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"Make her known throughout the world!" Pope Pius
IX to the Redemptorists)
O Lord Jesus Christ, who gave us your Mother Mary, whose renowned image we venerate, to be a Mother ever ready to help us; grant we beseech You, that we who constantly implore her motherly aid, may merit to enjoy perpetually the fruits of Your redemption, Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. It has been the JOY of the Redemptorists to make Our Lady known and loved as she is revealed in the miraculous icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. It has been the JOY of the Mission Church to enshrine the copy of the icon in a place of honor and to have seen so many blessings poured out on so many through the intercession of Our Mother of Perpetual Help! Mary's powerful intercession on our behalf is expressed so beautifully by this great prayer, the MEMORARE, of St Bernard (who was so deeply loved by St Alphonsus!):
A History of the Miraculous Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help The meaning of the Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help The Mass of Our Lady of Perpetual Help From the Office of Readings for the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help THE
PRAISES OF MARY SERMON ON THE ASSUMPTION: ST ALPHONSUS FOR THE ASSUMPTION: A LITANY OF OUR LADY THE AKATHIST HYMN TO THE MOTHER OF GOD - the most popular devotion to Our Lady in the Byzantine Rite THE SHRINE OF OLPH IN THE BASILICA OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION NATIONAL SHRINE, WASHINGTON, D.C. Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Haiti Our Mother of Perpetual Help in the Philippines Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ireland Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Roxbury Massachussetts Novena Prayers to Our Mother of Perpetual Help FIRST NOVENA PRAYER IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP Behold
at thy feet, 0 Mother of Perpetual Help, a wretched sinner I hear thee called by all the refuge and the hope of sinners: be then, my refuge and my hope. Assist me, for the love of Jesus Christ; stretch forth thy hand to a miserable fallen creature who recommends himself to thee, and who devotes himself to thy service for ever. I bless and thank Almighty God, who in His mercy has given me this confidence in thee, which I hold to be a pledge of my eternal salvation. It is true that in the past I have miserably fallen into sin, because I had not recourse to thee. I know that, with thy help, I shall conquer. I know. too, that thou wilt assist me, if I recommend myself to thee; but I fear that, in time of danger, I may neglect to call on thee, and thus lose my soul. This grace, then, I ask of thee, and this I beg, with all the fervor of my soul, that in all the attacks of hell I may ever have recourse to thee. 0 Mary, help me. 0 Mother of Perpetual Help, never suffer me to lose my God.-----3 Hail Marys. SECOND NOVENA PRAYER TO OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP 0 Mother
of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke thy most 0 what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what emotion, fill my soul when I utter thy sacred name, or even only think of thee. I thank the Lord for having given thee, for my good so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering thy name. Let my love for thee prompt me ever to hail thee, Mother of Perpetual Help.---3 Hail Marys. THIRD NOVENA PRAYER TO OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP 0 Mother
of Perpetual Help, thou art the dispenser of all the gifts In thy hands I place my eternal salvation, and to thee I entrust my soul. Count me among thy most devoted servants; take me under thy protection, and it is enough for me. For, if thou protect me, I fear nothing; not from my sins, because thou wilt obtain for me the pardon of them; nor from the devils, because thou art more powerful than all hell together; nor even from Jesus, my judge, because by one prayer from thee He will be appeased. But one thing I fear: that in the hour of temptation I may through negligence fail to have recourse to thee and thus perish miserably. Obtain for me, therefore, the pardon of my sins, love for Jesus, final perseverance, and the grace ever to have recourse to thee, O Mother of Perpetual Help.---3 Hail Marys. Invocations to Our Lady from Novena
Priest:
0
Mother of Perpetual Help, thou whose very name inspires confidence. Blessing of the Sick from traditional Novena Priest:
Our
help is in the name of the Lord ' Priest:
0
Lord hear my prayer. Priest:
The
Lord be with you. Priest: Let Us Pray Look down, 0 Lord, upon Thy servants failing from bodily weakness and refresh their souls which Thou hast created that being bettered by Thy chastisements they may presently feel themselves saved by Thy pity. Amen. Grant, 0 Lord, we beseech Thee that these Thy servants may enjoy continual health of body and soul and through the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary ever Virgin be freed from their present sorrow and enjoy eternal gladness : through Christ our Lord. Amen. The Lord Jesus Christ be with you to defend you; within you to preserve you; before you to lead you, behind you to guide you; above you to bless you, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. The blessing of Almighty God the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit descend upon you and remain with you always. Amen PRAYER FOR THE HEART OF A CHILD Holy Mary, Mother of God, - Fr. Leonce de Grandmaison As a young man, St Alphonsus painted this beautiful image of his beloved Madonna, Our Lady. How he loved Mary! And how he spoke his own love in so many ways -- from his great prayers and hymns, and his marvelous book "The Glories of Mary." St Alphonsus Mary believed that devotion to Mary is a sure sign of predestination!
Pray with St Alphonsus: Most Holy Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary, * to thee, who art the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the Advocate, the Hope, and the Refuge of sinners, * I have recourse today, I , who am the most miserable of all. * I render thee my most humble homage, 0 great Queen, * and I thank thee for all the graces thou hast conferred on me until now; * particularly for having delivered me from hell, which I have so often deserved. I love thee, 0 most amiable Lady; and for the love which I bear thee, * I promise to serve thee always and to do all in my power to make others love thee also. * I place in thee all my hopes, I confide my salvation to thy care. Accept me for thy servant, and receive me under thy mantle, O Mother of Mercy. * And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, * or rather obtain for me the strength to triumph over them until death. * Of thee I ask a perfect love for Jesus Christ. Through thee I hope to die a good death. * 0 my Mother, by the love which thou bearest to God, * I beseech thee to help me at all times, * but especially at the last moment of my life. * Leave me not, I beseech thee, until thou seest me safe in Heaven; blessing thee and singing thy mercies for all eternity. Amen. So I hope. So may it be.
Mary, however, is looking not at Jesus but at *us*...... Can we hear her saying something like this: 'When Jesus was afraid and in need, He came to me as His mother to find help and comfort--and I am your Mother too...' In our own fears and needs, in
our own struggles and heartbreaks, why not run to her as Jesus did and in her arms, in her
bosom--we will find in her a Mother of perpetual help. And if we feel unworthy,
maybe we could at least hold on to her as the string holds Jesus' sandal to his
foot. For she is the Mother of Mercy! (Rev. John T. Feeney)
O my Perpetual Help, all heartache and all love, Give me the gold of your picture, The light of the star on your veil, The tenderness in your eyes, The shelter of your mantle, The treasure in your arms. And I give you my heart forever, and all its love.
**A PERSONAL TESTIMONY TO MARY'S PERPETUAL HELP**
AVE MARIA!
Since that time, the people of Haiti have had a very troubled history. Most of the original natives died from European diseases and slaves were imported from Africa. After 200 years of Spanish rule, Haiti became a French colony in 1697. Capuchins and Jesuit missionaries evangelized the country until 1804, when, after winning independence from France, the government expelled the clergy loyal to Rome and set up their own national Church. The schism lasted until 1860 when President Geffrard signed a concordat with Pope Pius the Ninth. In 1877, just ten years after the picture of Perpetual Help was restored and enshrined in the church of San Alfonso in Rome, a Haitian lady, Mrs. Desjardins, visited the shrine and secured a copy of the miraculous icon. When she returned home to Haiti she gave the picture to a young priest, Father Francis Kersuzan, who was later to become the Bishop of Port-au-Prince. In 1882, during a severe drought, an epidemic of smallpox broke out in Port-au-Prince. Thousands were dying. At the peak of the epidemic, Father Kersuzan asked the Archbishop to allow him to place the picture on the altar of the church of St. Francis of Assisi. On February 5, 1882 the picture of Our Mother of Perpetual Help was carried through the streets in procession. Before it was returned to the specially decorated altar on the steps outside the main doors of the church, Father Kersuzan asked the Archbishop to bless the city with the picture. The Archbishop held the picture of Our Mother of Perpetual Help high above the kneeling crowd and traced the sign of the cross over them as he solemnly blessed the city, the diocese and the nation. At that moment, it began to rain and the ravages of the small-pox epidemic dramatically decreased. Ever since that time, the grateful people of Haiti have had a very deep and tender devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help.... so much so that, on December 8, 1942, at the request of President Elie Lescot, the bishops of the five dioceses of Haiti gathered in Port-au-Prince and solemnly dedicated the nation to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Under that title, Mary is the official Patroness of the island, and the church of San Alfonso in Rome, where the miraculous icon is enshrined, is the national Church of the Republic of Haiti. Postage Stamps have appeared regularly with representations of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. In 1984, when Pope John Paul II visited Haiti, he was appalled at the misery, the poverty and oppressive conditions that afflicted many of the people there. Speaking very forcefully and bluntly to the leaders of the government at the time, he said, "Something must change here." Since then, despite a number of changes in governments, the people of Haiti are still suffering. The poverty and standard of living is the worst in the western hemisphere. The disease of Aids is spreading virtually unchecked. This is truly a terrible tragedy and one that we as devoted clients of Our Mother of Perpetual Help should take to heart and pray that Mary will intercede with her Son, Jesus to safeguard and protect these desperate children of a land that has been entrusted to her maternal care. Father John Travers, C.Ss.R. THE PHILIPPINES AND OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP
Devotion to
Our Mother of Perpetual Help in the Philippines is truly an
extraordinary miracle of grace. Over 100,000 people attend the
Perpetual Novena at Baclaran every week. Devotions are also conducted in
over 1,000 other churches throughout the Islands. And countless
millions listen to the weekly radio broadcasts. Father John Travers, C.SS.R. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP IN IRELAND - JULY 1, 1998 A Report by Father John Travers, CSSR (Or How Our Wednesday Novena Here in Brooklyn Spread to Ireland, and from There to the British Isles, to India, the Philippines, Etc.)
In late June of 1866,
just two months after the miraculous icon of Our Mother of Perpetual
Help was restored to the church of San Alfonso in Rome, a solemn novena
of nine days was celebrated in honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP IN ROXBURY
On March 24th, 1901, the Sunday edition of the New York Herald newspaper carried a rather startling headline:
MARVELOUS CURES SAID TO HAVE BEEN EFFECTED MILES AWAY BY ROXBURY’S WONDER WORKING SHRINE.
In the full-page article that followed, the reporter described a phenomenon that he called, “A Lourdes in the Land of the Puritans.” He was writing about the miraculous cures that were taking place at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Roxbury, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The author began by describing how the shrine was located next door to the historic Dearborn Mansion in Roxbury. In 1869, the Redemptorist Fathers acquired this mansion and, in 1877, built next to it a magnificent granite church, similar in size and architecture to our Basilica here in Brooklyn. The Shrine was the first church dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the United States, and novena devotions were conducted in her honor every Wednesday. The first, and perhaps the most extraordinary of the many miraculous favors reported in the article, was the cure of Grace Hanley, the sixteen-year-old daughter of P.T. Hanley, a former Colonel in the Union Army under General Ulysses S. Grant. When she was four-years-old, Grace Hanley had been playing in the family carriage when she fell and landed on a large rock. Her injuries resulted in a permanent deformity of her back and lameness in her legs. For twelve years, she was in constant agony, At times the pain was so great she couldn’t even move. At other times, she was forced to wear a heavy leather-covered steel corset and hobbled about on crutches. Grace was hospitalized numerous times. One time she spent an entire year completely immobile in traction. She was examined and treated by many renowned specialists who told her that her condition was hopeless and incurable. Grace began attending novena devotions with her parents at the Roxbury Shrine. On August 18, 1883, the last day of the Novena, as she was making her thanksgiving after Holy Communion, Grace suddenly put aside her crutches and walked up to the altar, completely cured. Word of the miraculous cure spread throughout the city and thousands of Catholics and non-Catholics came to the shrine hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl whose name and picture was featured in all the major newspapers. Soon after the cure, Grace Hanley went away to school at the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Fall River, Massachusetts and later joined the religious order there. For many years, that leather corset once worn by Grace Hanley was prominently displayed along with hundreds of other braces, crutches and canes in huge racks surrounding the shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Boston. When they became too numerous, unwieldy and dangerous to the crowds that gathered there, the fire department requested their removal. However, the miraculous cures continue to this day.... not only in Boston, but in the thousands of shrines dedicated to Our Mother of Perpetual Help throughout the world. This week we celebrate two of Our Blessed Mother’s greatest Feast days. Yesterday, September 8th was Our Lady’s Birthday, and, this Saturday, September 12th, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary. Speaking of the Name of Mary, the great St. Bonaventure once said: “Blessed is the man who loves thy name, O Mary. Yes, truly blessed is he who loves thy sweet name, O Mother of God, for thy name is so glorious and admirable, that no one who remembers it has any fears at the hour of death.” And St. Anthony of Padua once exclaimed: “O name of Mary! Joy in the heart, honey in the mouth, melody in the ear of her devout clients.” Even a non-Catholic like the poet, Henry Wordsworth Longfellow was inspired to write:
Virgin and Mother of our dear Redeemer! Truly, in the words of the great St. Bernard, never was it known that anyone ever invoked the name of Mary, and was left unaided. To countless thousands like Grace Hanley, Mary has proven to be A Mother of Perpetual Help. Father John Travers, C.Ss.R.
The Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in OLPH Brooklyn NY |
Remember,
O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to your
protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left
unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins,
my Mother. To you do I come; before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O
mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy,
hear and answer me. Amen!
who has recourse to thee and confides in thee. 0 Mother of mercy, have
pity on me.
This icon, beloved by both Catholics and
Orthodox Christians, is known as Our Mother of Perpetual Help. And how beautiful it is! Here Our Lord has had a vision of His
coming Passion (the angels are showing Him the instruments of His Passion and Death). In his fright,
he runs into the lap of his mother, Mary (notice how the sandal hangs from his foot to indicate the speed
of his flight to his Mother). 
In
1984 when Pope John Paul visited the nations of Central America, one of
his first stops was at the national shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual
Help in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Haiti along with Santo Domingo is part of
the large island in the Carribean known as Hispanola, a name given to it
by Columbus when he landed there on December 6, 1492. 
