Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Feast day: June 27
Mary holds the Child Jesus, who clings to her hand; she is always ready to help her children (27/06)
What is this feast?
The feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help honors Mary through a holy picture that is famous all over the world. It is not an apparition of Our Lady, but a very old icon, venerated in Rome and entrusted to the Redemptorist Fathers with the instruction to make Mary known everywhere.
The story
No one knows for sure when the icon was painted; many scholars think it was around the fifteenth century, in the style of icons from the island of Crete, on a gold background. The icon came to Rome and was venerated for many years. After a time when it was forgotten, on 11 December 1865, Pope Pius IX allowed the icon to be entrusted to the Redemptorist Fathers. In 1866, it was carried in procession to the church of Saint Alphonsus in Rome, and it has been publicly venerated there ever since.
The icon has Greek letters, short forms of the names of Mary, of Jesus and of the two archangels. This card does not show the letters, but it keeps the main details: the Mother holding her Son, the Son holding his Mother’s hand, the slipping sandal, and the two angels carrying the instruments of the Passion.
In Vietnam, the Redemptorist Fathers spread this devotion. Many parishes hold the novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help every Wednesday.
On the cross, Jesus gave his Mother to the disciple he loved: “Behold, your mother.” (Jn 19:27). From then on, Mary is the Mother of all disciples, always ready to help.
Why does the Church celebrate this feast?
The Church celebrates because Mary is always beside her children in every difficult moment. The icon is both tender and serious: it reminds us that Jesus accepted his Passion out of love for us, and that his Mother walked with him to the very end.
A lesson for you
- Every Wednesday, pray to Our Lady of Perpetual Help with your family or your parish.
- When you are afraid or sad, pray a Hail Mary and put yourself in Mary’s hands.
- Like Mary, be quick to help someone in need; do not put it off.
Identifying marks
- The Child Jesus holding tightly to Mary’s hand with both hands: in the traditional reading of the icon, when he is frightened, the Lord turns to his Mother; you too can run to her and hold her hand like that.
- A sandal slipping off the Lord’s foot, dangling: in the traditional reading of the icon, the Child Jesus has just run to his Mother in a hurry; she holds her Son close, and you too can run to her.
- Two angels in the upper corners, holding a lance, a reed with a sponge, a cross and nails: according to tradition, they are the archangels Michael and Gabriel, carrying the instruments of the Passion, foretelling that the Lord will die to save us.
- Mary looking straight out at you: she not only holds Jesus, but also cares for each of her children who needs help.
- A golden star on Mary’s veil: in the tradition of Eastern icons, the star says that Mary remained a virgin all her life and that she is the star who leads us to God.
The text on this page is the saint card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
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