THURSDAY 26 NOVEMBER
Blessed James Alberione

“May you be known, O Mary! May you be invoked, O Mary! May you be preached, O Mary! May everyone, through you, follow Jesus, the Way and the Truth and the Life.” These are the words of Blessed James Alberione, which reveal his great love for Mary and Jesus. Today the Church remembers him. Founder of the Pauline Family, through his work the Catholic world entered the world of media with competitive tools placed at the service of evangelization. On June 28, 1969, Paul VI awarded him the “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” decoration, telling him, among other things: “Our Father Alberione has given the Church new tools with which to express herself, new means to give vigor and breadth to her apostolate, and a new capacity and awareness of the validity and possibility of her mission in the modern world through modern means.” Entirely devoted to his mission of evangelization, Father Alberione was concerned with giving his spiritual children a strong spirituality. He wrote: “The Pauline Family aspires to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life, in its entirety, in the spirit of Saint Paul, under the gaze of the Queen of the Apostles.” Devotion to Mary as Queen of the Apostles expresses Father Alberione’s intention to see Mary as the model of openness to the action of the Spirit and as the one who first gave Jesus to the world. He spent four to six hours each day in prayer, and before every important decision he spent the night in adoration. May his example inspire us when we have to make choices in our lives.

To learn more:
• Blessed James Alberione

FRIDAY 27 NOVEMBER
Blessed Virgin Mary of the Miraculous Medal

“Have a Medal struck… all those who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around their neck; the graces will abound for those who wear it with confidence.” These are the words of the Virgin Mary to Saint Catherine Labouré. The Medal spread so extraordinarily and rapidly, and the graces obtained through it were so numerous and miraculous that it was almost immediately called the “Miraculous Medal.” Groups and confraternities sprang up everywhere to spread love for the Virgin Mary and the message of the apparitions on Rue du Bac. In 1847, the Medal was definitively approved by Pope Pius IX. Given the universal spread of the Miraculous Medal, in 1894 Pope Leo XIII established its feast. The Venerable Pius XII also mentioned the events of Rue du Bac in an encyclical marking the centenary of the apparitions at Lourdes on July 2, 1957, and during his audiences he distributed Miraculous Medals to the faithful from all over the world. In 1947, he canonized Labouré, whom he called “the Saint of silence.”

To learn more:
• The Miraculous Medal
• The Miraculous Medal and Catherine Labouré

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28
Saint James of the Marches

Today the Church remembers a saint whose life was truly fascinating. We are speaking of Saint James of the Marches, who proclaimed the Gospel with extraordinary faith, traveling through almost all the cities of Italy and many other places in Europe; through his words, he was able to bring thousands of people closer to God and the Church; he reconciled dozens of cities at war with one another, took care to redeem prostitutes, and founded pawnshops to combat usury; he founded confraternities for the education of young people and the care of the sick. A great man of culture, he had convents and libraries built that are admired by everyone today. He is famous for the miracles and healings he performed by invoking the Name of Jesus. Even today, he continues to perform them for many who turn to God through his intercession.

To learn more:
• Saint James of the Marches

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28
Our Lady of Sorrows of Kibeho (Rwanda)

A few years before what would become one of the most violent fratricidal wars of the 20th century, the Virgin Mary was sent by the Father to remind Africa, and the whole world, of the importance of conversion, prayer and fasting. During the apparition of March 27, 1982, the Virgin said to Marie-Claire: “When I appear to someone to speak to them, I want to address the whole world. If I now come to the parish of Kibeho, it does not mean that I come only for the parish of Kibeho or for the diocese of Butare, or for Rwanda, or for all of Africa. I am addressing the whole world.”
Mary does not leave her children alone; this is a certainty. When we feel lost and when despair seems to prevail, let us look to Mary, the star that illuminates even the darkest night.

To learn more:
• The apparitions of Our Lady in Africa: Kibeho

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29
Beginning of the novena to the Immaculate

Today, the first Sunday of Advent, we also begin the novena to prepare ourselves for the solemnity of Mary Immaculate. “On this feast - Pope Francis reminds us - as we contemplate our beautiful Immaculate Mother, we also recognize our truest destiny, our deepest vocation: to be loved, to be transformed by love, to be transformed by the beauty of God. Let us look to her, our Mother, and allow ourselves to be looked upon by her, because she is our Mother and loves us very much; let us allow ourselves to be looked upon by her so that we may learn to be more humble, and also more courageous in following the Word of God; to welcome the tender embrace of her Son Jesus, an embrace that gives us life, hope and peace.” During these nine days, at the school of Mary, we can experience the power of humble and trusting prayer.

To learn more:
• Novenas to the Immaculate Conception and Holy Christmas
• Novena to the Immaculate Conception