Marian Feast Days June 1

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Marian Feast Days June 1 Marian Feast Days June 1 - Our Lady of the Star, Aquileia, Italy (15th century) The present Cathedral at Aquileia, the location of the miracle of Our Lady of the Star, was built by the Patriarch Poppo in the 11th century, and rebuilt in the beautiful Gothic style in the 14th century. As the cathedral was built over the remains of the previous church, the floor has magnificent mosaic paves dating from the 4th century, as well as ancient frescos. This feast day, Our Lady of the Star, is so called because of a miracle that occurred at Aquileia when Saint Bernardine arrived and began to preach. It is affirmed that a bright light similar to a star was seen on the head of St Bernardine, a star that was easily visible even during the hours of daylight when he preached at Aquileia, applying to the Blessed Virgin that passage of the Apocalypse where it is said that there were twelve stars on her head. 2 - Our Lady of Edessa, in Asia Minor (400) Saint Alexis, also known as Saint Alexius, is reputed to have been the son of a prominent Roman senator. Living in Rome in the 4th Century, Alexis was given an excellent education in his youth and saw his parents use their wealth to help the poor. As an adult, Alexis left Rome secretly and sailed to Syria and then journeyed to Edessa, where he began living as a common beggar at the entrance to a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Edessa. His family searched for him in vain for many years. Saint Alexis lived a beggar’s life, surviving off the meager alms he obtained each day after praying before the image of the Blessed Virgin at the shrine. He spent much of the rest of his time caring for the sick and infirm at Edessa’s hospital. He never his past or his name. One day the image venerated by Saint Alexis spoke to a sacristan, defending the saint while also revealing that Alexis was a “Man of God” and making known his holiness to all the people of Edessa. Suddenly venerated as a holy man by many, he fled the city for a place where he could remain unknown. He boarded a ship to Tarsus, but a storm forced the ship to the Italian coast. Seeing the hand of God in this he returned to his boyhood home in the city of Rome. His parents did not recognize their son but gave him modest employment and a miserable corner beneath the stairs where he could sleep. He revealed himself to no one, and never asked for anything more. Saint Alexis spent the remaining 17 years of his life as a stranger in his own home, suffering the contempt and buffets of his father’s servants in patience and humility. When Saint Alexis was found dead he held a scroll detailing the account of his life that God had commanded he put down in writing, and this document also revealed his identity. Alexis' parents were deeply saddened to learn that the beggar who had lived beneath the stairs and eaten the scraps from their table had actually been their own son, though they also realized that he was a saint who had suffered all for the love of God. He has also long been considered the patron saint of pilgrims and beggars. 3 - Our Lady of Sasopoli, Italy (14th century) As the stories put it, “in ancient times” a little shrine stood on a hill and it contained a tablet depicting the Blessed Virgin and the Child. And the plaque is, according to experts, a work of the Giotto School. Two young girls were praying at the shrine for their father to be healed when Our Lady appeared to them. Their father was healed and brought to the shrine where Mary told him to build a church on that spot. The man and his daughters spread the story of his recovery and of how the Virgin had appeared, but few believed them and nothing was done about the church. Then on August 15, the feast of the Assumption, when a goodly number where gathered at the shrine, the Virgin appeared for the third time. She told them she was displeased at the delay and demanded that they get busy and build her a church. Since the Virgin had appeared on the stone, and moreover, insisted that the church be erected on that very spot, it was natural the church and the image be called Madonna del Sasso or Our Lady of Sasopoli, Our Lady of the Stone. 4 - Our Lady of the Hill or Mountain, Lombardy, Italy (4th century) The sanctuary of the Sacred Hill at Varese in Lombardy, Italy, is said to have had its origin in a chapel built there to commemorate Our Lady’s appearing to Saint Ambrose of Milan during the later fourth-century. Saint Ambrose, a bishop as well as an early Church Father, fought heroically against the Ayrian heresy for a good part of his life. The heresy of Arianism takes its name from a heretic named Arius, who taught falsely that the Son of God was a mere creature, created by God and distinct from the Father. Saint Ambrose was also a great proponent of Mary, the Mother of God. It is believed that the Blessed Virgin appeared to Saint Ambrose during the time of the Ayrian conflict, and that the saint built the first chapel, Our Lady of the Hill, in that place at the request of the Mother of God, but also in thanksgiving for his victories while theologically refuting the heretical propositions of Arianism. 5 - Our Lady of Haut In 1428, Our Lady of Haut, in Hainault, France, restored a child to life after it had been dead several days to receive Holy Baptism. He lived five hours after receiving the sacrament and then melted away by degrees, like snow, in the presence of seventy-five persons. The Benedictines have perpetuated Haut or Hainault by erecting a monastery where daily and hourly the praises of Mary are sung in the canonical hours. Miracles still occur at the shrine of Our Lady of Haut. 6 - Institution of the Nuns of the Visitation of Our Lady, by St. Francis de Sales (1610) The Institute of the nuns of the Visitation of Our Lady, or the Order of the Visitation, were founded at Annecy, in Savoy, on June 6th of the year 1610, by Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, and Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, who was the first religious of the order. The institute was a contemplative order founded for young women and widows who felt they were called to the religious life, yet also felt that they did not have the ability to bear the austerities demanded by the other major religious orders. They were all women dedicated to prayer who sought to serve God in spirit and in truth, but the order especially honors the Blessed Virgin in the mystery of the Visitation. Initially, the order had no name, but was formed as a refuge for women who desired to dedicate their lives to doing works of charity. It began with four religious in a house that Saint Francis de Sales provided the new order that was located close to Lake Annecy, and soon there were ten more who joined as novices. St Francis decided upon the name of the order. The foremost virtue he exhorted the sisters to practice was humility, as he said himself, “humility is the fountain of all other virtues; don’t limit humility, make of it the principal one of all your actions.” 7 - Our Lady of Marienthal, Germany (13th Century) Marienthal is located perhaps an hour from the city of Hagenau, and is one of the many famous places of pilgrimage in the Alsace region of France. Our Lady of Marienthal has been visited by pilgrims for many centuries, and an old chronicle tells of wonderful miracles that were granted on behalf of many of the believers who visited the ancient church. The benevolent Virgin Mary obtained grace there for all of the afflicted, and when sinners called upon her for assistance they would inevitably find comfort and mercy. There was no pain which was not relieved, no accident that was not mended, not a hope that was disappointed. The crippled and lame could pray there in that time and return home healed, leaving their crutches behind in the church. The blind were illuminated and regained their sight, and the deaf heard again. Mothers obtained the health of their children; young people who had lost their peace of mind through sin found forgiveness and regained their peace of mind; sailors in the dangers of the sea and the soldiers in the bloody battle called upon the assistance of the loving mother of Marienthal, and never in vain. The church was destroyed during the Protestant Reformation and French Revolution but restored by Jesuits. Most young Alsatian and Lorraine soldiers go to the church at Marienthal before they begin their service to implore the protection of the Blessed Virgin. Even today you can see the parents of those who miraculously escaped death in battles and engagements kneeling before the altar to thank God and to read their thanks aloud. 8 - Our Lady of Alexandria, Egypt (4th Century) This feast day celebrates Our Lady of Alexandria, commemorating a church built in Alexandria, Egypt, to honor the Blessed Mother, by Saint Peter, who was patriarch of the city in the year 310.
Recommended publications
  • Celebrating Mary in the Month of August
    Celebrating Mary in the month of August If asked to list Marian feast days in August, most Catholics would respond with only “the Assumption.” If asked what other Marian feast days are in August, most Catholics would go blank. That is probably because the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a holy day of obligation in the United States, and so our attention is drawn to it because we are required to go to Mass that day. But there are other feast days of Mary throughout the month that we don’t want to overlook. Special days honoring Mary have been part of Catholic Tradition since the end of the first century. Frescos of Mary both with and without Christ are found in the Roman catacombs. Since that time, devotion to Mary has grown to include holy days we customarily observe during the liturgical year. Marian feasts come under the doctrine of the Communion of Saints, in which we are called to honor those who have been raised up to perfection. Mary’s role is primary to that of the saints, and so the Church assigns feasts in her honor to emphasize her role in salvation history. The Marian feasts in August give us glimpses into the life of Mary and her role as Mother of God and Mediatrix of graces. There are many ways to commemorate Mary’s feasts — from attending Mass, to making a holy hour or just saying an extra Rosary. We may even want to celebrate with a special dinner or desert. Aug. 2 Our Lady of the Angels On this day we commemorate the dedication of the church of Portuincula (little portion of land), near Assisi, Italy.
    [Show full text]
  • St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church. Center Moriches
    St.September John 29, 2019 the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church 25 Ocean Avenue, Center Moriches, New York 11934 -3698 631-878-0009 | [email protected]| Parish Website: www.sjecm.org Facebook: Welcome Home-St. John the Evangelist Twitter: @StJohnCM PASTORAL TEAM Instagram|Snapchat: @sjecm Reverend John Sureau Pastor “Thus says the LORD the God [email protected] (ext. 105) of hosts: Woe to the Reverend Felix Akpabio Parochial Vicar complacent in Zion!” [email protected] (ext. 108) Reverend Michael Plona Amos 6:1 Parochial Vicar [email protected] (ext. 103) John Pettorino Deacon [email protected] 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sr. Ann Berendes, IHM September 29, 2019 Director of Senior Ministry [email protected] (ext. 127) Alex Finta Come to the quiet! Come and know God’s healing of Director of Parish Social Ministry The church building is open from 6:30 [email protected] (ext. 119) the sick! a.m. to approximately 7 p.m., if not later, Please contact the Rectory (631.878.0009) Andrew McKeon each night. Seton Chapel, in the white Director of Music Ministries for a priest to celebrate the Sacrament of [email protected] convent building, is open around 8 a.m. the Anointing of the Sick with the Michelle Pirraglia and also remains open to approximately 7 seriously ill or those preparing for p.m. Take some time to open your heart surgery. Please also let us know if a loved Director of Faith Formation to the voice of God. [email protected] (ext. 123) one is sick so we can pray for them at Come and pray with us! Katie Waller Mass and list their name in the bulletin.
    [Show full text]
  • Magnificat St. Mary the Virgin 2021 St. Andrew's Kelowna + + + May the Words of My Mouth and the Meditations of All Our Hearts
    Magnificat St. Mary the Virgin 2021 St. Andrew’s Kelowna + + + May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen. Today we celebrate St. Mary the Virgin. When you hear her name, what image comes to mind for you? Where does your image of Mary come from? Our image of Mary can be influenced by many things from art to music to nativity scenes. The Gospels tell us relatively very little about Mary yet since the first centuries of our faith she has been honoured as Theotokos, the God-bearer, who is the model for us as disciples who seek to say a free and full yes to Christ’s life within us. Her person and story has been influenced by many things throughout history and so will start with a brief look at the history of our Anglican tradition. During the 3rd century an anonymous Greek-speaking Christian wrote the Protoevangelium of James which included tales of Mary’s life before the angel came to her. This work, while fictitious, became deeply loved and theology began to grow around theses “folk-tales of the faithful”1 (to say nothing of the influence of the patriarchal culture on this theology). By the middle ages, eight Marian feast days were added to the Western Church calendar, devotion to Mary blurred the lines between honour and worship which is reserved for God alone, and the idea of Mary’s Immaculate Conception (making Mary incapable of sin) scandalized the Protestant Reformers and bitter arguments ensued.
    [Show full text]
  • September 8 the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary September 15
    September 8 The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary September 15 Our Lady of Sorrows October 7 Our Lady of the Rosary November 15 through November 23 Nine-Day SOLEMN NOVENA November 27 Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal December 8 The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary* December 10 Our Lady of Loreto * Holy Day of Obligation 475 E. Chelten Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19144 Act of Consecration to MARIAN FEAST DAYS 2021 Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal � � January 1 Virgin Mother of God, Mary The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God* O Immaculate, we dedicate and February 11 consecrate ourselves to you under the Our Lady of Lourdes title of Our Lady of the Miraculous March 25 Medal. May this Medal be for each one The Annunciation of the Lord of us a sure sign of your affection for us and a constant reminder of our duties May 24 toward you. Ever while wearing it, may The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the we be blessed by your loving protection Church and preserved in the grace of your Son. May 31 O Most Powerful Virgin, Mother of The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Our Savior, keep us close to you every June 7, 14, 21, 28; July: 5, 12, 19, 26 moment of our lives. Obtain for us, your Summer Novena of Hope (held each Monday children, the grace of a happy death; so in June and July) that in union with you, we may enjoy the bliss of Heaven forever. Amen. June 12 The Immaculate Heart of Mary O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for July 16 us who have recourse to you.
    [Show full text]
  • A Prayer of Wonder ~ Our Lady Chapel
    14th Week in Ordinary Time Volume XIX No. 31 July 5-6, 2014 CLOSING PRAYER: ~ A Prayer of Wonder ~ Our Lady Chapel O God, Maker of worlds and parent of the living, we turn to you because there is nowhere else to go. Our wisdom does not hold us and all our strength is weakness in the end. O Lord who made us and sent prophets and Jesus to teach us, help us to hear, to understand that in your word there is life. We seek to offer you praise. let us again give thanks that a prophet has been among us, that a word of healing and of power has been spoken, and we heard. The Spirit still enters into us and sets us on our feet. In the gift of God, in the power from on high, Our Lady Chapel is a Roman Catholic community founded in the love of let us live. Amen. the Father, centered in Christ, and rooted in the Holy Cross tenets of building family and embracing diversity. We are united in our journey CAMPUS MINISTRY OFFICE: of faith through prayer and sacrament, and we seek growth through The Campus Ministry Office is located in Our Lady Chapel. the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in liturgy and outreach, while responding phone: [440] 473-3560. e-mail: [email protected] to the needs of humanity. 20 14th Week in Ordinary Time July 5-6, 2014 CHAPEL PICNIC — NEXT SUNDAY: PRAYER REQUESTS: Next Sunday, July 13th is the date for our annual Chapel outdoor picnic.
    [Show full text]
  • Blessed Virgin Mary St
    Blessed Virgin Mary St. Thomas Church RCIA Mary and Jesus • Mary was called to become the mother of Jesus. • Special bond between Mary and Jesus. • She was predestined for this honor. • Foreshadowing in the Old Testament: • Disobedience of Eve • Sarah, mother of Isaac • Hannah, mother of Samuel • “The Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, who shall be called Emmanuel” (Is 7:14). Sinless Virgin Mary • She was conceived without sin in order to prepare her for her role. • The Archangel Gabriel addressed her “full of grace.” • Proclamation in 1854. • Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. • Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but he had not yet taken her into his home. Common Objections The most common objections you will hear: 1. Catholics worship the Mary. 2. If she was conceived without sin, then she didn’t need to be saved. 3. Mary can’t be ever-virgin if Jesus had brothers and sisters. Mary as Virgin and Mother • Mary was the first to believe when she consented to God’s plan. • She is the Mother of Jesus and therefore Mother of God (Ephesus, 431). • She was a faithful disciple, standing at the foot of the cross. • From the cross, she became the Mother of the Beloved Disciple and the Mother of the Church. • As ever-virgin, her entire life was an undivided gift to God. • Being virgin and mother is a fundamental mystery of Mary’s life. Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary • The Rosary is made up of beads on which are said prayers like the Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and Hail Holy Queen.
    [Show full text]
  • May the Month Dedicated to Mary
    From the Liturgy Office… Why is May the Month of Mary? Catholics have devoted the month of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary since the 13th century, when the Church gave the pagan festival of May Day a Christian meaning by associating it with the Blessed Virgin. On this day (1 May) , the Marian devotion, the “May Crowning” was held. This feast, along with other special Marian feasts in the month of May, honour Mary as the “Queen of May”. What are ways we can honour Mary during the month of May? During the month May, there are many ways we can bring special focus to Mary. Here are just a few…. Honour MARY with FLOWERS Perhaps the most well-known of the May Marian devotions is the crowning of a statue of Mary with flowers known as the May Crowning. Why not join the universal Church in this practice by decorating with flowers, a statue or picture of the Virgin Mary in your own home? Honour MARY at MASS There are several Marian feast days in May, including Our Lady of Fatima (13 May), Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament (13 May) and Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (31 May). Not to mention, Mary, Help of Christians (24 May) which is our nation’s patron feast day. This month, make a special effort to either attend Mass (online) on these Marian feast days. Alternately, during your family meal, take some time to read through the Gospel of the feast day and together, discuss the reading. Honour MARY with PRAYER Over the years, the Church has encouraged all Catholics to venerate Mary during the month of May by incorpo- ratinginto our daily prayers, the praying of several Marian prayers to the Blessed Virgin.
    [Show full text]
  • Saint Helen's Anglican Church
    SAINT HELEN’S ANGLICAN CHURCH Founded 1911 This document is the continuation of a tradition of the gift of ministry by the Saint Helen’s Altar Guild. It is offered to the Glory of God, in gratitude for Altar Guild members – past, present and future, and particularly the Parish of Saint Helen’s. May we be given the grace to continue the work begun in our first century and to do the works of love that build community into the future. “This is our heritage, this that our fore bearers bequeathed us. Ours in our time, but in trust for the ages to be. A building so holy, His people most precious Faith and awe filled, possessors and stewards are we.” OUR EARLY HISTORY Because the High Altar is the focal point of St. Helen’s Church was built in 1911 during worship, Mr. Walker decided it should be a real estate boom and was consecrated by made from something special. He sent to the the Right Reverend A. J. de Pencier in Holy Land for some Cypress wood from the November of 1911. He was at that time the Mount of Olives and built the main altar and Archbishop of British Columbia. Much of the Lady Chapel altar. the surrounding land had already been subdivided and everyone thought that the Most altars have some form of adornment to area was destined to become the remind worshippers that it represents the metropolis of the Fraser Valley. It is a table of the Last Supper. Many churches had magnificent site and when the land was an antependium or Altar frontal made of originally logged off, it had an embroidered silk.
    [Show full text]
  • HISTORY of the NATIONAL CATHOLIC COMMITTEE for GIRL SCOUTS and CAMP FIRE by Virginia Reed
    Revised 3/11/2019 HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC COMMITTEE FOR GIRL SCOUTS AND CAMP FIRE By Virginia Reed The present National Catholic Committee for Girl Scouts and Camp Fire dates back to the early days of the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) and the National Catholic Welfare Conference. Although it has functioned in various capacities and under several different names, this committee's purpose has remained the same: to minister to the Catholic girls in Girl Scouts (at first) and Camp Fire (since 1973). Beginnings The relationship between Girl Scouting and Catholic youth ministry is the result of the foresight of Juliette Gordon Low. Soon after founding the Girl Scout movement in 1912, Low traveled to Baltimore to meet James Cardinal Gibbons and consult with him about her project. Five years later, Joseph Patrick Cardinal Hayes of New York appointed a representative to the Girl Scout National Board of Directors. The cardinal wanted to determine whether the Girl Scout program, which was so fine in theory, was equally sound in practice. Satisfied on this point, His Eminence publicly declared the program suitable for Catholic girls. In due course, the four U.S. Cardinals and the U.S. Catholic hierarchy followed suit. In the early 1920's, Girl Scout troops were formed in parochial schools and Catholic women eagerly became leaders in the program. When CYO was established in the early 1930's, Girl Scouting became its ally as a separate cooperative enterprise. In 1936, sociologist Father Edward Roberts Moore of Catholic charities, Archdiocese of New York, studied and approved the Girl Scout program because it was fitting for girls to beome "participating citizens in a modern, social democracy." This support further enhanced the relationship between the Catholic church and Girl Scouting.
    [Show full text]
  • April 2019 Holy Week S C H E D U L E O F S E R V I C E S
    The Angelus Monthly Publication of the Church of Our Saviour JanuaryApril 2019 HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE OF SERVICES MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK, APRIL 15 12:10pm, Mass, Lady Chapel WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK, APRIL 17 12:10pm, Mass, Lady Chapel 7pm, Stations of the Cross MAUNDY THURSDAY, APRIL 18 7pm, Liturgy of Maundy Thursday Including foot washing and stripping of the altar; following the service, the Vigil of Gethsemane before the Altar of Repose begins in the Lady Chapel GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 19 12noon, Liturgy of Good Friday 7pm, Liturgy of Good Friday HOLY SATURDAY, APRIL 20 8pm, Great Vigil of Easter concluding with First Solemn Eucharist of Easter An Easter Eve reception is held following the service; everyone attending is asked to bring a contribution EASTER, APRIL 21 8:30am, Said Mass 9:45am, Between-the-services reception | 10am, Easter Egg Hunt 11am, High Mass and Coffee Hour Events and Feast Days Events and Feast Days Parish Clean-Up Passiontide April 6, 2019 436-4522Begins or [email protected]. April 7, 2019 We’re in need of readers, actors, costume/set designers, On Saturday, April 6, 2019, from 9:00 am choristers,The last instrumentalists, two weeks before snack Easter, chefs, called and gen- until 1:00 pm, we will be holding a Spring clean- Passiontide,eral assistants, are aso transitional there’s definitely time, part something of Lent for up morning dedicated to getting the parish ready andeveryone! yet not aWe part’ll of have Lent. one During rehearsal Passiontide immediately for the upcoming Easter celebrations. Please plan theprior focus to ofthe Lent service, moves at 4:00from pm an (snacksexamination included).
    [Show full text]
  • Papal-Service.Pdf
    Westminster Abbey A SERVICE OF EVENING PRAYER IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI AND HIS GRACE THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY Friday 17 September 2010 6.15 pm THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF ST PETER IN WESTMINSTER Westminster Abbey’s recorded history can be traced back well over a thousand years. Dunstan, Bishop of London, brought a community of Benedictine monks here around 960 AD and a century later King Edward established his palace nearby and extended his patronage to the neighbouring monastery. He built for it a great stone church in the Romanesque style which was consecrated on 28 December 1065. The Abbey was dedicated to St Peter, and the story that the Apostle himself consecrated the church is a tradition of eleventh-century origin. King Edward died in January 1066 and was buried in front of the new high altar. When Duke William of Normandy (William I) arrived in London after his victory at the Battle of Hastings he chose to be crowned in Westminster Abbey, on Christmas Day 1066. The Abbey has been the coronation church ever since. The Benedictine monastery flourished owing to a combination of royal patronage, extensive estates, and the presence of the shrine of St Edward the Confessor (King Edward had been canonised in 1161). Westminster’s prestige and influence among English religious houses was further enhanced in 1222 when papal judges confirmed that the monastery was exempt from English ecclesiastical jurisdiction and answerable direct to the Pope. The present Gothic church was begun by King Henry III in 1245. By October 1269 the eastern portion, including the Quire, had been completed and the remains of St Edward were translated to a new shrine east of the High Altar.
    [Show full text]
  • A Short Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help
    A Short Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help What is a Novena? From the Latin word “novem,” which means nine, the novena is an ancient Christian devotional practice of praying and meditating for nine consecutive days. Novenas may also be undertaken for nine consecutive hours, weeks, or months. Perpetual novenas are prayed on an ongoing basis daily, weekly, monthly, and even annually. Novenas are usually undertaken for the sake of a particular cause or intention and may consist of public or private prayer. The number nine recalls the nine months Jesus spent in the womb of Mary, his death on the Cross at the ninth hour, the nine days the disciples spent in prayer awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room at Pentecost. Who is Our Mother of Perpetual Help? The Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help was originally published in Spain in 1866 under the approval of Pope Pius IX. The image of the icon presented in this booklet dates to before 1499, but legend has it that the image was painted by the Apostle Luke, a Greek physician, artist, and Gospel writer whom the Eastern Church honors as the first writer of icons. There are four images of Mary attributed to him by tradition. The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (originally Succor), is displayed in the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome and is entrusted to the care of the Redemptorists. When the image was adopted by the West, its name was changed from Succor to Perpetual Help. The story goes that Jesus was given a vision of the manner of his own death when the Archangels Michael and Gabriel revealed to him the lance, sponge, nails, and cross.
    [Show full text]