Vision
All people draw closer to God through devotion to Mary, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
Mission
The Association of the Miraculous Medal brings Jesus Christ to the world by inspiring devotion to Mary, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal,
through whom we unite ourselves in prayer to grow in holiness
while supporting the apostolic mission and charitable work of our Vincentian priests and brothers.
Values
Catholic Faith
Our faith is the underpinning of all our work
Heritage
Our strength comes from our Vincentian family and those we serve. We will preserve, protect and honor that heritage
Compassion
We approach those who come to us with compassion, providing individual attention to their requests and needs
Stewardship
We are stewards of the Miraculous Medal, the works of the Vincentian family, and the mission of our organization
Trust
Our relationships are rooted in humility and trust and with those comes transparency
The Association of the Miraculous Medal is an apostolate of the Congregation of the Mission Western Province
The History of the Association of the Miraculous Medal
In order to spread devotion to Mary as our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, an association was formed shortly after the first medals were
distributed. The Association was established at the motherhouse of
the Congregation of the Mission in Paris. (In appearing to Saint
Catherine, a Daughter of Charity, Mary entrusted to the Daughters
of Charity and the priests of the Congregation of the Mission the
work of spreading this devotion to her through her medal.)
Gradually, other associations were established elsewhere in the world.
Pope Pius X recognized these associations in 1905 and approved a
charter in 1909.
In 1918 an Association was established by the Western Province
of the Congregation of the Mission in the United States. Its
headquarters were at Perryville, Missouri. At first it was
operated by the students at Saint Mary's Seminary under the
direction of their religious superior. Soon the Association
expanded and was given its own director, staff, and office
space.
The first director was Father Joseph Finney, C.M. He served from 1924 until his death in 1962. He was succeeded by Father Charles Rice, C.M., who served until 1982. From 1983 to June 30, 2005, Father Charles Shelby, C.M., served as director and president of the Association. He was succeeded on July 1, 2005, by Father Henry Grodecki, C.M., who served as president until June 30, 2009. Father James Garcia Ward, C.M., began his term as president on July 1, 2009, succeeding Father Grodecki. On July 1, 2012, Father Oscar Lukefahr, C.M., began serving as the Association’s spiritual director until his death on August 10, 2015. During this time, Don Fulford, the first lay president and CEO was hired in October 2013 to manage the ever growing complexity of this great organization. Father Kevin McCracken, C.M., began as the newest spiritual director on March 1, 2016, and continues to spread the message of the Miraculous Medal to future generations.
The Association has approximately 1,000,000 members enrolled by approximately
65,000 Promoters. There are about 350,000 contributors to the Association.