SAINT OF THE DAY SUNDAY, 21 JUNE, 2026 SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA JESUIT PRIEST (9 March 1568 - 21 June 1591) Born on 9th March, 1568, to Italian nobility in the family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, St. Aloysius was the son of a compulsive gambler. He is also the cousin of St. Rudolph Acquaviva. St. Aloysius was trained as a soldier and courtier even at the young age of four. In 1577, at the age of 8, he was sent to serve at the court of Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici. While there, he began to suffer from kidney disease and later viewed it as a blessing because he spent the time in prayer and spiritual reading. At the age of 9, he made a private vow of chastity. In 1580, St. Aloysius returned to Castiglione, and he received First Holy Communion from the hands of St. Charles Borromeo on June 22, 1580, who was then a cardinal. While still a young boy, St. Aloysius began to teach catechism to poor boys. St. Aloysius felt his vocation was to become a Jesuit; while his mother consented, his father was furious. His family tried relentlessly to deter him from his vocation, and they eventually tried to persuade him to become a diocesan priest. The family of St. Aloysius was prepared to "buy" him a bishopric. At age 18 he signed away his legal claim to his family's lands and title to his brother, and became a Jesuit novice. In November 1585, St. Aloysius went to Rome and was granted an audience with Pope Sixtus V. On November 25, 1585, he was accepted as a Jesuit novice. He was sent to Milan for his studies, but due to his poor health - skin disease, chronic headaches, kidney disease, and insomnia - he was sent back to Rome. In 1590 St. Aloysius had a vision in which the Archangel Gabriel told him that he would die within a year. With the outbreak of the Plague in 1591 in Rome, the Jesuits opened a hospital for those stricken with the Plague. St. Aloysius worked in a ward where there were no plague victims, but when a man became afflicted with the disease, St. Aloysius soon developed symptoms. As he was dying, he spoke many times with his spiritual director, St. Robert Bellarmine. St. Aloysius received another vision in which it was revealed that he would die on the Octave Day of Corpus Christi. St. Bellarmine gave him the sacraments and recited the prayers for the dying. On June 21, 1591, the Octave Day of Corpus Christi, St. Aloysius died shortly before midnight. St. Aloysius Gonzaga was canonized on December 31, 1726, Rome, Italy by Pope Benedict XIII. His relics are entombed under the altar of Saint Ignatius Church in Rome. In the sick, the helpless, the dying, St. Aloysius saw the crucified Christ. The man of the iron will who thought he could take Heaven by sheer determination surrendered at last to divine grace. SYMBOL: Crucifix, Lily PATRON: AIDS care-givers; AIDS patients; Catholic youth; Jesuit students; relief from pestilence; sore eyes; teenage children; teenagers; young people; youth and plague victims. PRAYER: O God, giver of heavenly gifts, who in Saint Aloysius Gonzaga joined penitence to a wonderful innocence of life, grant through his merits and intercession, that, though we have failed to follow him in innocence, we may imitate him in penitence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Saint Aloysius is one of those male saints who preserved angelic purity, who as they say always preserved their Baptismal innocence. From the top of my head I would recall Pope St John the 23rd and St Thomas Aquinas were another two. But there are more. On the case of St Thomas Aquinas he received this as a very special grace when young an tempted. All seem to have been consecrated to purity in a special way as children or young men. To a hardened old sinner like myself I am afraid they can seem as remote as unicorns and hard to relate to. But I do appreciate discovering and being shown that such things are possible. But I heard an Orthodox priest saying yesterday that God may not judge us on our failures but on our efforts to resist. Our struggles. I have to admit I prefer the great sinners who converted. I can relate so much more to them.
SAINTS OF THE DAY MONDAY, 22 JUNE, 2026 SAINTS THOMAS MORE AND JOHN FISHER SAINT THOMAS MORE MARTYR (February 7, 1478 - July 6, 1535) His belief that no lay ruler has jurisdiction over the church of Christ cost Thomas More his life. Beheaded on Tower Hill, London, July 6, 1535, he steadfastly refused to approve Henry VIII's divorce and remarriage and establishment of the Church of England. Described as "a man for all seasons," More was a literary scholar, eminent lawyer, gentleman, father of four children and chancellor of England. An intensely spiritual man, he would not support the king's divorce from Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn. Nor would he acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the church in England, breaking with Rome and denying the pope as head. More was committed to the Tower of London to await trial for treason: not swearing to the Act of Succession and the Oath of Supremacy. Upon conviction, More declared he had all the councils of Christendom and not just the council of one realm to support him in the decision of his conscience. Four hundred years later, in 1935, Thomas More was canonized a saint of God. Few saints are more relevant to our time. In fact, in 2000, Pope John Paul II named him patron of political leaders. The supreme diplomat and counselor, Thomas More did not compromise his own moral values in order to please the king, knowing that true allegiance to authority is not blind acceptance of everything that authority wants. Henry himself realized this and tried desperately to win his chancellor to his side because he knew More was a man whose approval counted, a man whose personal integrity no one questioned. But when Thomas resigned as chancellor, unable to approve the two matters that meant most to Henry, the king felt he had to get rid of Thomas. PATRON: Adopted children; diocese of Arlington, Virginia; civil servants; court clerks; difficult marriages; large families; lawyers; diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee Florida; politicians; politicos; statesmen; step-parents; widowers. PRAYER: O Lord, give us a mind that is humble, quiet, peaceable, patient and charitable, and a taste of your Holy Spirit in all our thoughts, words and deeds. O Lord, give us a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, a love of You. Take from us all lukewarmness in meditation and all dullness in prayer. Give us fervor and delight in thinking of You, your grace, and your tender compassion toward us. Give us, good Lord, the grace to work for the things we pray for. Amen. SAINT JOHN FISHER BISHOP AND MARTYR (19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) John Fisher is usually associated with Erasmus, Thomas More and other Renaissance humanists. His life, therefore, did not have the external simplicity found in the lives of some saints. Rather, he was a man of learning, associated with the intellectuals and political leaders of his day. He was interested in the contemporary culture and eventually became chancellor at Cambridge. He had been made a bishop at thirty-five, and one of his interests was raising the standard of preaching in England. Fisher himself was an accomplished preacher and writer. His sermons on the penitential psalms were reprinted seven times before his death. With the coming of Lutheranism, he was drawn into controversy. His eight books against heresy gave him a leading position among European theologians. In 1521 he was asked to study the problem of Henry VIII's marriage. He incurred Henry's anger by defending the validity of the king's marriage with Catherine and later by rejecting Henry's claim to be the supreme head of the Church of England. In an attempt to be rid of him, Henry first had him accused of not reporting all the "revelations" of the nun of Kent, Elizabeth Barton. John was summoned, in feeble health, to take the oath to the new Act of Succession. He and Thomas More refused because the Act presumed the legality of Henry's divorce and his claim to be head of the English church. They were sent to the Tower of London, where Fisher remained fourteen months without trial. They were finally sentenced to life imprisonment and loss of goods. When the two were called to further interrogations, they remained silent. Fisher was tricked, on the supposition he was speaking privately as a priest, and declared again that the king was not supreme head. The king, further angered that the pope had made John Fisher a cardinal, had him brought to trial on the charge of high treason. He was condemned and executed, his body left to lie all day on the scaffold and his head hung on London Bridge. More was executed two weeks later. PATRON: Those persecuted for the Faith. PRAYER FOR HOLY BISHOPS BY SAINT JOHN FISHER: Lord, according to Thy promise that the Gospel should be preached throughout the whole world, raise up men fit for such work. The Apostles were but soft and yielding clay till they were baked hard by the fire of the Holy Ghost. So, good Lord, do now in like manner with Thy Church militant, change and make the soft and slippery earth into hard stones. Set in the Thy Church strong and mighty pillars that may suffer and endure great labors--watching, poverty, thirst, hunger, cold and heat--which also shall not fear the threatenings of princes, persecution, neither death, but always persuade and think with themselves to suffer with a good will, slanders, shame, and all kinds of torments, for the glory and laud of Thy Holy Name. By this manner, good Lord, the truth of Thy Gospel shall be preached throughout the world. Therefore, merciful Lord, exercise Thy mercy, show it indeed upon Thy Church. Amen.
Two lovely saints. I must watch the film, 'A Man for all Seasons' again. I believe it can be found on utube. The big take away for me is that they both were not saints before they were killed. It was their death that raised them to holiness. Saint John Fisher actually said this that if he had not been so old he did not think he would have stood firm to the end. But that because he was so old he thought he had little to loose. He must have had doubts because after all he was the only Catholic Bishop in the entire country who stood firm. Judging from his words on the scaffold the poor old man was terrified before death. Still he went through with it right to the end. He could easily have backed out at any point along the way. But he never did. Saint Thomas Moore wrote a pamphlet rejoicing in the burning at the stake of some poor Protestants in the Netherlands. In this he was very much a man of the times. Right across Europe Catholics burned, tortured and killed poor Protestants and Protestants did the same to poor Catholics. It is important to recall that things happened both ways. It is hard to see how any of this awful slaughter had anything to do with Jesus. But it is clear that the path of Truth that Thomas followed led him to a high degree of holiness in prison even before his death. I find the human fear and struggles of these two saints such a comfort. If ever our own time comes may we do as well as these.
My uncle Joseph, my Dad's eldest brother, was a member of the Brothers of Charity (a Belgian order) for over 80 years, until he died in 2009. He took the name More, after St. Thomas. I learned later in life that my Dad too, had been away to enter the Brothers of Charity. He took the name Fisher, after St. John. I'm not sure how long he stayed but he obviously realised at some point that his vocation in life lay elsewhere. Thankfully, after he left he went on to meet my mother and get married. Saint Thomas More and Saint John Fisher, pray for us.
SAINT OF THE DAY TUESDAY, 23 JUNE, 2026 SAINT JOSEPH CAFASSO PRIEST (15 January 1811 - 23 June 1860) Joseph was born in 1811 at Castelnuovo of pious parents. The sanctity and apostolic zeal in which he later excelled manifested themselves in him when he was still a child. The usual games of boyhood held no attraction for him. He preferred to occupy himself with God, counting it as a special pleasure if he could attend the holy sacrifice of the Mass and engage in other pious exercises. At the age of six he was already called a saint. As a youth in the public schools and later as a student in Cheri seminary, he continued to be an object of respect because of the innocence of his life, his gravity, humility, observance of rules, and his fervor at prayer. He was frequently referred to as another Aloysius Gonzaga. Not long after his ordination to the priesthood, Aloysius Guala, an exemplary priest, established a seminary in connection with the church of St Francis of Assisi at Turin, where young priests were instructed in their sacred calling, and especially fitted to defeat the various errors of Jansenism. Joseph was appointed a teacher at this institution and succeeded the founder after his death. As head of the seminary, Joseph quickly completed the arduous task which Father Guala had begun but had not been able to finish. Saint Joseph Cafasso completely rooted out the pernicious doctrines of Jansenism and those of other reformers, reviving the teachings of St Francis de Sales and of St Alphonse Liguori, which clearly point out the way to Christian perfection. Joseph continued this mission as long as he was a priest with such constancy and fidelity that the task seemed to have been assigned to him by our heavenly Father Himself. In his tireless zeal for the diving glory and the salvation of souls, Joseph combined example with words. He did all he could to promote devotion to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, toward whom he manifested great love, and never ceased urging the faithful to approach the great banquet daily. Our Blessed Lady had been the object of his devotion ever since his boyhood days, and he now sought to inspire others to love her with filial devotion. His solicitude extended also to the ministers of the altar, whom he encouraged in zeal and effort to gain souls for Christ. He was a member of the Third Order of St Francis, and used to recommend this institution as the ideal society, especially for priests who are cut off from worldly associations. There was no spiritual or temporal need in which Saint Joseph Cafasso did not interest himself, no kind of calamity for which he did not offer a corresponding means of alleviation, no good work which he did not encourage or support. His heart went out to the orphans, the poor, the sick, and those detained in prison. He shirked no hardship, not even danger to life, in the accomplishment of his undertakings. By his counsel and help he persuaded his dearest pupil, Don Bosco, to found the society of St Francis de Sales, or the Salesians, whose work for Church and souls has been outstanding. But the interest Blessed Joseph manifested in the various problems of suffering humanity was outdone by that which he evinced toward unfortunates who were condemned to death. His sacrifices for them were unlimited. He used every means at his disposal to find an easy approach to their hearts, and the great power of his love overcame their obstinacy. When at last he had restored them to the grace and friendship of God, he accompanied them to their execution, which he regarded not so much as temporal death as the entrance into eternal life. After doing such great things for God and meriting the veneration of all who knew him, Joseph humbly begged God to erase his memory altogether after death. Worn with hardships, but enriched with merits St. Joseph Cafasso died on June 23, 1860 at Turin, Italy at the age of forty-nine from pneumonia and complications of congenital medical problems fortified with the sacraments of the Church. He had poured himself out unreservedly for both God and neighbour. St. John Bosco preached at his funeral. Because of his virtue and the miracles performed through his intercession, Pope Pius XI in the Holy Year of 1925, added his name to the list of the blessed, and in 1947 Pope Pius XII declared Saint Joseph Cafasso to be a saint. PATRON: Captives,Prussia, Prisoners & Prison Chaplains. ST. JOSEPH CAFASSO'S PRAYER TO AVOID PURGATORY: O my sweet Jesus, in addition to the many graces which Thou hast conferred on me in the course of my life, I ask Thee for this further one: when my soul shall have departed from this world, not only that it not be condemned to Hell, but that it shall not be compelled to remain away from Thee for even a moment in Purgatory. It is true that I am a debtor to Divine Justice, but I hope to pay all my debts from the infinite merits of Thy Passion and Death. O Heaven, holy city of my God, my dear native land! Oh, how I sigh for thee! O happy day when I shall reach thee! O Heavn, my dear Heaven, come quickly and satisfy the desires of a wretched heart that sighs for thee! "My God, I accept whatever kind of death it may please Thee to send me, with all the terrors, all the pains, all the sufferings that shall justly accompany it. Finally, I pray Thee to accept the destruction of my body as the last act of homage that I can offer to Thy Supreme Divine Majesty, in satisfaction for the offences committed in the course of my life. "O Mary, I ask thee for one more grace: Obtain from thy Divine Son that I may die, but that I may die with thee, and that I may fly to Heaven along with thee. O merciful Mother, grant that when my soul is liberated from this wretched body I may go immediately to find thee in Heaven, there to commence that life which will be my occupation for all eternity. Amen.
SAINT OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY, 24 JUNE, 2026 NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST (late 1st century BC – c. AD 30) This feast, a segment of Advent in the season of Ordinary Time, makes us aware of the wonderful inner relationship between the sacred mysteries; for we are still in the midst of one Church year and already a bridge is being erected to the coming year of grace. Ordinarily the Church observes the day of a saint's death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven. To this rule there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of Blessed Mary and of St. John the Baptist. All other persons were stained with original sin at birth, hence, were displeasing to God. But Mary, already in the first moment of her existence, was free from original sin (for which reason even her very conception is commemorated by a special feast), and John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother. This is the dogmatic justification for today's feast. In the breviary St. Augustine explains the reason for today's observance in the following words: "Apart from the most holy solemnity commemorating our Savior's birth, the Church keeps the birthday of no other person except that of John the Baptist. (The feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin had not yet been introduced.) In the case of other saints or of God's chosen ones, the Church, as you know, solemnizes the day on which they were reborn to everlasting beatitude after ending the trials of this life and gloriously triumphing over the world. "For all these the final day of their lives, the day on which they completed their earthly service is honored. But for John the day of his birth, the day on which he began this mortal life is likewise sacred. The reason for this is, of course, that the Lord willed to announce to men His own coming through the Baptist, lest if He appeared suddenly, they would fail to recognize Him. John represented the Old Covenant and the Law. Therefore he preceded the Redeemer, even as the Law preceded and heralded the new dispensation of grace." PATRON: of Jordan, Puerto Rico, Knights Hospitaller of Jerusalem, French Canada, Newfoundland, Cesena, Florence, Genoa, Monza, Perth (Scotland), Porto, San Juan, Turin, Xewkija, and many other places. PRAYER TO ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST: O God, you raised up St. John the Baptist to prepare a perfect people for Christ. Fill Your people with the joy of possessing His grace, and direct the minds of all faithful in the way of peace and salvation. Grant that St. John was martyred for truth and justice, so we may energetically profess our Faith in You, and lead others to the Way, the Truth, and Eternal Life. Amen.
SAINT OF THE DAY THURSDAY, 25 JUNE, 2026 SAINT WILLIAM OF MONTE VERGINE (ALSO KNOWN AS SAINT WILLIAM OF VERCELLI) ABBOT AND CONFESSOR (1085 - 1142) Williamites was the son of noble parents, both of whom died when he was still a child, and his education was entrusted to one of his kinsmen. At the age of fifteen he made up his mind to renounce the world and lead a life of penance. With this end in view, he went on a pilgrimage to St. James of Compostella, and, not content with the ordinary hardships of such a pilgrimage, he encircled his body with iron bands to increase his suffering. After this journey he started on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but it was revealed to him that he would be of greater service to God if he remained in Italy. He built himself a hut on Monte Vergine, wishing to become a hermit and live in solitude, but it was not long before many people flocked to him to put themselves under his guidance, being attracted by the sanctity of his life and the many miracles which he performed. Soon a monastery was built, and by 1119 the Congregation of Monte Vergine was founded. St. William lived at Monte Vergine until the brethren began to murmur against him, saying that the life was too austere, that he gave too much in alms, and so on. He therefore decided to leave Monte Vergine and thus take away from the monks the cause of their grievances. Roger I of Naples took him under his patronage, and the saint founded many monasteries, both of men and of women, in that kingdom. So edified was the king with the saint's sanctity of life and the wisdom of his counsels that, in order to have him always near him, he built a monastery opposite his palace at Salerno. Knowing by special revelation that his end was at hand, William retired to his monastery of Gugino. When Saint William died on the 25th of June, 1142, he had not yet written a Rule for his religious; his second successor, Robert, fearing the dissolution of a community without constitutions, placed them under that of Saint Benedict, and is regarded as the first abbot of the Benedictine Congregation of Monte-Vergine. A portrait of the Virgin venerated there has been an unfailing source of holy compunction; pilgrims continue to visit it. PATRONAGE: Irpinia, Italy. PRAYER: St. William of Vercelli, you were a father to your monks and a shepherd to your people. Pray for us that we might have our sight restored, that we might see with the eyes of our hearts and souls, God's presence in and around us. Teach us to nourish our spiritual journeys with prayer so that we too might be instruments of God's light and love to others. In the spirit of St. Benedict help us to be people of hospitality who let our work become prayer. Let us find God in each other. Amen.
I saw the most beautiful cartoon by Leonardo De Vinci at Mass last night. While the priest preached in Spanish I looked up a talk for the Feast of the Baptism of John the Baptist it shows Our Lady, St Anne , John the Baptist and Jesus. Looking at it is a whole homily in itself. I wonder though if the one they claim was St Anne might no actually be St Elizabeth? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Virgin_and_Child_with_Saint_Anne_and_Saint_John_the_Baptist
SAINT OF THE DAY FRIDAY, 26 JUNE, 2026 SAINT JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA DE BALAGUER PRIEST (9 January 1902 - 26 June 1975) One of six children born to Jose and Dolores Escriva; three of his siblings died in infancy. His father was a small businessman, and when his business failed in 1915, the family moved to Logroño, Spain. As a young man, Josemaria saw the bare footprints left in the snow by a monk; the sight moved him, and kindled a desire for religious vocation. He studied for the priesthood in Log to no and Zaragoza, Spain. His father died in 1924, and Josemaria had to simultaneously support the family while studying. Ordained in Zaragoza on 28 March 1925. Assigned for a while to a rural parish, and then in Zaragoza. Moved to Madrid, Spain in 1927 to study law. Following a profound spiritual retreat, Josemaria founded Opus Dei in Madrid on 2 October 1928, opening a new way for the faithful to sanctify themselves in the midst of the world through their work and fulfillment of their personal, family and social duties. The next few years were spent studying at the University of Madrid, teaching to support his mother and siblings, ministering to the poor and sick, and working to build the foundation of Opus Dei. Religious persecution in the Spanish Civil War forced Josemaria into hiding, and he ministered covertly to his parishioners. He escaped across the Pyrenees to Burgos, Spain. At the end of the war in 1939, he returned to his studies in Madrid. Doctor of law. Retreat master for laity, priests, and religious. On 14 February 1943 he founded the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, united to Opus Dei. Josemaria moved to Rome, Italy in 1946, and earned a doctorate in theologyfrom the Lateran University. Consultor to two Vatican Congregations. Honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology. Named a prelate of honor by Pope Pius XII. In the mid-1940s he developed serious form of diabetes, from which he was miraculously cured in 1954. Opus Dei received the approval of the Holy See on 16 June1950. Josemaria travelled frequently throughout Europeand Latin America to work for the growth of Opus Dei, and by the time of his death, it had spread to five continents with over 60,000 members of 80 nationalities, and today has over 80,000 members, most laymen. PATRON: Diabetics. PRAYER: O God, through the mediation of Mary our Mother, you granted your priest St. Josemaría countless graces, choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei, a way of sanctification in daily work and in the fulfillment of the Christian's ordinary duties. Grant that I too may learn to turn all the circumstances and events of my life into occasions of loving You and serving the Church, the Pope and all souls with joy and simplicity, lighting up the pathways of this earth with faith and love. Deign to grant me, through the intercession of St. Josemaría, the favor of ... (make your request). Amen.
One thing I notice about the Opus Dei at the moment is that they are under the most tremendous attack from the Vatican and the Secular media. I can think of no higher recommendation. When Jose Maria was a young priest he had to operate undercover for the Communists had taken over. If he had been caught he would have been killed at once , probably after torture. Yet reports show he lived in great calm as though no danger threatened. So I would guess he was in a high degree of sanctity even as a young man. One report at the time describes the Communists taking over a large Government building in Madrid and forcing the Military officers to step out into space several floors up to their deaths. Communists, whom our current Pontiff seems so fond of. If you have a chance watch the saint talk to audiences on utube , he was superb.
He gave many talks and did questions and answers. The questions and answers are often even better than the talk itself.
Wow! I must check! I was astonished when I visited Garabandal lately, I was blown away. I always thought it might be true. But it was just incredible.
Had a quick search and this came up, from a Medjugorje page on Fb. I can't remember where I read about it originally. Maybe Fr. Saavedra's book. October 6, 2002, SAINT JOSE MARIE ESCRIVA AND GARABANDAL On October 6, 2002, Pope John Paul II canonized Jose Marie Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei in St Peter’s Square, Rome, in the presence of more than 300,000 people from all round the world. The link between St Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer with the Garabandal apparitions is not well known. In the summer of 1962 he spent a few days of holiday in Suances, Cantabria, during which he visited Garabandal, accompanied by several young men , members of Opus Dei. He spoke cheerfully and profoundly to the girls, an experience they still recall fondly after all these years. As it happens, news of this visit came out by chance years later when somebody showed the girls a prayer picture for God’s favor through his intercession, printed during his canonization. It was then that the girls joyfully recounted the meeting. He would not have risked his reputation if he did not believe in the apparitions, and tell others about his trip to talk to the girls. This was also confirmed by Mother Nieves, Conchita’s Mother Superior at her boarding school.
FEAST OF THE DAY SATURDAY, 27 JUNE, 2026 OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR (OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP, ALSO KNOWN AS OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR, IS CELEBRATED ON JUNE 27 BY THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH). The devotion to this Marian advocation revolves around the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, painted on wood, with background of gold. It is Byzantine in style and is supposed to have been painted in the thirteenth century. It represents the Mother of God holding the Divine Child while the Archangels Michael and Gabriel presenting Him the instruments of His Passion. Over the figures in the picture are some Greek letters which form the abbreviated words Mother of God, Jesus Christ, Archangel Michael, and Archangel Gabriel respectively. The icon was brought to Rome towards the end of the fifteenth century by a pious merchant, who, dying there, ordered by his will that the picture should be exposed in a church for public veneration. It was exposed in the church of San Matteo in the famous Roman street of Via Merulana, which connects the basilicas of Saint Mary Major and Saint John Lateran. Crowds flocked to this church, and for nearly three hundred years many graces were obtained through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. The picture was then popularly called the Madonna di San Matteo. The church was served for a time by the Hermits of Saint Augustine. These Augustinians were still in charge when the French invaded Rome (1812) and destroyed the church. The picture disappeared; it remained hidden and neglected for over forty years, but a series of providential circumstances between 1863 and 1865 led to its rediscovery in an oratory of the Augustinian Fathers at Santa Maria in Posterula. Pope Pius IX, who as a boy had prayed before the picture in San Matteo, became interested in the discovery. But at that time, the ruins of San Matteo were in the grounds of a convent of the Redemptorists — the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer — founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787). The Father General of the Redemptorists, Most Rev. Nicholas Mauron, decided to bring the whole matter to the attention of the Pope. The Pope listened attentively and felt sure it was God's will that the icon should be gain exposed to public veneration and the logical site was their church of St. Alphonsus, standing as it did between the Basilicas of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran. The Holy Father at once took a piece of paper and wrote a short memorandum ordering the Augustinian Fathers of St. Mary in Posterula to surrender the picture to the Redemptorists, on condition that the Redemptorists supply the Augustinians with another picture of Our Lady or a good copy of the icon of Perpetual Help. The Icon meant much to the Augustinians, but when the two Redemptorists came armed with the Pope's signed memorandum, what could they do but obey? On January 19, 1866, Fathers Marchi and Bresciani brought the miraculous picture to St. Alphonsus' church. Preparations were now made to inaugurate the new public reign of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. On April 26th, a great procession was staged in which the picture was carried throughout the Esquiline region of Rome. Upon returning to the church, the picture was enthroned over the high altar, in a resplendent shrine-niche especially constructed for it. The report of marvelous healings spread rapidly throughout the city of Rome and people came by the hundreds to visit the shrine. Soon the whole area around the altar was filled with abandoned crutches and canes and several whole glass-covered cabinets were filled with gold and silver thanksgiving offerings in the shapes of miniature hearts, arms, legs and other votive offerings. Scarcely two weeks after the solemn exposition of the picture, Pope Pius IX himself came to visit the shrine. He stood quietly before it for a long time and then exclaimed: “How beautiful she is!”. Pope Leo XIII, the next pontiff, had a copy of the picture on his desk so that he might see it constantly during his working day. St. Pius X sent a copy of the icon to the Empress of Ethiopia and granted an indulgence of 100 days to anyone who repeated the phrase: “Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for us.”Pope Benedict XV had the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help placed immediately over his chair of state in the throne room. Here it could be seen by all just over his head, as if to say: “Here is your true Queen!”. Pope Pius IX told the Redemptorists, in speaking to them of the treasure he had committed to their care: “Make her known!” It seems as though they hardly needed the exhortation. In the United States, they built the first Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in the Roxbury section of Boston, and it was eventually raised to the honor of a “Papal Basilica” by Pope Pius XII. SYMBOLISM OF THE ICON OF PERPETUAL HELP The influence of Eastern icons in the West, around the XII and XIII centuries brought a class of icons called Cardiotissa, from the Greek word kardia, meaning heart. Cardiotissa means “having a heart” or showing sympathy and mercy and compassion. In them the face of Our Lady appears full of sorrow, yet supremely dignified in her contemplation of the sufferings of her Son. His passion is represented by angels holding instruments of His passion, most often the cross, the lance, the sponge, and the nails. The Our Mother of Perpetual Help icon is of this type. The angels holding the instruments of the Passion have their hands covered with a protecting veil as a sign of reverence in handling sacred objects. The Child Jesus is shown with an adult face and a high brow, indicating His divine Mind of infinite intelligence. As God, He knew that the angelic apparition was prophetic of His future passion. Yet in His human nature as a small child, He is frightened and runs to His Mother for protection. Our Lady hastily picks Him up and clasps Him to her bosom. This action is indicated by the fact that the Lord's right foot is nervously curled about the left ankle and in such haste that His right sandal has become loosened and hangs by a single strap. Further action is indicated by the way the Child Jesus clasps His Mother's right hand with both of His, holding tightly to Our Lady's thumb. Our Lady is clothed in a dress of dark red which was long reserved in the Byzantine world for the Empress alone, indicating the Queenship of Mary. Some commentators on color claim that bluish purple became the color of penance in the Western Church (during Lent and Advent) because purple is a combination of blue and red. The blue reminds us of heaven, to which we wish to arrive by our penance, and the red recalls martyrdom, because all penance requires a dying to oneself, especially mortifying inordinate desire for food and pleasure. The archangels Gabriel and Michael were tunics of purple since they carry the instruments of the passion and death of Christ. The figures of the icon are identified with abbreviations of their names and Mary is designated by her chief title to glory: Mother of God. Our Lady's face is of unspeakable majesty and calm and yet her large eyes, partly closed, express ineffable sorrow and sympathy. Our Lady is not looking at Jesus, but rather to us, to express compassion for us in our fears and sorrows.
Wow! What a gorgeous Feast Day! I didn't know! There are all kinds of wonderful legands around this miraculous icon. I have one in front of me now in my room and must pray to it a lot today. It is a story in itself. The child Jesus rushing in fear to his mother for comfort.
