By Jacqueline Kelly –
The original painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help dates from the 14th Century, and is about 21 inches long and 17 inches wide. The paintings show the Virgin Mother from the waist up, and her head is erect in queenly dignity. Her eyes look at the beholder, her nose is typical of a Jewess; her mouth is small and set in a beautiful oval face. She wears a simple tunic which is red and reaches to her neck; the mantle over her shoulders is dark blue and covers her head, beneath is a finely-woven green bandeau which hides her hair.
The mantle of Christ is brown, under which he wears a green tunic with a red waist-band. The mantle of the Archangel Michael is dark green, that of Gabriel is purple. Out of reverence for the instruments of the Passion they hold them with veiled hands. The gold surrounding the figures symbolizes heaven, to remind us that heaven was purchased for us by Our Saviour’s death on the Cross, and that Mother Mary, being “The Gate of Heaven” is our advocate with Jesus Christ.
In India, however, the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour is more ancient than the origin of the Redemptorist Fathers. In the 16th Century, we find a Church constructed and a village named after Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Goa; and in 1595 a Church was dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Goa and in 1595 a Church was dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour at Manori, in the Archdiocese of Mumbai.
On 8th September, 1948, the Novena in honour of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour was started at St. Michael Church, Mahim, Mumbai with the installation of the picture touched to the original Icon in Rome.
The Church of Saint Michael’s, Mahim may be considered as the pivotal point from which it has spread all over the East, Far East, Middle East and even Africa.
On Our Lady’s veil is a star, she is the “Morning Star” and the “Star of the Sea”. Saint Bonaventure says that “Sinners should not despair of saving their souls, but should lift up their eyes to Mary, and She will guide them into the harbour of salvation”.
In the East the picture is known as Our Lady of Sorrowful Vision. The Blessed Virgin holds her Divine Child in her arms, but two angels, whom we see from the Greek letters to represent Michael and Gabriel, are showing Him the instruments of His Passion, Saint Michael holds the lance and sponge on a reed; Saint Gabriel holds the Cross and nails whilst He is frightened and turning sadly aside and clinging to His Mother’s hand. In His fear He jerks His little feet and the sandal on His right foot becomes loose and slips off.
The artist portrays the Child Jesus terrified at the vision of His Passion. The head of Our Lady is inclined towards Her Son; Her eyes reveal the depths of Her compassion for Him; She draws Him closer to Her with Her supporting hand, for She was always to Him a Mother of Perpetual Help.
When we gaze at the holy picture, we are reminded of the fundamental truth of Christianity. The Child Jesus is Divine – the Lord Our God – otherwise He would not yet know the terrible future that lay open before His gaze. The Child is Human – Mother Mary’s Son – otherwise He would not fear. God made of a woman, God manifest in the flesh.
Byzantine art began to flourish in the 9th Century. The artist follows the Byzantine custom of putting in his painting Greek letters which give the names of each figure. The four at the top, mean, “Mother of God”; the four letters to the right of the Child’s head “Jesus Christ”. The Greek letters over the angels tell us that the one on the left is “The Archangel Michael”, and the one on the right is “The Archangel Gabriel” Our Lady chose this title to inspire all her children with confidence in Her. Till, recent times the title was HOLY MARY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR.
“Succour” comes from two Latin words [sub – currere] meaning to ‘to run beneath’. One who succours ‘runs beneath ‘ someone who is falling. Succour, therefore, expresses exactly what a mother does when she sees her child falling, or hears it calling for help. She immediately runs to her little one, lifts it up and comforts it. So, a good mother does more than help her child in need: she really succours it, i.e. ‘runs beneath it’. This is why Our Lady chose her title, because She is Our Mother and is anxious to succour us in all our needs.
‘Perpetual’ comes from the Latin word [perpetuus] meaning ‘unceasing’. So, the title “Mother of Perpetual Succour” means “Our Mother who is unceasingly ready to run to our assistance”. The main lesson taught by the picture and title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is that She is indeed our Spiritual Mother. She wants to impress this great truth upon all Christians. We should be confident that She will
come to “Succour” us at the hour of our death, to help us at our great encounter with Christ.
The image of the Mother of Perpetual Help that was unknown in the middle of the last century is now not only to be found in every country, but is also the most popular Madonna throughout the world. Wherever, there is devotion to this picture, Our Blessed Mother turns her eyes of mercy to her children and showers her graces upon them. Her own title – HOLY MARY OF PERPETUAL HELP – inspires confidence. Happy are all those souls who are devoted to Her: She is their hope in life and their salvation in death.
The first to paint an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding her Child was Saint Luke. According to an Eastern tradition, Saint Luke, having painted his Madonna on wood, showed it to Her, and She wished Her blessing to go with it. The Evangelist is said to have sent his painting to his friend Theophilus, living in Antioch. In the middle of the 5th Century Saint Luke’s Madonna came into the possession of Eudocia,the wife of Theodocius II,the Emperor of Constantinople, Eventually, the painting of the Evangelist was given to Saint Pulcheria, who had it enshrined in one of the churches of the city.
In the course of time, the famous image of Saint Luke, was known to the people of Constantinople as the Hodegetria. This Greek word means “to lead the way”. Possibly, the picture received this name as it was sometimes carried by soldiers into battle when defending the city.
The picture comes from the island of Crete, an island some 60 miles from Greece. The Cretans one day at the end of the 15th Century were surprised to find that the icon they looked upon as miraculous had disappeared from its shrine. A native of Crete, before embarking on a ship bound for Italy, stole the sacred image of the Blessed Virgin holding Her Child and hid it among his merchandise. When the merchant died, the Roman found the stolen icon. As soon as his wife saw it, she persuaded her husband not to part with such a beautiful Madonna. So, it was put in her bedroom; and there it remained for nearly a year.
The Augustinians were in charge of the church of Saint Matthew when it was made known that the Blessed Virgin desired that her picture be enshrined there. It was brought to the Church on 27th March 1499. As this was Wednesday of the Holy Week, a day on which a special indulgence could be gained by visiting Saint Matthew’s, a great crowd of people witnessed the miraculous image being enshrined in the Church. In the 17th Century a number of Irish Augustinians came to Rome to avoid the persecutions in Ireland.
In 1739, Pope Clement XII requested the Irish Augustinians to take charge of Saint Matthew’s, and until 1798 they formed the major part of the community. Cardinal Patrizzi announced in the name of Pope Pius IX that the image of the Mother of Perpetual Help was to be restored for public veneration on 26th April,1866, the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel. The painting, which was over 400 years old, was faded and worm-eaten. An eminent Polish artist, Leopold Novodny, was asked to restore it.
He completed his delicate task in time for it’s enthronement. The ceremony was fixed for 23rd June,1867.So,on that day, after a Pontifical High Mass, the Archbishop of Constantinople, Rev. Aloysius Antici-Mattei blessed two gold crowns studded with precious jewels. One, he placed on the head of the Divine Child and the other on the head of Our Blessed Lady.
At the end of 1867,a copy of the picture was placed for public veneration in the new Redemptorist Church at Mount Saint Alphonsus, in Limerick.
The idea of the “Perpetual Novena” originated towards the end of 1927 at the Redemptorist Church of Saint Alphonsus in St.Louis, Missouri. It was a development of the weekly devotions to the Blessed Virgin held every Tuesday since 1922. The service was held on Tuesdays as it was a suitable day for the Americans in that area.
Pope Pius XI officially recognized and encouraged the Perpetual Novena of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, on 16th February,1928. Inevitably, the Perpetual Novena came to Ireland. American Forces, stationed in Northern Ireland during World War II, had some American Redemptorists serving them as Chaplains. It was these American Redemptorist Chaplains who introduced the Perpetual in Clonard Church, Belfast in 1943.
Seeing the huge crowds and sensing the extraordinary atmosphere that are such striking features of every solemn Novena, one cannot but recall that day in 1866 when Pope Pius IX gave a mandate to the Redemptorists “MAKE HER KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE WORLD”!
The original icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour is housed in the Church at Via Merulana 31, Rome, Italy. Since the icon was showing signs of deterioration due to public exposure, the Redemptorists sought the professional expertise of Vatican Museum experts to restore it in 1990.In this process, they not only strengthened the wood on which the icon was painted, but also arrived at the original bright colours.