“In my culture there is a particular devotion to Our Lady,” said Joel Sanchez, Hispanic Program Manager for the Association of the Miraculous Medal (AMM). “I enjoy spreading the devotion, and I know that our members are particularly amenable to the devotion to Mary.

He started at AMM in January 2013, prior to which he worked for the National Shrine of St. Jude, where he managed the Spanish programs.

Carla Parker is part of the AMM Spanish-language phone staff.

Joel, who works for the Perryville-based organization from his home in Chicago, serves AMM’s 40,000 active Spanish-speaking members. In addition to dedicated phone staff who take calls in Spanish, his team creates other Spanish-language content, from emails to mailers.

Joel’s job is to ensure that what Hispanic members receive is clean and straightforward and culturally in line with the mission of the organization. Much of it is Spanish translations of the English materials, along with some content produced specifically for the Hispanic population with the support of Fr. Prudencio Rodriguez, C.M., AMM’s Spanish-Membership Spiritual Director.

“One of the things that I have enjoyed is talking to actual members and learning about the struggles they are going through and being the face of the organization,” Joel said. “I tell my team, everything we do, though it seems simple, can have a big impact for people. It is a vocation of working with the people and offering a ministry of presence.”

This article first appeared in the June 2023 issue of The Vincentian quarterly newsletter.

Source: https://www.vincentian.org/