Devotions to Mary, Help of Christians
If we could but lift the veil and show you the graces that have been granted to those dedicated to Her, we could intone a magnificent hymn in honor of the Mighty Virgin, Help of Christians. –Don Bosco
In 1571 when the Ottomans were invading Europe, Pope Pius V helped to form an army against them. John of Austria as well as many other great men united with the Pope’s armies and prepared for battle with three days of fasting, public prayers, and processions. The armies invoked Mary’s protection in the battle under the title of “Help of Christians”. The battle took place upon the waters of Lepanto on October 7, 1571.
The battle was difficult, and there were many losses on every side, but the Christian army prevailed. The pope, who all this time had been praying in Rome, saw in vision the miraculous victory. In order to perpetuate tile memory of it he ordered that the invocation ‘Help of Christians’ should be added to the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, and that a feast in honor of Our Lady of Victories should be celebrated on October 7.
Later, when Vienna was delivered from a siege by the Turks in 1683, a sodality in honor of Mary, Help of Christians, was instituted in Bavaria in thanksgiving to her for such a signal grace. The sodality soon spread from Germany to Italy and elsewhere. Finally, Pope Pius VII, upon being freed from imprisonment, fixed the feast of Mary. Help of Christians, on May 24.
Our Lady made known to St John Bosco that she wished devotion spread to her under this title, and she worked many miracles to help him in his work. St John Bosco built a great church in Turin dedicated to Mary, Help of Christians, and the Holy Father made it a minor Basilica.
Many miracles were worked in this church. The lame walked, the blind saw, the sick in soul and body were restored to health. From this church, the heart of the Salesian work, the sons and daughters of St John Bosco have carried the name of Mary, Help of Christians, to every part of the world.
It is the office of a mother to give help to her children in all their needs. This title expresses in practice Our Lady’s position as our Mother. She has all the help we need and she wants to give it to us, if only we will ask for it.
Call on Mary in all your difficulties with the little prayer, Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us, and you will never call in vain. And again, ‘Spread devotion to Mary, Help of Christians, and you will see what miracles are.’ In this sanctuary, by a brief of April 5, 1870, Pope Pius IX founded an archconfraternity, and enriched it with many indulgences and spiritual favors, and on May 17, 1903, by a decree of Pope Leo XIII, the image of Mary. help of Christians, which is venerated there, was solemnly crowned.” (Adapted from the Companion of Youth, written by St John Bosco)
Picture of Mary Help of Christians
The picture shown above is a reproduction of the one that is above the high altar in the Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians in Turin. It was painted by the artist Lorenzone under St John Bosco’s personal direction.
Right at the top of the picture is a triangle, representing the Most Holy Trinity, Just as each angle of a triangle includes the whole triangle, and each remains distinct yet there is only one triangle, so each Person of the Most Holy Trinity embraces the Godhead, each Person is God, and yet there is only one God. Within the triangle is the All-seeing eye of God, and beneath it is a Dove, the symbol of the Holy Ghost, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
Mary stands in the radiance that proceeds from the Godhead. She has a special relationship with each person of the Trinity:
- She is the well-beloved Daughter of the Father.
- She is the Mother of the Son.
- She is the Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
Her immense dignity has raised Her above all creation, and has caused Her to receive untold graces and favors. These are symbolized by the twelve stars around Her head.
Mary is the Queen of Creation, of Angels and of men. She bears on Her head the Crown of Royalty, and in Her hand the Scepter of Power, for Mary is All-Powerful by Her prayer.
The picture emphasizes this in particular that Mary is the Queen of Heaven receiving the homage of the whole Court of Heaven. First of all She receives the homage of the Nine Choirs of Angels (Queen of Angels), then She receives the homage of the Apostles (Queen of the Apostles); most of these bear the symbols of their martyrdom. It is well to point out that Don Bosco wanted all the martyrs, confessors and holy virgins to be portrayed as well, but space would not permit it. Hence you have to imagine grouped round the Apostles in ever widening circles the entire hosts of the saints of Heaven.
The Apostles also have a particular significance. They represent the Church. It was on the Apostles that Christ founded His Church; to them he said ‘Go and teach all nations.’ Hence they symbolize the whole of Christianity united to the Church of the Rome, represented by two figures that have special prominence at the bottom of the picture, St Peter with the Keys of Authority, and St Paul. holding the sword with which he was beheaded.
Through the clouds can be seen the earth with shrines and trophies of Our Lady’s victories on earth. The artist could not represent them all, so he had to be content with showing one. It is barely distinguishable on top of the hill. It is the Basilica of the Superga built to commemorate Our Lady’s protection of Turin against the attacks of the French in the War of the Spanish Succession. Mary is also the Help of Christians. She is also the Help of each individual Christian, and the Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians built by Don Bosco himself (shown at the bottom of the hill) symbolizes this. Each brick, he said, was a favor from the Help of Christians to Her clients.
ORDER OF APOSTLES (from right to left)
1. St James the Less (clubbed to death).
2. St Matthias (beheaded).
3. St Andrew (crucified).
4. St Philip (crucified).
5. St James the Greater (bears Pilgrim’s Staff, symbol of the great devotion to his shrine at Compostella).
6. St Matthew, also an evangelist (hence the ‘winged man’ who represents the descent of Christ from Abraham and David traced out by Matthew at the beginning of his Gospel).
7. St Luke (ox sacrifice his Gospel opens with the history of the priest Zachariah).
8. St Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles (beheaded at Rome).
9. St Peter (crucified upside down at Rome).
10. St Mark (the lion symbolizes the wilderness wherein John the Baptist began his mission).
11. St John (‘My chalice indeed you shall drink’— he was to suffer).
12. St Thomas (pierced with a lance).
13. St Simon (sawn in two).
14. St Jude (stoned to death).
15. St Bartholomew (flayed alive with knife).
(From the Companion of Youth)
Prayer to Mary Help of Christians
O Mary, powerful Virgin, thou art the mighty and glorious protector of holy Church; thou art the marvelous help of Christians; thou art terrible as an army in battle array; thou alone hast destroyed every heresy in the whole world. In the midst of our anguish, our struggles and our distress defend us from the power of the enemy and at the hour of our death receive our souls in paradise. Amen.
(Prayer written and given by St John Bosco to the future Cardinal Cagliero when sailing for the second time to South America.)
Prayer and Consecration to Mary Help of Christians
Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin, Help of Christians, * we consecrate ourselves entirely to Thee * and we promise always to labor * the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.
We pray Thee to turn thine eyes of pity on the Church, * on its Supreme Pontiff, priests and missionaries; * on the Salesian Family; * our relatives and benefactors; * on the youth confided to our care; * on poor sinners and the dying, and on all the souls in Purgatory.
Teach us, O most tender Mother, * to copy in ourselves the virtues of our holy Founder, * particularly his angelic modesty, profound humility and ardent charity. * Grant also, O Mary, Help of Christians, * that through thy powerful intercession * we may be victorious over the enemies of our souls in life and in death, * so that with St John Bosco * we may be gathered round Thee in heaven. Amen.
Novena to Mary Help of Christians
I. O Mary Most Holy, powerful help of all those who have recourse with confidence to the throne of thy mercy; hear the prayers of this poor sinner who implores thy help to avoid sin and the occasions of sin.
Hail Mary; Glory be to the Father.
II. O Mary Most Holy, mother of goodness and mercy, who hast oftentimes with thy visible patronage delivered Christian people from the assaults and cruelties of the Moslems; defend I beseech thee my soul from the assaults of the devil, the world, and the flesh, so that I may be victorious over the enemies of my soul.
Hail Mary; Glory be to the Father.
III. O Mary, most powerful Queen, who alone didst triumph over the many heresies which endeavored to tear away so many children from the bosom of our Holy Mother the Church, help me, I beseech thee, to hold firmly to my faith and to keep my heart unsullied among so many snares and the poison of false doctrine.
Hail Mary; Glory be to the Father.
IV. O Mary, my sweetest mother, who art the Queen of Martyrs by reason of thy many heroic acts of courage and fortitude on earth, I beseech thee, infuse into my heart the necessary strength to persevere in thy holy service, that treading under foot all human respect, I may practice my holy religion openly and fearlessly and on every occasion even unto death show myself a devout child of thine.
Hail Mary; Glory be to the Father.
V. O Mary, dear mother, who didst manifest thy powerful patronage in the triumph of Pope Pius VII, take under thy protecting mantle the whole Church and especially her august head, the sovereign Pontiff. Defend him evermore from the assaults of his many enemies, deliver him from temporal sufferings, and ever assist him, that he may guide the bark of St Peter safely to harbor, and triumph over the tempestuous waves that strive to sink it.
Hail Mary; Glory be to the Father.
VI. O Mary, Queen of Apostles, take under thy powerful protection the bishops, priests, and all the faithful of the Catholic Church; obtain for them the spirit of unity, of perfect obedience to the Roman Pontiff, and of fervent zeal for the salvation of souls. I beg of thee especially to extend thy loving patronage to missionaries and help them to bring all races of the earth to the true faith of Jesus Christ, so that there may be One Fold and One Shepherd.
Hail Mary; Glory be to the Father.
VII. O Mary, Mother of mercy, who by thy powerful intercession hast saved Christian peoples from plagues and other evils, help us and deliver us now from the scourge of impiety and irreligion which in many ways seeks to find an entrance into our hearts, to turn us away from the Church and the practices of our faith. I beseech thee, watch over the good that they may persevere, strengthen the weak, and call to repentance all poor sinners, that truth and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ may triumph here on earth, and thy glory and the number of the elect may be increased in heaven.
Hail Mary; Glory be to the Father.
VIII. O Mary, Pillar of the Church and Help of all Christians, I implore thee to keep me firm in my holy faith and to preserve in me the liberty of the children of God. I promise thee with the help of Divine Grace that I will never stain or bind my soul with sin, or take part in any society condemned by the Church. I promise to be obedient to the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and to the bishops in communion with him, as I wish to live and die in the bosom of the Catholic Faith wherein alone I may hope with certainty for eternal salvation.
Hail Mary; Glory be to the Father.
IX. O Mary, most loving Mother, who wast in every age the Help of Christians, assist me with thy powerful protection during life, but particularly at the hour of death, so that after loving and praising thee here on earth, I may come to sing thy mercies for ever in heaven.
Hail Mary; Glory be to the Father.
V. Graciously suffer me to praise thee, O Sacred Virgin.
R. Grant me strength against thine enemies.
Let us pray
O almighty and merciful God who, in the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary, hast miraculously given an everlasting Protectress to defend Christian people; graciously grant that, fortified by such an aid, and striving onward in life, we may be victorious over the wicked one in the hour of death. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us.
Act of Consecration to Mary, Help of Christians
Most holy and immaculate Virgin Mary, our most tender Mother and powerful Help of Christians, we dedicate ourselves to thy most sweet love and holy service. We consecrate our minds with all their thoughts, our hearts with all their affections, our bodies with all their senses and powers, and we promise to desire always to work for the greater glory of God and for the salvation of souls. Meanwhile, do thou, O incomparable Virgin, who hast always been the help of the Christian people, continue to show thyself such, especially in these last days. Humble the enemies of our holy religion, and frustrate their evil purposes. Enlighten and strength bishops and priests, and keep them ever united in obedience to the Pope, their infallible master. Preserve incautious youth from irreligion and vice. Promote holy (and persevering Salesian) vocations and increase the number of thy sacred ministers, that by means of them the kingdom of Jesus Christ may be extended from the farthest boundaries of the earth.
We pray thee also, most sweet Mother to look at all times with compassion upon the young and thoughtless, exposed to so many dangers, and upon poor sinners and the dying; be for all a sweet hope, O Mary, Mother of mercy and gate of heaven.
Also we pray thee for ourselves, O great Mother of God. Teach us to copy thy virtues, especially thy angelic modesty, profound humility, and ardent charity; so that by word and example we may, as far as it is possible in our state of life, present in the midst of the world a living image of blessed Jesus, thy Son, and may cause thee to be known and loved, and so may succeed in saving many souls.
Obtain for us, O Mary our helper, that we may be all gathered under thy maternal mantle, that in temptation we may invoke thee promptly and confidently; in short, that the thought of thee, so good, so loving, and so dear, and the remembrance of the love which thou barest to thy clients may be such a support to us as to render us victorious over the enemies of our souls in life and in death, so that we may become thy beautiful crown in paradise. Amen.
The Blessing of Mary, Help of Christians
a special blessing which may be given by Salesian priests
Our help is in the Name of the Lord
Who made heaven and earth.
Hail Mary…
We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Mary, Help of Christians,
Pray for us.
O Lord hear my prayer.
And let my cry come unto You.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, Who by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit did prepare the body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mother Mary to become a worthy dwelling for Your Son, grant that as we rejoice in Her commemoration, we may, by her loving intercession, be delivered from present evils and from everlasting death. Through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
(Alternate Prayer)
Let us pray. All powerful and ever-living God, by the work of the Holy Spirit, You prepared the body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mary to become a worthy dwelling for Your Son. We celebrate her memory with joy. Through Her motherly intercession may we be delivered from present evils from everlasting death. We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
May the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, descend on you and remain with you forever.
Amen.
Blessed Alexandrina da Costa’s Prayer to Mary
A Prayer composed for offer Mary her spiritual bouquet at the end of the month of May: “Little Mother, I come humbly to you feet to lay down the little spiritual flowers which I have collected during this month. Behold the state in which I offer them to you! They are so faded and leafless. But you, O heavenly Mother, can transform them. Speak to your Divine Son of my distress and affliction…. Repeat to Him on my behalf all my supplications, and grant that my poor flowers may be acceptable, so as to benefit those for whom they were offered….
Mother dear, on the last day of your blessed month, since I have nothing to offer to you, I give you my whole body. I ask you to take charge of it and take it on your arm as you would take that of a beloved daughter. Bless me, dear Mother. Ask Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament to bless me. Ask the Holy Trinity to bless me. Goodbye dear Mother, and forgive me everything.” Blessed Alessandrina da Costa (Salesian Cooperator)
