93 Years of Perpetual Novena Unbroken at the Basilica Shrine of the Miraculous Medal
The Perpetual Novena has been called the prayer heard around the world. In 1930, Fr. Joseph A. Skelly, CM, a Vincentian of the Eastern Province, introduced the Perpetual Novena to publicly honor Mary and increase devotion to her Miraculous Medal. The success of the Novena services spread to more than 3,300 churches and chapels worldwide and was translated into many languages —including Braille.
Just as impressive, the Perpetual Novena has remained unbroken for almost a century. As Fr. Skelly stated in July 1931, “There is no force [as] mighty as that of thousands of united hearts, joined in faith and love, asking [for] Mary’s intercession.”
At The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, we pray the Perpetual Novena beseeching our Blessed Mother for her extraordinary graces, encompassing both profound spiritual healing and physical restoration.
Vincentians Welcome Three Men to Mission
An abundance of care, trust, and mentorship: Vincentians must offer these to the next generation of men graced by God with the divine call of vocation. Their experiences, perspectives, and service will ensure the Vincentians thrive as we begin our next 400 years. In May 2024, the Vincentians of the Eastern Province, USA, ordained three men into our “Little Company” at the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.
The Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, CM, Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey, ordained new deacons Paul Pham, CM, and Juan Carlos Perez, CM. During the ceremony, the Provincial of Vietnam Fr. Francis Xavier, CM, vested Deacon Pham and Fr. Charlie Strollo, CM, vested Deacon Perez. During his homily, Bishop O’Connell emphasized that all deacons seek a deep and personal union with Christ and that Vincentian deacons uniquely apply that union to serving those on the margins of society as Saint Vincent de Paul did.
Deacon Pham felt called by God to the priesthood when he was in high school. This call grew stronger over time and remained with him even after he finished college. After working for a company for a few years, he decided to quit and respond to God’s call. His desire and willingness to follow this calling led him all the way from Vietnam to the United States.
Growing up, Deacon Pérez was deeply involved in the Church. From a young age, he felt a strong desire to serve the people of his hometown in Mexico. Now, this calling has only grown stronger.
Both of their journeys continue as they prepare for their priesthood ordination next year.
On May 18, Fr. José Alexander Palacios, CM, was ordained a priest at the Basilica Shrine.
The overwhelming support and unity of the crowd, consisting of confreres, family, friends, and parishioners, was evident as the Basilica Shrine had to open its loft to ensure all could be seated. There were many notable people in attendance. Among them was Padre Napoleón Castillo, the pastor of Parroquia San Pablo Apostol in Corinto, El Salvador. This is Fr. Palacois’ home parish, and further highlights the strong bonds of our community.
The Most Reverend Edward Deliman ordained Fr. Palacios. This is the first ordination he has performed in his many years of service to the Catholic Church. During his homily, Bishop Edward Deliman quoted Saint Vincent de Paul when describing the kind of priest he hopes Fr. Palacios to be: “… live in such a way that it may be said about you that we have seen a man who loves God and keeps the commandments.”
Fr. Palacios’ first Mass took place at St. Mary’s, his home parish in Roslyn, New York. His first assignment will be at St. Mary’s Parish in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Basilica Shrine “Seals” Its Holy Door
Visitors and passersby who gaze upon the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia throughout the coming year may notice something distinctly different about its stately Romanesque façade.
Banners depicting the colorful emblem of the Roman Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee — and its “Pilgrims of Hope” theme — shroud the central doors of the Basilica Shine, and a golden cross symbolically seals those doors shut. The Vincentian priests and brothers who minister there are not trying to keep people out. Rather, they want to embrace the faithful and encourage pilgrimage in preparation for the coming Holy Year.
On Jan. 29, the Basilica Shrine renewed a centuries-old Church tradition by blessing and symbolically sealing its Holy Door.
“Jesus says, ‘I am the gate. I am the door.’ And so, the Holy Door that we bless is really not just about the physical door. It reminds us that Jesus is our door,” said Fr. John Kettelberger, CM, who led the blessing and officiated Mass.
“And so every time we see that door and, hopefully, when it is opened during the Holy Year and we go through it, we are being reminded that we have heard Jesus call us by name and that we are eager and anxious to follow him.”
In his homily, Fr. Kettelberger described the Jubilee or Holy Year as a gift from Pope Francis, “a year that [the pope] calls a ‘year of hope,’ hope for God’s pilgrim people.”
“Pope Francis has a vision. People are so preoccupied today with social media, so preoccupied with the busyness of life, so distracted by things that are happening in their life good and bad, that sometimes they lose focus. And so, Pope Francis wants us to use this year to re-focus on Jesus.”
More than 200 worshipers attended the noontime service, which began with the praying of the Perpetual Novena and concluded with the celebration of Holy Mass.
A Centuries-old Tradition
Sealing the Holy Door is a centuries-old tradition constructed on the belief that Catholics must convert their hearts through prayer and reconciliation before hoping to receive the Lord’s blessings in a Jubilee year. Among those sought-after blessings is removal of temporal punishment for one’s sins through a plenary indulgence.
“It’s not going to happen just by walking through that door [in 2025],” Fr. Kettelberger explains.
On the contrary, pilgrims must prepare themselves to receive God’s healing graces by dedicating 2024 to prayer and reconciliation. That means finding new ways to pray and praying with greater intensity, receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly, repairing relationships in their lives, and seeking a closer relationship with the Lord.
The sealed doors of the Basilica Shrine symbolize their responsibility to fulfill these prerequisites.
“Knock, And the Door Will Be Opened…” The notion of a door or gate as a symbol of entry into the Lord’s good graces derives directly from the Gospel.
In the parable of The Good Shepherd, as chronicled in the Gospel of John, Jesus instructed the Pharisees, “I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” And on his journey to Jerusalem, as described in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus advised his disciples, “So I say to you, ask and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.”
As a minor basilica – one of just two in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and 93 in the United States – the Basilica Shrine holds a unique, elevated bond with the Papacy through which it is blessed with exceptional privileges and assumes heightened obligations. One of those privileges is the granting of plenary indulgences on certain days throughout the year.
Individuals who are in a state of grace and who enter the Basilica Shrine through the Holy Door during the 2025 Jubilee may receive plenary indulgences, providing they meet other specific conditions of Church law. Typically, the Holy Door will be unsealed on or about Christmas Eve immediately preceding the Jubilee.
A Year of Pilgrimage
Traditionally, the worldwide Church celebrates a Jubilee or Holy Year every 25 years, in addition to extraordinary years selected by the pope. In 2016, Pope Francis declared the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. That same year, the pope granted bishops around the world the privilege of designating Holy Doors at basilicas and shrines in their own dioceses. Prior to that, only the four Papal basilicas in Rome were permitted to practice the tradition. As such, holy doors and jubilees have traditionally been associated with pilgrimages to Rome, where the faithful would go to pass through a Holy Door.
The concept of a Jubilee or Holy Year has roots in the Old Testament. The formal tradition as we know it began in 1300 with Pope Boniface VIII. Historians are less certain about the origin of the Holy Door tradition within the context of a Jubilee. Records suggest it began in the 15th century at the Lateran Basilica, the seat of the Pope as Bishop of Rome and the Church’s earliest basilica. In 1500, Pope Alexander VI expanded the practice to the other Papal Basilicas (Saint Peter’s, Saint Mary Major, and Saint Paul Outside the Walls).
Basilica Shrine Celebrates Its Annual May Procession
Fr. John Maher, CM, posed an interesting rhetorical question as schoolchildren and adult pilgrims gathered on May 20, 2024, for the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal’s annual May Procession and the celebration of the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church: Do we assign too many titles and honors to Mary? Would she even want them? “Mary may not need the honors we offer her,” Fr. Maher explained, replying to the question, “but we need to honor her by offering our prayers and petitions. In the words of Pope St. John Paul II, our Blessed Mother is, ‘the most authentic form of a perfect way to imitate Christ.’”
That is why Catholics venerate Mary throughout the year, and especially during the month of May.
Recent First Holy Communicants from St. Francis de Sales School in West Philadelphia and St. Athanasius School in the city’s West Oak Lane section joined Fr. Abel Osario, CM, in leading the Procession along St. Vincent’s Rosary Walk outside the Basilica Shrine.
“We want to make sure that the children realize that they can go to Mary with anything and [they can] maybe be a little catalyst in their own homes for those who need to come back to her,” said Sr. Mary McNulty, principal at St. Francis.
Sunshine and a warm temperature accentuated the Rosary Walk’s vibrant Shrine to Our Lady of Knock, along with its many Marian statues and colorful flower gardens. “I come out here in the warm weather [and] I’ll do my Rosary on Mondays,” said Jim McHugh of Deptford, New Jersey. “It’s always nice to see so many people out here. It is beautiful.”
After completing the Rosary prayer, Fr. Osario led the procession into the Basilica Shrine, where the children placed flowers at Mary’s Altar and the congregation sang Mary’s praises through hymns.
Deacon James Mahoney led the praying of the Perpetual Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Fr. Maher presided over the celebration of Holy Mass.
“So, as you pray here today,” he told the worshippers, “Remember that Mary is the Mother of the Church, and we are that Church. So together let us entrust to her our dreams, hopes, worries, and joys. Mary, Mother of the Church, please pray for us!”
Students Plant Marian Children’s Garden at Basilica Shrine
We were thrilled to welcome nearly 40 second-grade students from the Immaculate Heart of Mary School on their First Communion Retreat for a springtime Children’s Garden planting. The day included interactive activities and a tour of the Basilicas Shrine. The students were also tasked with planting flowers in the Marian Children’s Garden that is part of the St. Vincent’s Rosary Walk. In addition to planting, the students painted steppingstones that will adorn the garden. The Garden is a vital part of St. Vincent’s Rosary Walk at the Basilica Shrine as it helps us engage youngsters and share with them Mary’s message of love and hope.
Monthly Giving: Rays of Hope
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