There is exciting news in Philadelphia. Pope Francis has elevated the Miraculous Medal Shrine to Basilica status (Miraculousmedal.org) It is now the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Readers not already familiar with this Shrine will find the following excerpt from its website interesting. How appropriate that the Shrine is located in that city where our nation was founded given that the Blessed Mother, under her title of the Immaculate Conception has been the Patroness of the United States since the mid-19th century.
“In 1875, approximately 25 years after arriving in Germantown, the Vincentian Priests of the Eastern Province (Congregation of the Mission) developed plans for the Congregation’s private chapel, which they named the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. When Bishop James Wood (then bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia) heard about these plans, he asked them to build a public chapel instead. With humility and obedience, the Vincentians agreed; they enlarged the building to serve Catholics in the surrounding neighborhood.
Almost 40 years later in 1915, Fr. Joseph Skelly, CM, was asked to raise funds for the construction of a Minor Seminary in Princeton, New Jersy. Before he mailed the appeal letters, he placed a small Miraculous Medal in each envelope. The response from this mailing was overwhelming.
Fueled by Fr, Skelly’s tireless efforts to honor Our Blessed Mother, local and national devotion to the Miraculous Medal skyrocketed by 1927. In response, Fr. Skelly commissioned the building of a shine to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. Thus the Miraculous Medal Shrine was established.
Today, thousands of Marian devotees from around the world journey to the Shrine every year not only for its tranquility but for its beauty The Romanesque-style church that houses the Shrine is an inspiring sight complete with Marian artwork sculptures, stained glass, and stunning altars.
Throughout the Shrine, pilgrims enjoy the ‘silence of the heart’ in private and communal prayers. There is also a vibrant sacramental life, with daily Mass, the sacrament of reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration ,weekly novenas, and many special liturgic events.”