Happy Feast Day Mary, Help of Christians

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The history of the devotion to Mary Help of Christians  (from Lepanto to Australia) and also St John Bosco’s promotion of the devotion. 

Advice from St John Bosco:

  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. “Spread devotion to Mary, Help of Christians, and you will see what miracles are”.

A personal testimony

I have silently said the prayer:

Mary Help of Christians, pray for us,

(and added come to my aid in this situation), while seeing in my mind a picture of Mary Help of Christians in the sky, and below her the sea battle of Lepanto: the famous one in which Mary Help of Christians, helped the Christians gain a great victory, and have found that through this prayer, Mary has speedily sent me help in difficult situations on a number of occasions. Mary Help of Christians is the patron of Australia.

The following prayer was said in Australian Catholic schools for many years.

Prayer for the conversion of Australia

O God Who hast appointed Mary, Help of Christians, St Francis Xavier and St Therese of the Infant Jesus, patrons of Australia, grant that, through their intercession, our brethren outside the Church, may receive the light of Faith, so that Australia may become one in Faith, under one Shepherd. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Mary, Help of Christians pray for us.

St Francis Xavier, pray for us.

St Therese of the Infant Jesus pray for us.

Special note

St Francis Xavier and St Therese of the Child Jesus were patrons of Australia when it was considered to be a missionary country. They are no longer patrons of Australia. (I think that we need them back) besides I am very devoted to St Therese. (She is one of my all time favourites) and I was married on December 3 (the feast day of St Francis Xavier).

This is:  The novena to Mary, Help of Christians that was recommended by St John Bosco. 

My email enquiries to the Archdiocese of Sydney to find out exactly when Australia was no longer considered to be a missionary country, so as a consequence no longer had St Francis Xavier and St Therese of the Child Jesus as patrons of Australia have so far drawn a blank.

The prayer for the conversion of Australia was taken from a little booklet that was published in 1961.

Advertisement

The Green Scapular

The Blessed Virgin Mary revealed the Green Scapular to Sister Justine Bisqueyburu, in France, in 1840.  Our Lady promised that there would be many conversions when this scapular was used with confidence in her intercession.  The scapular should be blessed a priest. There is no enrollment required.  Daily say the prayer attached to this Scapular. “Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death”. This prayer can be said in favour of another. If the prayer is not said by the person to whom the scapular is given then it should be said by the person who is giving the scapular. It can be worn, or it can be placed in the clothing, on the bed, or simply in the room with the person.

Learn about the Miraculous Medal.

Loretta Young

The following story was told by the late Father Aeden McGrath an Irish missionary priest at a talk which he gave in Sydney, Australia.  Father McGrath was in China during World War II when the Japanese Army were in the country.  The Japanese were advancing toward the area where his parish was located. The local women were terrified of what was going to happen when the Japanese soldiers arrived. They begged Father McGrath who was a very short man to protect them.  There was very little that he could do. He prayed to Our Lady for help.  The Japanese soldiers arrived.  The Japanese sergeant had a big crush on Loretta Young the Hollywood actress, who he had seen in movies. He was keen to find out if Father McGrath had ever met Loretta Young.  As a matter of fact Father McGrath had met her, probably through association with Father Patrick Peyton (the founder of the Family Rosary Crusade). The sergeant ordered his soldiers to leave the people in peace, because Father McGrath knew Loretta Young!

This is one of the stories in my book: Help from heaven (Answers to prayers). The book can be read free on-line by pressing here. 

            

Car that was “dead” is now running well (A favour of The Holy Souls in Purgatory)

Car that was “dead” is now running well  (The Holy Souls in Purgatory)

Right now I am feeling total awe, immense gratitude and the overwhelming feeling of just WOW. I say the Saint Gertrude prayer for The Holy Souls in Purgatory many times a day, since I found it on your web site. Yesterday when I was ready to go to Mass, I tried to start my car and there was nothing. It just would not turn over. I tried it several times during the day and my son tried it before he went to bed, but it still would not start. Before going to Mass this morning, I went to your web page, (as I do every morning before Mass) to say the prayer. I decided to read some of the things on the web page, which I did the first time that I found your web site, but have not done since then. I read about you not being able to open the lock on your door and about your husband helping. I thought that “I should pray to The Holy Souls in Purgatory about my car”, so before I went out, (I was intending to walk to Mass), I asked them to please pray that my car would start. I put the key in the ignition and said “please Holy Souls, pray that it starts,”  I turned the key and my car started! I was what you could call struck dumb. I could not believe it, they actually heard me and answered my prayer, so I offered up my Mass and my Eucharist for them. I pray that more and more people pray to and for The Holy Souls in Purgatory. They need our prayers, and they DO listen to us and pray for us. Just ask my car.  B.M. (USA)

This is the web link that is referred to in the story about the car:

http://missionbell.homestead.com/Afavourgrantedbytheholysouls.html

This story comes from my book Help from heaven (Answers to prayer), which can be read free on-line at:

http://missionbell.homestead.com/HelpFromHeavenBook.html

I welcome your feedback on the book.

Healing of autism (Mary Help of Christians)

In the 1980’s an outdoor shrine of Mary Help of Christians was built and blessed in Sydney. Our daughter was three years of age at the time. She had severe autism and could not talk. The man who was in charge of the shrine was a friend of our family. He told us that he had a plan to hold regular gatherings at the shrine, where people would pray for specially chosen intentions. e.g. a person with cancer. He selected our daughter as the first person who would be prayed for. We willingly agreed. It was his hope that our daughter would receive a miracle healing. On the appointed day, a group of people gathered at the shrine. A Jesuit priest brought our daughter up to the microphone and introduced her to the people and explained to them that she had autism.  He asked them to join with him in saying the Rosary for her healing. At the end of the Rosary the priest asked the people to keep this intention in their prayers. There was no instant miracle that day, but in the years to come our daughter made spectacular progress.

 

Useful information 

The powerful intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory for their benefactors and ways to help them

 

Novena to St Philomena the Wonder Worker for the healing of autism

Prayer to Mary Help of Christians (Patroness of Australia)

Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians

O Mary, powerful Virgin, you are the mighty and glorious protector of Holy Church; you are the marvellous Help of Christians; you are as terrible as an army set in battle array; you alone have destroyed every heresy in the whole world. In the midst of our anxiety, our problems and our distress defend us from the power of the enemy and at the hour of our death receive our souls in paradise. Amen. 

                                                 (St. John Bosco)

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.

“Spread devotion to Mary, Help of Christians, and you will see what miracles are”.

                                                  (St. John Bosco)