FEAST DAY OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP, SATURDAY JUNE 27, 2026
- Olivia M. Bannan
- Jun 27
- 2 min read
The Redemptorists celebrate Mother Mary's Feast Day, Our Mother of Perpetual Help today.
Our Mother of Perpetual Succour (Latin: Nostra Mater de Perpetuo Succursu), colloquially known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The 15th-century Byzantine icon. was enshrined in the Church of San Matteo in Via Merulana from 1499 to 1798 and is today permanently enshrined in the Church of St Alphonsus Liguori in Rome. The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer serve as custodians of the icon.
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) maintain a robust account of the icon and its passage from the private hands of a merchant family in Rome to its final and current location at Saint Alphonsus Liguori on the Esquiline Hill in Rome
About the Icon
Each element of the icon has a meaning.
Mary's eyes, filled with compassion and love, are directed toward us.
Our Lady is clothed in the color of virgins (red) and of others (blue). These are also royal colors.
Jesus, depicted as a young boy, wears the colors of a king.
The star on Mary's veil reminds us that she is the dawn announcing the coming of Christ.
Our Lady's left hand holds Her Son securely, and Her right hand directs our gaze to Him.
The Child Christ grasps His Mother's hand as though He is frightened by what He sees.
In His hurry to reach His Mother, Jesus has almost lost one of His sandals. He became human, like us, in all things but sin.
On Our Lady's right and left we see the reasons for Jesus' fear. On the right is the Archangel Gabriel, holding a cross and four nails. On the left is the Archangel Michael, holding a lance, a pole with a sponge, and a vessel of vinegar. This vision of the instruments of the crucifixion has driven the Child to His Mother's protective embrace.
Yet Mary's gaze is fixed on us, Her children on earth. She is our source of constant comfort and hope.
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