Question about the Miraculous Medal

[theodosius]

I recently purchased a very beautiful Miraculous Medal. I have read that there is a special blessing and rite of investiture associated with it as a sacramental. As I’m currently in the RCIA program and preparing to be formally received into the Catholic Church this Easter, I was wondering if it would be possible for me to receive this rite of investiture, or else if I will have to wait until after I have been received into the Church?

Also, a follow up question: Is it traditional to pray the Novena of the Miraculous Medal before being invested with it by a priest (in preparation), or after the rite of investiture?

Pax et Bonum

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I don’t see why you can’t be invested with it now.

You can pray the Novena any time. It’s said at many churches on a regular basis before or after a weekly Mass, and I’m willing to bet most of those praying it were never invested with the medal. I only got invested because I happened to walk into the Miraculous Medal Shrine in Philadelphia when the priest was investing a tour group. I’d been wearing the medal for some time with no investiture at that point. Most people who want to wear it just wear it with no formal investiture.

The shrine always invites everyone to join them in the Novena.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

As a devotional, there aren’t really that many “rules” you must follow. We get concerned with adherence to protocol around the sacraments, but not so much with anything else. There are good practices, preferential ways for some things, or even indulgenced situations that need to follow particulars, but most prayers, etc you’re engaging in on your own are just that - yours.

 

[ahs]

Like this?
https://missionimmaculata.com/

 

[Tis_Bearself]

That site does have a Miraculous Medal at the top, but Militia Immaculata is not a Miraculous Medal association. Rather, it is the association St. Maximilian Kolbe formed for people to consecrate themselves to Mary and offer themselves and all their resources and merits to Mary so she could use them in the war against evil. MI does encourage its members to wear and promote the Miraculous Medal as part of their overall Marian devotion. I am a member of MI.

The order that primarily promotes the Miraculous Medal is the Vincentians because St. Catherine Laboure, who was given the design for the medal by Mary in private revelation, was a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

The main Miraculous Medal associations in USA can be found at:

Central Association of the Miraculous Medal - https://cammonline.org/ This shrine is located in Philadelphia and run by the Vincentians. I was invested in the Medal at their shrine.

Association of the Miraculous Medal - https://www.amm.org/ This site is associated with the National Shrine of the Miraculous Medal located in Perryville, Missouri. It is also run by the Vincentians.

I think the difference between CAMM and AMM is that CAMM is associated with Vincentians of the Eastern Province and AMM is associated with Vincentians of the Western Province. They’re both doing the same thing - promoting the Miraculous Medal and holding the regular Miraculous Medal Novenas which the faithful can also say on their own.

In Europe there is an International Association of the Miraculous Medal which is for Miraculous Medal apostolate leaders in every country, and also there are Associations for specific countries (for example, Switzerland).