to talk about Mary just because we are a Marian Association. Nor it is concerned with making or giving a theology on Mary or on the symbolism of the Miraculous Medal. It is concerned more with giving a basic Marian content, always in connection with the AMM and always in connection with the other dimensions. The Vincentian dimension, for its part, imbues these two dimensions with the charism and spirit of St. Vincent de Paul, highlighting the urgency of the mission and charity towards the poor.

6. Although it is obvious, it is good to remember that there exists a hierarchy and classification among the dimensions. And this applies to the being or nature of the AMM as well as to formation. With regard to Formation in the AMM, the principal dimension is ecclesiality - its being ecclesial - while its implicit dimension, that which makes reference and connection with the others, imbuing it, is its Marian dimension. Its Vincentian dimension, while being the last, is has its own importance…

7. It is worthwhile to take into consideration that formation is much more than simply the sum of its dimensions. It is not reduced to them and it contains other aspects that are equally important or even more than its dimensions, to which it has a great effect. These are the principles that sustain formation, its ends, objectives and goals, its importance and need, its assumptions and characteristics, the methods, etc. When we do not take these into consideration, the themes, meetings and sessions that we give are many times unproductive. It sometimes happens that theoretically our formation is aimed at being integral but it is not unifying or effective nor lasting, hence the resulting separation between faith/culture and life. This has caused us a lot of damage and still continues to do so. In the case of the AMM, the division is between a Marian devotion or pious "interest in Mary" and a solid Christian life - like that of the "first Disciple of Jesus" - and coherent with what is ecclesial and Vincentian.

8. Of the above aspects mentioned, there are some that should concern us more than the dimensions of formation. For example, the rationale of its importance or need that arouses in them the desire to be formed, the method with which we offer this formation and the principles to which we prudently adapt them.

9. Before anything else, we need to realize and help others realize the essential importance of formation in the AMM. Without formation, there can be no learning nor can we accomplish any changes or an effective presence and action. How do we insure that the members and the faithful, in general, be interested in and request for AMM formation? Without a doubt, we put in a lot of time and effort in preparing very well the topics, courses and meetings but we are a bit short with regards to motivation. People are simply unaware or do not participate at all. Hence, only a few attend sessions and still a lesser number feel its impact to become authentic Christians and dedicated promoters of the AMM. We also lack marketing and selling strategies, a profession that we seem to be unacquainted with, or at least not as much as the Missionaries and Sisters of the 19th century.

10. On the other hand and counting on God's grace and that the Miraculous Medal has not lost its effectiveness, we lack more and better methods that will help us stir and keep up the interest for formation, to personalize it and make it more dynamic, lasting and productive… Definitely, more than the content of formation and enthusiasm with which we deliver it, we are more interested in the method. Which of the many methods? The Virgin Mary, with regards to the formation of Catherine and for the formation of all, successfully used the audiovisual method, through the apparitions and the giving of the Medal…

11. Also, good formation, including in the AMM, requires that we take into account some of its principles, always applying and adapting ourselves to them. Among the general principles of formation which I specify here for the AMM, I would like to point out the following because of their importance:

Clarifications on the ASSOCIATION OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

12. The characteristics of the Miraculous Medal are one thing and the characteristics of its Association are another. The importance of the Medal and the significance that has always been given to it - studying and propagating it - has outshone the importance of the Association and interest on it - of study, organization and diffusion. Above all, this is clearly seen in the "associates in general" who are many and are very difficult to contact. We have been more preoccupied in "distributing the Medal" than in giving it properly, through a prior and adequate catechesis; and, of course, making those who receive them understand that there is more to it than merely forming part of a Great and Marvellous Association. "Distributing medals" more than "forming members" seems to have been our practice. There is no mention at all of guiding or making a follow-up on those who receive the Medal.

13. (In parenthesis, the lack of a common name of the different groups/associations in the same country and a name that designates concisely and clearly the associates and members of the Miraculous Medal is an added difficulty when called upon to talk and propagate the Association. When one says "Carmelite" or "Guadalupan", this condenses, clears and specifies things. But how do we call the devotees and/or members of the Miraculous Medal with the same conciseness, clearness and precision? It would be worthwhile to invent this name and call all groups AMM)

14. Another difficulty of formation in the AMM has to do with its original composition, since it is composed of members (E/4) who are "members in general" (not less than 10 million persons?) and "members in particular" (around 75,000?). On one hand, its members can be and are priests, religious and a great majority of faithful lay Christians. It is obvious that the integral formation that needs to be given, in the Christian life and in the apostolate of charity (E/2) has to reach all. This will be difficult to attain, especially with regards to the "associates in general" and "the lay Christians" but we need to take this into consideration and be inventive and persistent on this. Aside from bringing us to attain the ends of the Association, this will promote and present new and active "registered members" to the organized groups.

15. There are many Marian associations and devotions such as the "Carmelites", which are very old, deeply rooted and widespread in the Church. But this should not translate into inferiority or inaction when we are called to introduce and propagate the Medal and/or the AMM. We should not use the saying "there are already many other devotions or associations in the parish!" as an excuse for giving up. Much less an excuse for a false sense of ecumenism. When the Virgin of the Medal appeared, she knew very well the Marian and ecclesial context of the time. She was aware of the many Marian confraternities and associations that already existed as well as the persuasive push of the Protestants; even with that and, without a doubt, because of that, the Virgin appears, breaking the silence of centuries in order to confide her desire.

PART II: ECLESIAL, MARIAN AND VINCENTIAN DIMENSIONS

ECLESIAL DIMENSION

16. Historically it is born as a Church Association in 1909 (revised in 1990 and 1998). It is what is today called a public association of the Church with all the attributes it confers to its associations (CIC 298-329). In its recognition as such, aside from its canonical requirements, its embryonic beginning in 1830, context and marvellous history were surely taken into account. In effect and even without its official birth, we can say that the Association already existed in 1833 , 76 years earlier, when the people, in response to the call of the Virgin, gathered around the Medal and gave it the name Miraculous. And there were thousands who felt convoked and united in this new devotion and popular advocacy. Its approval in 1909 only served to institutionalise what in fact already existed. (Could the approval of the JMV Association in 1847 have been a substitute of the AMM, like an anticipated version of the AMM?)

17. It is also ecclesial because of the Marian context of the apparitions, which is at the heart of the birth of the Association. In effect, Mary, who is a model and form of Church, appears manifesting her maternal concern for the Church, namely: the good of the faithful with whom she commits to help through the Medal; the definition of her condition of Immaculate, which 24 years later would clear up the age-old issue between those who defended her Immaculate Conception and those against it; the concern, as commented by the seer Catherine, for the plight of the Archbishop of Paris and the Church in France; and the giving of the Medal with its very ecclesial symbolism, especially the back part, designed in a very ecclesial note…

18. All the circumstances that surround the apparition and diffusion of the Medal are similarly ecclesial. The Medal then becomes the symbol or sign of this new Association. In effect, its diffusion would begin after its approval by Mons. J.L. de Quelen, Archbishop of Paris . Many other Bishops, both in and out of France, shared his enthusiasm and devotion. And the same Popes, aside from approving and praising it, recommended it enthusiastically to the faithful, a big number of whom already wore the medal. On the other hand, Mary's intervention now, like that of St. Vincent in his time, will have a positive influence in the Church, changing its image, aside from changing the image of the homage to Mary.

19. A privileged “theological place" of fellowship and participation. Once the Church recognized it, the AMM became a place and occasion to live the Trinitarian Mystery of the Salvation of Jesus Christ and where each one, in his own way, can perform Jesus' priestly, kingly and prophetic office. In our baptism, through the water and action of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we are born into the divine life and are incorporated into the Body of Christ, which is His Church (Col. 1:18). For us, who in different ways belong to the AMM, this becomes an ecclesial place preferred by Mary - hence privileged - to live, with and like her, our life as Children of God. This and the next one are important points in the formation that we must persist on until we are able to create that joy and healthy pride of belonging to the AMM.

20. Sign and symbol of belonging to the Church. All Christians are called to live their vocation and mission in and with the Church. He/She is able to do it in an individual manner, but because of the ecclesiality he/she received during baptism and as the best way to express his sense of belonging in the Church, is called to do it in partnership with others. It is then in and from church associations where God asks us to live our sense of belonging in the Church and to accomplish our vocation and mission (CHFL,29). This is true for all legitimate church associations and, without a doubt, it also applies in a special way to the AMM because of its singular relation with the Blessed Virgin Mary, its unique organization as well as the ends and spirit that animate it.

21. Privileged occasion for the laity. For all, but especially for the laity, the association is a "valuable help in living a Christian life that is coherent with the demands of the Gospel and being committed in a missionary and apostolic action" (CHFL 29). This is particularly valid for all "associates" and "registered lay members" of the AMM since they all wear Mary's Medal. In effect, the call of our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is an open invitation to all, especially to the most needy, to live a full, holy and missionary Christian life, committing herself to help us in this. In this era and time of lay Christians, the AMM offers then a privileged place for its "lay associates" - who are the majority - to be able to accomplish their vocation and mission in the world and in the Church. Making the AMM the school and camp of the laity is another good task for its advisers and formators. But before that, we need to be convinced that it is and can continue to be that.

22. One, holy, catholic and apostolic. In and as Church, the AMM makes its own the Church's characteristic marks, exerting effort to know and personify them better. Formation in the AMM should insist in these characteristic marks of its ecclesial dimension, if it wants to be truly so. It should do so by being firmly founded in the Bible and in the basic documents of the Church Doctrines (LG, GS, DV, SC, AG, AA); explaining them by putting Mary and St. Vincent as examples, which is where the other dimensions of the AMM start off.

23. With regards to UNITY, the AMM will exert effort to live and practice it, above all, as a condition and quality of life and live it as its main virtue. This is the teaching of Jesus Christ (Jn. 17:21) and the Church, who defines itself as a sacrament of unity and communion (LG 1).

24. This unity has also to be fostered in the Institutional level, in such a way that all the associates, each one according to his particular state, be conscious that they form part of a great and marvellous Family, the international AMM, to which they are members. And that it is ONE in its diversity (of members) and DIVERSE in its unity (in the organization, ends and spirit).

25. With regards to HOLINESS, the AMM recognizes itself to be a chosen portion of the People of God, that is holy and exerts effort in making all things holy as it journeys in history towards our heavenly home, in union with Mary and following the style of St. Vincent. These two dimensions combine together a form of holiness that passes through the social dimensions of faith, charity and hope. It is a “yes” to reflection and prayer but in action; a “yes” to communion and liturgical life but with and for our neighbours, above all, the most needy; a “yes” to utopia and hope but anticipating here and now the rewards of the Kingdom.

26. Without a doubt, the members of the AMM always had a clear vision that they are in the AMM to become holy persons; perhaps what is not clear is how to become holy, the specific manner of being and staying holy. By being very pious and prayerful? We need to find the profile of holiness that corresponds to the associates and members of the AMM and help them be formed in it. That seems to be an urgent and pending task of our formation. Without a doubt it should contain Marian and Vincentian traits.

27. When we say that the Church is CATHOLIC, we mean universal but it also means that it possesses a very vital strength - more like a divine dynamism - that makes it grow internally and spread itself. It also means that it has elements that give it identity and identification, differentiating it from human institutions and other Churches. These three aspects have to be very present in the formation efforts of the ecclesial dimension of the AMM.

28. Mary and the Church want that the AMM have its own features and that it strengthen internally and spread itself throughout the whole world, being its own self and not something else. In these times of relativism and uncaring attitudes, we are called to be watchful and promote the Association but always as Marian of the Miraculous Medal and also Vincentian. The international network of the Association is in need of many neuralgic or connected centres (organized local and national groups). A great task of formation and group revitalization awaits formators.

29. The Church and the AMM are APOSTOLIC because the basis of the faith is in the Creed and the Mission of the Apostles. On the part of the Association, this corresponds very well with its Marian and Vincentian dimensions. Mary, Queen of the Apostles, expresses her faith in her Son Jesus Christ and fulfils with Him his mission; this is part of what the symbols of the Miraculous Medal say. On the part of St. Vincent, we are affirmed that the Mission (evangelisation of the poor) is our reason for being, always in faithful obedience to the successors of the apostles.

30. To educate and form in the doctrines of the Church does not seem to be a difficult task for the AMM although there is a need to regulate many actual situations, especially with the Bishops in the Dioceses. What will prove to be more difficult is educating and forming for the New Evangelisation and for the essential aspects that comprise it: inculturation of the Gospel and Christian culture, human promotion and Social Doctrine of the Church, the missions…

31. Although it may appear to be difficult, there is an urgent need to do it and to do it in a systematic and unified manner. The ecclesial dimension of the AMM demands this of us and we need to combine this with its Marian and Vincentian dimensions.

MARIAN DIMENSION

1. The AMM is Marian.

32. We need to insist on this. But it is also good to remember some things, in which our formation must abound on:

-that its being Marian is one of its dimensions - I called it implicit - with all the others previously mentioned (items 12-15);
-that, among the Marian associations recognized by the Church, it is the only one that is born with a picture-image of Mary, given by her – in her Medal - and expresses her desire that all wear and invoke it because of the promise of abundant graces;
-that, even if Mary is a common denominator, it has some unique traits that differentiate it from other Marian associations. Some unique traits that have to be respected and cultivated, such as: the Medal, its constitution and organization, its ends and spirit, and, above all, the Alliance between Mary and the Associates that is established and promoted.

33. Formation in this dimension - which is like the other face and name of the ecclesial dimension - should pass through a hierarchical list of topics, of which I highlight the more important ones.

34. The Mariana Alliance established between Mary and the associates is the first and most important topic. If we see the Medal as the Marian Bible of the People of God, then all the more reason that we should see in it the sign and means (like a sacramental) of the Alliance between Mary and the People. This is especially true in our relations with the poor and the needy, with all its implications and consequences that by analogy the word alliance has in the Bible. It is not enough then to talk only of the Medal and its symbolism or of merely giving it and making them aware of their sense of admittance and belonging to the Association, which is marvellous in many aspects. It is not concerned with highlighting the benefits that are derived from it nor the commitments that it binds us to…

35. Before and above anything else, we need to emphasize what constitutes the core of the message of the apparitions at Rue du Bac: Mary wishes and comes to establish an Alliance with her People, an authentic and simple Marian Alliance, in which she becomes in a special manner Mother and Guardian and the Associates commit themselves to wear and invoke her Medal. All of these within a spiritual experience and a loving relationship that is intimate and direct, person-to-person, that spread to the community (in fellowship with others).

36. The Marian homage to the Immaculate Conception. It is true that the Medal covers all the mysteries, titles and privileges of Mary, which constitute her glory, joy and sorrow. With all these, Mary highlights and claims a greater commitment to the title "Immaculate Conception", which is what gives the medal its name and profile. An AMM member is one who commits himself/herself to be a living sign and apostle of the Immaculate - in all it implies by way of excellence and contradiction – up to the last consequences, in our present transsexual and transgenetic culture. To discover, honour, and defend today this mystery should be an important task of the apostolate and formation of AMM, which continues to be and still is called "Association of the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION of the Miraculous Medal".

37. The Marian sense (sensus Mariae) in our life as associates. From the perspective of our Alliance with Mary, it is right and fair that we see everything from Mary, with her look (full of faith), with her heart (full of love) and with her self-giving (full of hope). It is for this reason that we principally refer to this dimension as implicit. The gospel of Mary, especially the Magnificat, help us have the vision that Mary had of God, of Jesus Christ, of history and the world, of our own selves, of others and of the Church.

38. The Marian model of our vocation and mission. Mary, our model, tells us what God asks of you and me, what He wants to make of us if we imitate his meekness and availability. To receive the Medal and actively belong in the AMM is a big first step because Mary comes to meet us with her inspiration, motivation, example, help and intercession. And she has the experience, will and power to journey with us in our growth in all that she is a model: of union with God (in the Son through the Holy Spirit), as a human person (as a woman, Virgin-Mother and wife), as a disciple of Christ (the first in the faith and in love), as a living gospel (in the Church and in the Culture), in spiritual life (combining faith and life, holiness and virtues: meekness and availability, above all, in simplicity and charity) prayer-ness…

39. The model of the New Evangelisation, of human promotion and fulfilment of the Christian culture. The Document CELAM of Santo Domingo (1992) present Mary with the beautiful title of "Mary, a living gospel in the Church and in the culture". It is hard for me to resist including here some of the paragraphs of said document but short of falling entirely in what I call the Vincentian dimension of the AMM, I skip it for this moment.

40. The diffusion of the Miraculous Medal and the Miraculous Medal Association. This is our logical and kind response to Mary's wish and our own conviction of the graces of the Medal and the Association. Of what it is per se and what they are for the Church and our world today. Of its present value and applicability, as we see it now. All of this presupposes a well-planned formation program that educates and not merely informs, in order to properly wear the Medal, with the feeling that one is already a member of its Association; to wear it and propagate it from the AMM. If we have faith and interest, if we welcome Mary like John did (Jn. 19:27), we will dispose of the time and resources to do it.

VINCENTIAN DIMENSION

1. The AMM is Vincentian.

41. Affirming it this way at the first instance sounds and could seem at the least strange. In effect, Vincent de Paul consecrated his life to what Mary, in her apparitions of 1830, manifested and asked of us: go to the most poor and needy, inspiring confidence in them; giving them preference through words and actions; attending to them bodily and spiritually with affection and efficacy; evangelising them integrally by seeking their conversion and salvation… Said this way or with highly sounding words as cited in the Document of Santo Domingo (which is the present view of the Church), Vincent's plan coincides with that of Mary. It is because of this and because Mary chose to entrust her plan to the Family of Vincent that we have all the reason to talk of the Vincentian dimension of the AMM. The word "Vincentian" here is synonymous with the horizontal dimension of the Medal and of the AMM, which stems from the Mission and Charity (in its social and political aspects) in favour of and with the poor, as St. Vincent did.

42. To form systematically and seriously in this dimension can be difficult since in the majority of cases, it relates to a change of mentality with all its consequences. It entails: helping them change from being a mere "devotee" of the Virgin or the Miraculous Medal to being a "lay Vincentian"; from being an AMM member to be such a member of the Vincentian Family; from being a pious and good Christian (because one does certain pious acts and some charitable works) to a committed Vincentian volunteer, etc…

2. What meaning and implication does the Vincentian dimension have for the AMM?

43. Option for the poor and needy. Certainly, Mary does not exclude anyone nor any kind of necessity, material or spiritual but rightly so because of that, she and her Medal stand before anything else to those who are in need. Being a member and working in the AMM, without distinction of the kind of affiliation one has, is, above all, acknowledging one's self as little and in need hence working for those who feel and/or live as such.

44. Work of the New Evangelisation. We need to learn to read in Mary the attitudes required by the New Evangelisation. Above all, her deep experience of Jesus Christ as the basis of an evangelisation that is full of passion, of new expressions and methods, in attentive response to the signs of the times. We reflect on her unconditional faithfulness to the Father's designs and her meekness and availability to the Spirit, in order to act with prophetic freedom and proclaim the Good News in a liberating action. Also, we meditate on her attitude of inner poverty in order to contemplate and give and share our lives with the poor and all those who need to be guided… (Document SD 414-415 contains other valuable and beautiful aspects).

45. Work of Human Promotion. It is, above all, the work of dignifying the person, especially that of the woman ("consecrated" or "lay": wife, mother or simply a woman of her time… as recalled to us by Santo Domingo (416-420). We acknowledge Mary as the person who, after Christ, occupies the highest position in the Church and at the same time nearest to us (LG 54). She is - and asks us to be - one with those who seek the God who liberates, exalting the lowly and bringing down the mighty, with those who refuse to passively accept the adverse circumstances of their personal and social life or agree to be victims of alienation…

46. The human promotion asked by the Gospel and the Church is contained in the so-called Social Doctrine of the Church, which is an integral part of evangelisation. Forming our members in the Social Doctrine of the Church should be our primary and constant task.

47. Work of inculturation of the Gospel, until we arrive at a truly Christian culture. With Mary and following the example of Mary, in depth and not superficially like the majority of Christian cultures we have been having in the course of our history. The AMM members, in receiving Mary and committing themselves with her, the living gospel, receive and commit to make real in their lives the values the Blessed Virgin represents. They also commit themselves to make them real in the specific lives and situations of their families and in the people they attend to.

48. In a culture like ours where we are more and more secularised, globalised, and computerised, the work of inculturation of the Gospel or the creation of a Christian culture is, without a doubt, the hardest and most challenging work that awaits and is being asked of us… Fortunately for us, we count with the efficient help of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, a sign of trust and help in our times, as she wanted to be in the revolutionary and changing times of 1830.

49. The missions. They should - and in their own way have always been - the requirements of the apparitions of Mary to St. Catherine and are an essential activity of the AMM. We have to remember that, in the first phase of the apparition of November 27, Mary presents herself as Queen of the Missions. That was how the seer perceived and understood it and that is how it was also transmitted to us. Hence, in its own way, the AMM fulfilled this especially through the so-called Home Visitations with the urns or little statues. Mary's visit to the family of Elizabeth-Zechariah-John (Lk.1:39-56), with her blessings happens again and again, a million times over through the so-called Home Visitations, and continues to happen. The AMM, without a doubt, complies with its ecclesially apostolic mark through the massive missions of the Perpetual Novenas.

50. In order to transform this apostolic work into an authentic mission, we need, without a doubt, to reorganize some things and project the image of the New Evangelisation (Cf. Item.30 and 44-48). At the same time, we need to form the AMM members in such a way that they will take part in the missions of the Vincentian Family, in their charism and Marian spirit. Experience has shown us that when the Virgin Mary prepares and makes herself present in the missions, these are guaranteed to succeed.

51. For the AMM, its Vincentian dimension is both a gift and a task. Above all, it is Mary's gift to the Vincentian Family (then composed only of the DC and CM and now with more than 165 branches, among which are JMV and AMM). A very singular gift of Mary, who speaks of her predilection for the double Vincentian Family as well as of protection and special graces, as verified by history. But it also speaks of the confidence Mary placed in us, entrusting us with the task of having a Medal made and propagating it together with its message. Only Mary knows why she chose to fix her gaze on the VF… We can enumerate some apparent reasons but that is not the most important thing. Neither is it important to evaluate how, in the course of history, we have complied with the task entrusted to us. What is really important is to decide what to do and how we are going to reactivate this task, a task that remains as relevant today as in the past.

52. From the beginning and even without yet being a formal association, the faithful wearers of the Medal were its main followers and distributors, animated by the CM, DC and since 1847, by the Association of the Children of Mary (now JMV). After that, since 1907, this has been done superbly by the AMM… It is the task of historians to evaluate and confirm how it has complied with its mission, its successes and gains in order to keep and exceed them; its mistakes and failures in order to correct and not let them happen again. In all cases and in general, one feels that the importance and emphasis placed on the Medal always outshone the Association and it has not helped it grow as such. It seems the fault lies, above all, in the advisers and formators. We have been more concerned - and this has been much easier - in distributing medals than forming an association. This is something that needs to be corrected.

53. Since 1617, Vincent de Paul made the Immaculate Conception as the Heavenly Patroness of the associations he founded. Then in 1830, the Immaculate Conception personally gave us her Picture-Image in the Medal so that we would continue to keep her as Queen and Lady of all, especially in our hearts. This is the gift and task that she entrusted to the Church through the Vincentian Family and that, since 1907, has been assumed and concretised by the AMM, its most direct depository, devotee and propagator of the Medal. Today, the AMM should be the Marian association that all who "wear the Medal" belong to - the persons and those of the 165 groups or branches of the VF… It should also be the association whose Marian task we make our own…

54. In his book, “At the Threshold of the New Millennium” (58), John Paul II has placed the Third Millennium in the hands of Mary… Vincent de Paul would have done the same. And without a doubt, it's the same thing the Vincentian Family wants to do, hopefully through the AMM.

 

DIMENSIONS OF FORMATION IN THE
ASSOCIATION OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

Part I. CLARIFICATIONS ON THE TOPIC

Clarifications on the term DIMENSIONS
Clarifications on the term FORMATION (in the AMM)
Clarifications on the Association of the Miraculous Medal

Part II. ECCLESIAL, MARIAN AND VINCENTIAN DIMENSIONS OF THE AMM

ECCLESIAL DIMENSION

1.The AMM is ecclesial.
2. What does its ecclesial dimension mean and imply for the AMM?

MARIAN DIMENSION

1.The AMM is Marian.
2. What does its Marian dimension mean and imply for the AMM?

VINCENTIAN DIMENSION

1. The AMM is Vincentian.
2. What does its Vincentian dimension mean and imply for the being AMM?

GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR THE GROUPS

1. With regards to the ecclesial dimension of the AMM, which point should be greatly emphasized in our formation today? Why?

2. With regards to the Marian dimension of the AMM, which point should be greatly emphasized in our formation today? Why?

3. With regards to the Vincentian dimension of the AMM, which point should be greatly emphasized in our formation today? Why?

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