Novena Masses Held

Association of the Miraculous Medal in Adelaide South Australia celebrates the Feast of the Miraculous Medal

By Alejandrino Ballado

The Association of the Miraculous Medal in Adelaide South Australia promotes the devotion to our Blessed Virgin Mary through various family and community-oriented services. These services include

  • Block rosary where the image of Our Lady moves from one household to another every fortnight
  • Monthly Eucharistic celebration in different Filipino Communities around Adelaide, South Australia
  • Visitation of the sick and the elderly members of AMM and Filipino Community by core group members
  • Annual celebration of the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
  • Donations to various charitable organisations from funds generated from sponsors, donors and members as way of thanking Our Lady for their blessings and answered prayers. of the charitable organisations that the Association continue to support
    • The Hutt Street Meal Centre- Adelaide,
    • Saint Vincent de Paul Society Adelaide
    • Marilak Foundation,
    • Daughters of Charity- Saint Vincent de Paul Society in the Philippines.

This year’s Feast Day Eucharistic celebration after two years of hiatus from COVID-19 restrictions was his excellency Archbishop Patrick O’Regan of Adelaide as the main celebrant with Rev. Fr. Tomas Ruiz, Parish Priest of Mater Christi Parish and Rev. Fr. Franco Lacanaria, Filipino Chaplain of Adelaide as co-celebrants. The celebration started with the Marian procession, followed by rosary recitation and novena led by different Marian group leaders. The culminating activity was the Eucharistic Celebration and refreshment was provided after. Packed light meals and drinks were given to all attendees after the mass.

See some of the photos taken during the celebration below


AMM Parramatta Chapter commemorates the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

By Alicia Bergonia

The humble commemoration of the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal was held on the 26th of November 2022 at Good Shepherd Parish in Plumpton. About 30 parishioners prayed the holy rosary, followed by the Holy Mass at 8:00 a.m. There was no usual month-long preparation for the celebration. Members were informed through the Facebook group. For the AMM Parramatta Chapter, it became a huge challenge to mobilise the members and organise the traditional Living Rosary.

Despite of that, the feast day is a great opportunity for a reflection on our journey with the Blessed Virgin Mary. The reading for the day on “the wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine” (John 2:3). In our lives, our ‘wine’ also run out. When we are out of work, sickness in the family, loss of loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic, these are the times when our ‘wine’ run out. These are the occasions when our Mother Mary ask her Son, Jesus, ‘they have no wine’. As the reading continue and Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me?” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you”. Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water” (John 2:7).

As Jesus’ brothers and sisters, he constantly asks us to “Fill the jars with water”. As one body of Christ, we “fill the jars with water” whenever we pray the rosary. We may not be able to ask specifically our intentions, but Mother Mary make use of our prayers to “fill the jars” of our brothers and sisters whose jars are getting empty because of desperation, of loss of hope. We may have missed the traditional Living Rosary this year, but we certainly continue our journey with our Mother Mary and indeed continue filling each other’s jar with God’s love.

Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at St. Anthony’s Parish, Marsfield

By Bianca Kallukaran

The Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal came about when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Catherine Laboure (a Daughter of Charity) in the convent chapel in Paris on 27 November 1830. The Blessed Virgin Mary told St. Catherine that a medal be made in the pattern revealed to St Catherine Laboure during the apparition, promising that those who wore the medal would receive great graces. A medal was soon struck in this pattern as it goes in the recessional song often heard at the First Saturday Novena Masses at St Anthony’s Parish, Marsfield:

twelve stars ’round Mary’s head, shine like Apostles all….O’ Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee…two hearts in sorrow and love, Mary and Christ her Son..

Today, almost 2 centuries later, the Miraculous Medal continues to encourage devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, bringing many back to God by the simple act of wearing the medal, praying the Novena and Consecration prayers and faithfulness towards the promises conveyed first to St Catherine Laboure by Our Lady. Many groups or associations have been set up all over the world to foster and promote this devotion, including the Association of the Miraculous Medal (AMM) here in Marsfield (and in Ashfield and Adelaide for the Australia Province). These groups are guided by Vincentian Priests (with the support of the Daughters of Charity- the very same congregation that St Catherine Laboure belonged to).

On the 26th day of November 2022, the members of AMM (Marsfield) celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at St Anthony’s Parish, Marsfield together with others in the community. The day began with the Holy Mass celebrated by Fr Kevin Canty, CM. The St Anthony’s Parish choir supported the music for the mass which brought much joy to this Solemnity day! Following the mass, the Miraculous Medals were distributed to those in attendance many eager to get a medal ! To further commemorate the Solemnity of the occasion, a fellowship meal was set up at the parish hall , which was a much anticipated fellowship after two-years of COVID restrictions.

Many of the AMM, Marsfield members would agree that it was truly an honour to celebrate this Feast day with many friends and loved ones in the community, a great culmination to the year of First Saturday Novena Masses for 2022. We share the hope of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that many who wear the medal receive great graces and are brought closer to God, and would also like to extend an invite to those interested in joining the AMM to further this mission entrusted to us by Our Lady.


Have a Blessed Advent Season dear brothers and sisters – Emmanuel!