Theme : “Loved by the Father and guided by Mary, committed to the mission of the Church”

Welcome, my brothers and sisters. I speak to you not only as the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, but also as the Director General of the Association of the Miraculous Medal, and above all as a friend and devotee of the Miraculous Medal.

As members of the Association of the Miraculous Medal, what are we about? The theme for our meeting says it all: “Loved by the Father and guided by Mary, committed to the mission of the Church.” We are faithful followers of Jesus Christ, doing what he did, being bearers of the Good News for the poor. What impels us in this mission is the love the Father has for us and which we have come to experience in the depths of our own hearts. Who inspires us is Mary, the Mother of God. She does so as mother, as woman, as disciple, as missionary.

The Association of the Miraculous Medal is known for its unwavering devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and, furthermore, for its mission to spread the devotion to others. There has been a marked growth in the Association over these past years, since the last international meeting. The Association is relatively young in many countries; young meaning just beginning to establish itself, as well as “young,” attracting more and more youth. This clearly says to me that the Association is playing an active role in evangelization in the Church and in the Vincentian Family.

We are called to be missionaries with Mary, motivated by our devotion to her and her love for us. The world in which we live needs to be challenged and we are those who, guided by Mary, are summoned to meet the challenge.

As missionaries, with Mary, we are called to give witness to the dignity of all women, but especially those marginalized in the workplace, those forced into prostitution because of poverty, those abused in their own homes, those even abandoned by their own children. Mary is our model and inspiration to be a witness to these women.

As woman, she also magnifies the role of women in the Christian Church, so often rejected by authorities in the sects of our separated brothers and sisters and, unfortunately, discriminated against by authorities and pastors of our own Catholic faith at times.

As missionaries with Mary, we are called to evangelize and redeem the role of motherhood, promoting respect for all human life, especially from the moment of conception, sharing solidarity with the many single mothers, and encouraging a healthy understanding of human relationships in the teenage mothers.

As missionaries with Mary, we are called to ecumenism, where all peoples learn to respect one another, no matter what religion they profess. Mary is for many non-Christian believers the feminine face of God. Hindus and Moslems alike show a tremendous amount of respect and devotion to the Mother of God.

As missionaries with Mary, we are called to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the poor, among the poor and in favor of the poor. The poor are the privileged ones of Christ, Mary's Son. He entrusted his mother to care for them and the poor so dearly her. The thousands upon thousands of poor who visit the Rue du Bac is just one of many examples where this is quite evident. We see throughout the world, on all continents, devotion to Mary, faithfully lived out by the poor.

As missionaries with Mary, we are called to be prayerful, singing out from the depths of our hearts her Magnificat. Prayer is essential, silent time, sacred time with the Lord, who speaks to us in all the moments of our daily encounters with others. We are especially called to hear what the Lord says in and through the poor we serve in our apostolates. Just as Mary prayed with the disciples of her Son on Pentecost, we pray as brothers and sisters so that the Lord might pour his Spirit upon us and that that same Spirit send us forth to share God's love to be good news to others.

In the time we share together this week, we ask Mary to fill our hearts with enthusiasm for the precious faith we have been given, that she might inspire us to be creative to no end in the ways we discuss how to incarnate God's love and that she might strengthen us to be courageous in giving hope-filled witness to a world both empty of life in its true sense and hungry for new meaning and guidance from above.

Mother of Mercy, Mother of our Association, lead us to Christ. Your love for us invites us to love. Guide our steps in the way of your Son.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

O María sin pecado concebida, ruega por nosotros que recurrimos a Tí.

O Marie conçue sans péché, priez pour nous qui avons recours à vous.

G. Gregory Gay, C.M.
Director General of the AMM

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