On Saturday, 22nd June 2024 a Novena Mass in honour of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal was celebrated at St Agatha’s Parish, Pennant Hills.
This was the first Novena Mass in honour of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal to be celebrated at the Parish. Parishioners (Mercedes and Lita) who have been long-time regulars of the First Saturday Novena Masses at St Anthony’s, Marsfield, were looking forward to bringing the Novena Mass to their beloved parish of St Agatha’s in Pennant Hills to spread devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in the wider community. Parishioners, Mercedes and Lita, together with the Legion of Mary group in the Parish, and with the support of the AMM in Marsfield, ran the event, which started with Holy Mass at 10.30 a.m. and ended with morning tea fellowship.
The month of May is traditionally dedicated to Our Lady and began from as early as the 13th century. In the Northern Hemisphere, May is considered a season of growth flourishing, and renewal of nature which is closely connected to the Incarnation (when Mary gave her “yes” to God and birthed our Lord Jesus Christ into the world). This devotion became even more popular in the 1700s, among students in the Jesuit Order and when it was celebrated in the Gesu Church in Rome spreading to the wider church. Interestingly, the Flores De Mayo devotion was borne out of this in Italy among the Jesuit Orders to “counteract immorality and infidelity” among its students and spread to the other churches in the Latin Rite. Many Popes have also strongly advocated and fostered devotion to Our Lady in the church (especially from the 19th century onwards): Pope Pius IX ‘s declaring the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, Pope Pius XII in his encyclical on the Sacred Liturgy Mediator Dei in 1947, and Pope Paul VI, in his encyclical Mense Maio in 1965. It was in this time, around 1854, that the devotion became an integral part of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, during the Spanish colonization.
On the 25th of November 2023, Saturday, AMM (Association of the Miraculous Medal) Sydney, hosted its annual celebration to honour the Feast Day (which falls on 27th November) of the Manifestation of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal to Saint Catherine Laboure (Daughter of Charity). Every year, the AMM Sydney members enthusiastically prepare for this Feast Day, that begins with a celebration of the Holy Mass; and is followed by a fellowship meal that brings together members across Sydney (both new and old).
This Feast Day is of particular importance to AMM members in Sydney and around the world as it reminds us of the roots of the Association and fuels our devotions and works in propagating the message of Our Lady of the Miraculous medal (through First Saturday Novena Masses, distribution of Miraculous Medals, and membership into the Association) manifested in apparitions to Saint Catherine Laboure over a century ago. It is also an important reminder of having community in living out our faith by bringing members together through prayer and worship, through fellowship and a meal!
The day started with a celebration of the Holy Mass at St Anthony’s Parish in Marsfield (where AMM Marsfield members usually gather every First Saturday for the Novena Mass). Fr Kevin Canty, CM, our ever-faithful Celebrant, celebrated the Holy Mass assisted with Parish Priest, Fr Greg Walsh, CM. The liturgy was filled with reminders of how important Our Blessed Mother’s role is in man’s salvation, as Fr Kevin noted that the readings in the Liturgy were chosen out of the Missals for Marian Masses. And the St Anthony’s parish choir sung many hymns dedicated to Our Lady. All throughout, there were echoes of the Magnificat which our Lady proclaims upon her visit to her cousin Elizabeth, which brought this atmosphere of awe and wonder of the marvelous works of the Father in our lives and how each of us have a particular calling to live out in our lives. After the Holy Mass, the Miraculous Medals were distributed.
The Miraculous Medals are meant to be worn (usually around the neck) as a sign of devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The invocation, “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee” is usually accompanied with the wearing of this medal and an Act of Consecration. Saint Louis De Montefort is known for famously quoting: That is why
Perfect consecration to Jesus is but a perfect and complete consecration of oneself to the Blessed Virgin
and this is why devotion to Our Lady is so important. Our members came together, led by Sr Rosa Tran (DC) to prepare the Miraculous Medals for distribution to the members in the weeks leading up to the Feast Day Celebration. Sr Celine Quadros (DC) assisted greatly in ensuring that members had spaces to gather and meet in preparation for the Feast Day.
Finally, the Feast Day celebration culminated with a meal in the St Anthony’s Parish Hall. Many AMM members (under the coordination of Maricel, an AMM Core team member), in the spirit of Vincentian charity, ensured that all the hungry were fed, and the thirst had drink, and all would feel welcome and loved by Our Lord and Our Lady. The fellowship meal was a beautiful time to catch up with old and new friends, to give thanks, to be encouraged in unity, and to appreciate how far-reaching devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is in Sydney. The presence of the Daughters of Charity (DC), the Vincentian Fathers (CM) and its lay members also magnified the continuing legacy of Saint Catherine Laboure, this humble saint who once said
I knew nothing, I was nothing, for this reason God sought me out.
We would like to thank all those who once again, made this Feast Day possible, and (hopefully), like Mary, many souls were magnified by the Lord in this time.
