Collection: Our Lady of Perpetual Help
The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Byzantine image of Mary holding the Child Jesus, who has run to her in fright at the sight of two angels carrying the instruments of his Passion.
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One of his sandals is falling off. Mary looks not at her Son but at us, as if to say that she will help us in the same way.
The original icon is here in Rome, in the Church of St. Alphonsus on Via Merulana, not far from St. Mary Major. In 1866 Blessed Pius IX entrusted it to the Redemptorists and asked them to make her known throughout the world, which is why so many parishes in the US hold a weekly Perpetual Help novena. Her feast is June 27.
Small Perpetual Help medals, blessed by Pope Leo XIV, suit a First Communion, a mother or anyone who prays the novena. A vintage silver medal is a more substantial keepsake. Another medal pairs Our Lady with St. Gerard Majella, the Redemptorist saint invoked by expectant mothers. Blessed items ship from Rome with a holy card of the Papal blessing. For more Marian devotions, see Our Lady.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help?
In Rome, in the Church of St. Alphonsus on Via Merulana, cared for by the Redemptorists since 1866.
Who is St. Gerard on the combined medal?
St. Gerard Majella was an 18th century Redemptorist brother. He is the patron of expectant mothers and of safe childbirth.
When is the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help?
June 27. Many parishes pray her novena all year round, once a week.
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