Miracle of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝘆! 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲:
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Miracle of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The origin story of the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is simply woven with miracles! But when the image was transferred to avoid destruction during war, it was forgotten for nearly 40 years.
Its rediscovery involved a young altar boy named Michael, and a wise old monk who impressed him with the image’s importance…

Hello and welcome to America Needs Fatima, my name is Adrien Fonseca! Before we get going, make sure to hit subscribe and click the notification bell to never miss out on another story of Mary. Oh, and also make sure to comment below and share your thoughts on today’s topic! I’m looking forward to reading what you all think!

Okay, on to our story!

According to popular tradition, a merchant acquired the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help from the island of Crete and shipped it to Rome toward the end of the fifteenth century. During the voyage, a terrible storm arose, threatening the lives of all on the ship, and the passengers and crew prayed to Our Lady and were saved.

Once in Rome, the merchant, who was dying, ordered that the image should be displayed for public veneration. His friend retained the picture and received further instructions through a dream his young daughter had. The Blessed Mother appeared to her as she slept and expressed the desire for the image to be venerated in a church between the Basilicas of Saint Mary Major and Saint John Lateran in Rome. And so, the picture was housed at the Church of Saint Matthew. Pilgrims flocked to the church for the next three hundred years, and extraordinary graces were bestowed upon the faithful.

After Napoleon’s troops destroyed the Church of Saint Matthew in 1812, the image was transferred to the Church of Saint Mary in Posterula. It remained there for nearly forty years when it was neglected and forgotten.

But by an action of Divine Providence, the forgotten image was rediscovered. The story of this rediscovery is impressive in its simplicity. Over several years, an Augustinian monk took pains to point the icon out to a young altar boy named Michael. The monk impressed on the young lad the importance and beauty of the image, even though he did not know of its origins. Michael never forgot the words of his mentor. He later became a Redemptorist Father and told his fellow priests about Our Lady of Perpetual Help. One thing led to another, and in 1865 the Superior General of the Redemptorist order wrote to the Holy Father, asking permission to “adopt” the image.

Soon after that, Blessed Pope Pius IX sent a letter to Father General Mauron and ordered that the image once again be publicly venerated in Via Merulana, the new church of Saint Alphonsus. The same Pontiff directed the Augustinian friars to surrender the icon to the Redemptorist priests. The Redemptorists must supply the Augustinians with another picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help or a good copy of the icon in exchange as a gesture of goodwill.

Upon its official transfer, Pope Pius IX finally gave his Apostolic Blessing. He titled the icon Mater de Perpetuo Succursu (Mother of Perpetual Help). When the image was carried in a solemn procession through the streets, a young child was miraculously cured, the first of many recorded miracles attributed to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Today, Our Lady of Perpetual Help is the most widely known icon in the world. It is a Byzantine icon painted on wood. It depicts the Blessed Mother under the “Mother of God” title, holding the child Jesus.

You might be looking at this icon and thinking, “That’s not a very realistic image.” Well, icons are not meant to be merely physical representations of the subject matter but artistic portrayals of eternal truths. In this case, the artist has the child Jesus contemplating the vision of His future passion, and in His anguish, He runs to His Mother to be consoled. Notice that His left sandal is dangling from His foot, which indicates how hastily He ran to His Mother. And there is so much more rich symbolism, but we’re running out of time for today!

I love Our Lady of Perpetual Help because she reminds me that a mother always tries to help her children. And when I think of the Mother of God as my Mother, I often turn to her for help. Knowing that her support for us is unending gives me enormous hope and is deeply comforting.

Miracle of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

America Needs Fatima is a campaign to capture the heart and soul of America with the Message of Our Lady of Fatima. In 1917, Our Lady asked for prayer, penance and other measures to avoid chastisement of suffering, famines, and wars. She also promised that:

“Finally, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

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