Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help - Day 1 -

Traditional Novena Prayer

O Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke Thy most powerful name,
which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying.
O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary, let Thy name henceforth be ever on my lips.
Delay not, O Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on Thee, for, in all my temptations, in all my needs,
I shall never cease to call on Thee, ever repeating Thy sacred name, Mary, Mary.
O what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what emotion fill my soul when I utter Thy sacred name, or even only think of Thee.
I thank God for having given Thee, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name.
But I will not be content with merely uttering Thy name; let my hope for Thee prompt me ever to hail Thee,Mother of Perpetual Help. Amen

( 3 Hail Mary )

Concluding prayer

Mother of Perpetual Help, with the greatest confidence
we come before your holy picture to be inspired
by the example of your life.

We think of you at that moment when, full of faith and trust,
you accepted God's call to be the Mother of His Son.
Help us, your children, to accept with joy our own calling in life.

When you learned that your cousin Elizabeth was in need,
you immediately went to serve her and offer your help.
Help us, like you, to be concerned for others.

We think of you, Mother, at the foot of the Cross.
Your heart must have bled to see your Son in agony.
But your joy was great when He rose from the dead,
victorious over the powers of evil.

Mother of Sorrows, help us through the trials and disappointments
of life. Help us not to lose heart.
May we share with you and your Son the joy of having faced
up to all the challenges of life.Amen

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help ( June 27 )

Today is starting the Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help ( June 18 ending June 26 ) the vigil of the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Among Christians , the title Perpetual Help is one of the better known titles of the Mother of God, especially among the most needy and afflicted who feel the need for love and protection.
The original picture is an Eastern Icon that represents the Virgin of the Passion, painted to inspire hope and prayer. Its spiritual message far surpasses its artistic beauty. An icon is much more than the representation of a person or a historical event. The Icon of Perpetual Help raises our consciousness of the mysteries of the Redemption in Christ and of the intercession of Mary in favor of those who follow Christ, here in the arms of His Holy Mother.

Only with an attitude of faith and prayer can one admire this icon. The expression on Holy Mary's face is that of a mother who knows pain, and yet, extends her help with serenity and tenderness, as she invites us to obey the Will of God, even when we find it in suffering and the cross, and to offer our lives in service to Him and our neighbor as He did unto death.