Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, of Byzantine style, is one of the many icons attributed to Luke. This image shows the Mother of God holding the Christ Child in her arms. The Child has a frightened look on His face caused by the instruments of His future passion presented to Him by the archangels Michael and Raphael. Jesus is tucked up against His mother who presses Him on her heart and He has lost His sandal out of fear. This icon was revered for centuries on the island of Crete. In the 15th century, the island was invaded by the Turks, but a Christian managed to get a hold of the icon and flee. When the man arrived in Rome, he fell seriously ill and asked a friend to put the icon in a church. Instead, the latter kept it and his wife hung it up in their bedroom. The Blessed Virgin appeared several times to the owner to tell him she was not happy, but man paid no heed. Then, Mary appeared to the couple's daughter and asked her to have the icon placed in a church located between the two major basilicas of St Mary Major and St John Lateran. Following his daughter's pleas, the father finally acquiesced and the icon was installed in 1499 in the Church of St Matthew where it remained until Napoleon's army destroyed the church three hundred years later. Fortunately, the image was saved and Pope Pius IX gave it to the Redemptorists on April 26, 1866--who had the church of Saint Alphonsus rebuilt where the Church of St Matthew was formerly located. The Pope added solemnly: "Make her known! Make her loved! She will save the world!" Many miracles are attributed to this famous image, copies of which are now found throughout the world (cf. logo of "A Moment with Mary").