to Jesus through Mary and Joseph
Marian Devotions
Mary embraces God's will and freely chooses to cooperate with God's grace, thereby fulfilling a crucial role in God's plan of salvation. Throughout the centuries, the Church has turned to the Blessed Virgin in order to come closer to Christ. Many forms of piety toward the Mother of God developed that help bring us closer to her Son. In these devotions to Mary, "while the Mother is honored, the Son, through whom all things have their being and in whom it has pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell, is rightly known, loved and glorified and . . . all His commands are observed." The Church honors her as the Mother of God, looks to her as a model of perfect discipleship, and asks for her prayers to God on our behalf.( USCCB 2003)
The Miraculous Medal was created in response to a request from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who entrusted us with our mission. It was given by the Blessed Virgin Mary herself! No wonder, then, that it gives such extraordinary graces to those who wear it and pray for Mary’s intercession and help. Our Lady manifested the Medal to St. Catherine Labouré on November 27, 1830, in the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac, in Paris.
Catherine saw Our Lady standing on a globe, with dazzling rays of light streaming from her outstretched hands. Framing the figure was an inscription:
“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Then Mary spoke to Catherine: “Have a medal struck upon this model. Those who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around the neck.”
The vision then seemed to turn to show the reverse of the Medal: the letter M surmounted by a cross with a bar at its base; below this monogram, the Sacred Heart of Jesus crowned with thorns, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary pierced with a sword.
With approval of the Catholic Church, the first medals were made in 1832 and were distributed in Paris. Almost immediately the blessings that Mary had promised began to shower down on those who wore her medal, and soon all of France was clamoring for what the people referred to as the “Miraculous Medal.” Use of the Medal spread from country to country and now blankets the world. Everywhere, the Medal is still drawing down from God blessings for body and soul.
The Miraculous Medal Story
Devotions to The Miraculous Medal
O Immaculate, Queen of heaven and earth, Refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to You, I, an unworthy sinner, cast myself at Your feet, humbly imploring You to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to Yourself as Your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death, and eternity, whatever pleases You. If it pleases You, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what has been said of You: “She will crush your head”, and “You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world.” Let me be a fit instrument in Your immaculate and most merciful hands for introducing and increasing Your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed Kingdom of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For, wherever You enter, You obtain the grace of conversion and sanctification, since it is through Your hands that all graces come to us from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
V.Allow me to praise You, O most holy Virgin.
R. Give me strength against Your enemies.
Act of Consecration to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Novena Prayer
O Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus and our Mother, penetrated with the most lively confidence in your all-powerful and never-failing intercession, manifested so often through the Miraculous Medal, we your loving and trustful children implore you to obtain for us the graces and favors we ask during this Novena, if they be beneficial to our immortal souls, and the souls for whom we pray.
(Here privately form your petitions.)
You know, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of your Son who hates iniquity. Obtain for us, then, a deep hatred of sin and that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone, so that our every thought, word and deed may tend to His greater glory. Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial, that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin and at length attain to that blessed abode where you are the Queen of angels and of men. Amen.
Novena to Our Lady Miraculous Medal
First Day
The First Apparition
During the night of July 18-19, 1830, the Most Holy Virgin appeared for the first time to Saint Catherine Labouré, who had been awakened and led from the dormitory to the chapel by her guardian angel.
In the sanctuary, Saint Catherine later wrote:
“I heard something like the rustling of a silk dress, coming from the side of the tribune, close to Saint Joseph’s picture. She alighted on the steps of the altar on the Gospel side, in an arm chair like Saint Anne’s... As I looked up at Our Lady I flung myself close to her, falling on my knees on the altar steps, my hands resting in her knees. That was the sweetest moment of my life.”
Let us pray: O Most Holy Virgin, O my Mother, look on my soul with mercy, obtain for me a spirit of prayer that leads me always to have recourse to thee. Obtain for me the graces that I implore of thee and, above all, inspire me to pray for the graces that thou most wants to grant me.
Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be...
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Second Day
Protection of Mary in times of trial
“The times are very evil, misfortunes are going to befall France, the throne will be overthrown, the whole world will be overwhelmed with misfortunes of every kind.” The Holy Virgin looked very distressed as she said this. “But come to the foot of this altar. Here graces will be bestowed on anyone, great or small, who asks for them with confidence and fervor... A moment will come of such great danger that all will seem lost. But I shall be with you.”
Let us pray: O Most Holy Virgin, O my Mother, amidst the great desolation in the world and the Church, obtain for me the graces I ask of thee and inspire me, above all, to request the graces that thou most wants to grant me.
Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be...
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Third Day
The Cross will be despised
“The Cross will be despised and hurled to the ground, blood will run in the streets, the Side of Our Lord will be opened again. The archbishop will be stripped of his garments.” Here the Holy Virgin, her face filled with sadness, could no longer speak. “My child, the whole world will be plunged in sorrow,” she said to me.
Let us pray: O Most Holy Virgin, O my Mother, obtain for me the grace to live in union with thee, with thy Divine Son and the Church at this crucial moment in history, as tragic as the Passion, when all humanity is about to choose sides for or against Christ! Obtain for me the graces I implore, especially the grace of requesting that which thou most wants to grant me.
Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be...
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Fourth Day
Mary crushes the head of the serpent
At 5:30 on the evening of November 27, 1830, as Saint Catherine was praying in the chapel, the Holy Virgin appeared to her for the second time, standing as high as Saint Joseph’s picture to the right of the main altar.
“Her face was so beautiful that it would be impossible for me to describe it. Her robe was white as the glow of dawn... Her head was covered with a white veil that extended to her feet which rested on a half sphere, with her heel crushing the head of a serpent.”
Let us pray: O Most Holy Virgin, O my Mother, be my protection against the assaults of the infernal enemy. Obtain for me the graces I am asking of thee and, above all, inspire me to request the graces that thou most wants to grant me.
Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be...
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Fifth Day
The Virgin of the globe
The Holy Virgin holds a globe in her hands representing the whole world, and each person in particular, and offers it to God, imploring His mercy.
She wears rings on her fingers, bearing precious stones that shed rays, one more beautiful than the next, symbolizing the graces that the Holy Virgin pours out on those who ask for them.
Let us pray: O Most Holy Virgin, O my Mother, obtain for me the graces I am asking of thee and inspire me, above all, to request the graces that thou most wants to grant me.
Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be...
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Sixth Day
The invocation on the medal
During the second apparition, Our Blessed Mother explained to Saint Catherine “how pleased she is when people pray to her and how generous she is with them; how she gives special graces to those who ask; and what a great joy she takes in granting them.”
At that point “a frame formed around Our Lady, like an oval, bearing the following words in gold letters: ‘O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.’”
Let us pray: O Most Holy Virgin, O my Mother, obtain for me the graces I am asking of thee and inspire me, above all, to request the graces that thou most wants to grant me.
Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be...
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Seventh Day
Revelation of the medal
Then a voice was heard, saying, “Have a medal struck after this model. Those who wear it, blessed, around their neck will receive great graces. The graces will be abundant for those who wear it with confidence.”
Let us pray: O Most Holy Virgin, O my Mother, obtain for me the graces that I ask of thee and inspire me, above all, to pray for the graces that thou most wants to grant me.
Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be...
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Eight Day
The hearts of Jesus and Mary
After contemplating the picture on the medal, Saint Catherine saw it turn to display the back. There she saw an “M,” the monogram of Mary, surmounted by a small cross and, below it, the hearts of Jesus and Mary, the first surrounded with thorns and the latter pierced with a sword.
Twelve stars surrounded the hearts and the monogram.
Let us pray: O Immaculate Heart of Mary, make my heart like unto thine. Obtain for me the graces I am asking of thee and, above all, inspire me to ask of thee the graces thou most wants to grant me.
Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be...
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Ninth Day
Mary will be proclaimed
Queen of the Universe Confirming the predictions of Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, Saint Catherine says that the Most Holy Virgin will be proclaimed Queen of the Universe: “Oh! how beautiful it will be to hear: Mary is the Queen of the Universe. The children and everyone will cry with joy and rapture.
That will be a lasting era of peace and happiness. She will be displayed on standards and paraded all over the world.”
Let us pray: O Most Holy Virgin, O my Mother, obtain for me the graces I am asking of thee and inspire me, above all, to pray for the graces that thou most wants to grant me.
Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be...
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
History of Devotion to
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Although we are celebrating 150 years of devotion, the story of the icon goes back much further in time. Its origins cannot be determined with precision, but scientific analysis demonstrates that this icon was created sometime after 1300, probably on the island of Crete. The original artist is unknown. However, at some point in the 1400s, the icon was brought to Italy and venerated in a family home for some years before being placed in St. Matthew’s Church on the Via Merulana in Rome on March 27, 1499.
Tradition tells us that while the icon was in the possession of a Roman family, Mary herself appeared to the young daughter. Identifying herself as the Mother of Perpetual Help, Mary instructed the girl to tell her parents to place the icon for public veneration in the Church of St. Matthew. For 300 years, the icon was honored in St. Matthew’s Church. Veneration spread throughout the city of Rome.
In 1798, Rome fell to invading troops, and the church and monastery of St. Matthew’s were almost totally destroyed. The icon was taken by Augustinian monks and remained hidden and unknown in a private chapel for sixty-five years. In a remarkable chain of events, the Redemptorists purchased the land on which old St. Matthew’s had stood and constructed their international headquarters, along with the Church of St. Alphonsus, on the Via Merulana. Shortly after this, a Redemptorist novice who had served Mass in the private chapel of the Augustinians remembered the story of the icon told to him as a young altar boy at the monastery by Br. Augustine Orsetti, an older monk. Br. Augustine spoke of this miraculous icon in the chapel and called her “Perpetual Help.”
Years later, this boy became Redemptorist Fr. Michael Marchi. One day, he heard a Jesuit preaching about the “lost” icon of Perpetual Help that used to be venerated in St. Matthew’s Church. He realized that he knew where this icon could be found. After many years in obscurity, the icon of Perpetual Help was rediscovered and identified!
Fr. Mauron, the Redemptorist Superior General, asked Pope Pius IX to restore the icon to public devotion, and Our Mother of Perpetual Help returned to Via Merulana to the place where she had revealed herself to the young girl almost 400 years before.
For the last 150 years, the devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help has accompanied the Redemptorist Missionaries wherever they have gone. Present in more than eighty countries, they have carried this devotion to every continent and corner of the world. Devotion to this icon is found in the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox, as well as the Roman Catholic Church. The icon, under the title of Perpetual Help, is venerated by members of some Protestant Churches as well as by people of other faiths. In fact, especially in Asia, some new Christians describe how through novena devotions to this icon they have come to faith and baptism.
In the name of Father, and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Immaculate Mother
Immaculate Mother, to you do we plead;
to ask God our Father for help in our need.
Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
We pray for our country, the land of our birth;
we pray for all nations, that peace on earth.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria, Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
Opening Prayer
Brothers and sisters, as children of our Blessed Mother, we are gathered before her miraculous picture to honor her and to pray for all our needs. Unworthy children that we are, let us first of all ask God’s mercy and pardon.
Merciful Father * You sent Your Divine Son * to redeem us by His death and resurrection * and to give us new life. * By this You make us Your children * to love one another in Christ. How many times in the past * we have forgotten this sublime dignity. * We have sinned against our brothers and sisters; * we have offended You. Merciful Father, forgive us.* Repenting sincerely of our sins, * we ask Your mercy; * may we always live as Your truly devoted children.
Mary Immaculate, Star of the Morning
Mary Immaculate, Star of the morning.
Chosen before the creation began,
destined to bring through the light of your dawning,
conquest of Satan and rescue to man.
Refrain:
Bend from your throne at the voice of our crying.
Look to this earth, where your footsteps have trod.
Stretch out your arms to us living and dying,
Mary Immaculate, Mother of God.
We sinners honor your sinless perfection;
fallen and weak, for God’s mercy we plead.
Grant us the shield of your mighty protection.
Measure your aid by the depth of our need.
Novena Prayer
Dear Mother of Perpetual Help * from the cross * Jesus gave you to us for our Mother. * You are the kindest,*the most loving of all mothers. * Look tenderly on us your children * as we now ask you to help us in all our needs * especially this one (Pause to recall your petition).
While you were on earth, dear Mother * you willingly shared in the sufferings of your Son.* Strengthened by your faith and confidence * in the fatherly love of God * you accepted the mysterious designs of His Will.* We too, have our crosses and trials.* Sometimes they almost crush us to the ground.* Dearest Mother, * share with us your abundant faith and confidence in God.* Make us aware that God never ceases to love us; * that He answers all our prayers * in the way that is best for us. * Strengthen our hearts to carry the cross * in the footsteps of your Divine Son. Help us to realize * that he who shares the cross of Christ * will certainly share His resurrection.
Dearest Mother,* as we worry about our own problems * let us not forget the needs of others.* You always love others so much; * help us to do the same. * While praying for our own intentions * and for the intentions * of all here present at this Novena * we earnestly ask you, our Mother * to help us comfort the sick and the dying * give hope to the poor and unemployed * heal the broken-hearted * lighten the burden of the oppressed * teach justice to their oppressors * and bring back to God * all those who have offended Him.
Dearest Mother, * help us to avoid sin * which separates us * from our heavenly Father * and from one another. * Full of trust in you * we place ourselves under the mantle of your maternal protection * and confidently hope * for your powerful help.* Amen.
Prayer for the Home
Mother of Perpetual Help, * we choose you as Queenof our homes. * We ask you to bless all our families * with your tender motherly love. * May the Sacrament of Marriage * bind husbands and wives so closely together * that they will always be faithful to each other * and love one another as Christ love His Church.
We ask you to bless all parents, * may they love and cherish their children * whom God has entrusted to them. * May they always give them the example * of a truly Christian life. * Help them to bring up their children * in the love and fear of God. * Bless all children * that they may love, * honor, and obey * their fathers and mothers. To your loving care * we especially entrust the youth of today.
Give us all a sense of responsibility * that we may doour part * in making our home * a haven of peace * like your own home at Nazareth. * We take you as our model. * Help us to grow daily in genuine love of God and neighbor * so that justice and peace may happily reign * in the entire family of mankind. Amen.
Petitions to Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Holy Mary ----------------------------------------------------------------Pray for us.
Holy Virgin conceived without sin…------------ Pray for us.
Our Mother of Perpetual Help… ------------------ Pray for us.
We sinners call to you …--------- Loving Mother help us.
Seasonal
Advent:
That we may prepare like you for the coming of Christ…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
Christmas:
That we may give our hearts completely to Christ, this Christmas…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
Lent:
That we may be faithful to the promises we made at Baptism…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
Easter:
That we may rejoice with you at Christ’s victory over sin and death…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
OTHER WEEKS:
That we may be filled with the Holy Spirit and become courageous
witnesses of Christ’s love for men…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may be more and more like our Divine Lord, as you were…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may be meek and humble of heart like your Son, Jesus…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may fear losing God’s friendship forever
by unrepented sin…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may seek Christ’s mercy and forgiveness constantly
in the Sacrament of Penance…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may be aware of God speaking to us in the
events of daily life…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may pray daily with love and trust, especially in
moments of temptation…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may realize the value of worshipping God
together in the Eucharist…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may grow in the love of Christ and neighbor
by frequent Communion…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may reverence our bodies as temples
of the Holy Spirit…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may strive to be true Christian by our loving
concern for others…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may proclaim the dignity of work by doing our own
work conscientiously…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may forgive from our heart those who have wronged us…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may see the evil of seeking our won interest at
the expense of others…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may work for the just distribution of this world's goods…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may share our talents with others for the good
of the community…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may accept our responsibility in the community in the
spirit of genuine service…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
To pray that the Holy Spirit may guide and strengthen Pope (name),
the Bishops, and the clergy…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may be blessed with an increase of priestly and
religious vocations…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may bring the knowledge and love of Christ to those
who do not know Him…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may be aware of our dependence on God in the midst
of human achievements…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may be ready at death to enter the home of our heavenly Father…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may die at peace with Christ and our fellowmen and women…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
That we may be comforted at the death of our dear ones by our hope
in the risen Lord…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
To pray that our departed brothers and sisters quickly share in your
Son’s resurrection…
--------- Loving Mother help us.
Let us pray in silence for our own intentions (Pause)
All:
Holy Mary * help us in our needs * pray for all the
people of God; * may all experience your perpetual help.
Priest:
Lord, you gave us Mary to be our mother ever ready to help us; grant us the grace to have recourse to her in all our needs.
Consecration to Our Mother of Perpetual Help (First Wednesday of the Month)
Immaculate Virgin Mary, * Mother of God and Mother of the Church, * you are also our Mother of Perpetual Help. * With hearts full of love for you * we consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart * so that we may be your devoted children. * Obtain for us true sorrow for our sins * and fidelity to the promises of our Baptism.
We consecrate our minds and hearts to you * that we always do the Will of our heavenly Father. * Weconsecrate our lives to you * that we may love God better * and live not for ourselves * but for Christ, your Son * and that we may see Him * and serve Him in others.
By this humble act of consecration, * dear Mother of Perpetual Help, * we pledge to model our lives on you, * the perfect Christian, * so that, consecrated to you in life and in death * we may belong to your Divine Son for all eternity. Amen.
Mother of Christ
Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
What shall I ask of thee?
I do not sigh for the wealth of earth
For the joys that fade and flee.
But, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ
This do I long to see.
The bliss untold which your arms enfold
the treasure upon your knee.
Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ
I toss on a stormy sea.
Oh, lift your Child as a beacon light
to the port where I fain would be.
And, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ
This do I ask of thee
When the voyage is o’er
O stand on the shore
And show Him at last to me.
O Saving Victim
O saving Victim op’ning wide
The gate of heaven to men below!
Our foes press on from ev’ry side
Your aid supply,
Your strength bestow.
To Your great name
be endless praise.
Immortal God-head,
one in three;
Oh, grant us endless
length of days
In our true native land
with Thee.
Amen
Thanksgiving Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ * truly present in the Most Blessed Eucharist * we adore You. It has pleased the Father * that in You, all His fullness should dwell * and that through You, He should reconcile all things to Himself.
Grant us the grace to be truly grateful * for all that our Father has done for us. * Grant that we may be truly sorry for our sins * and do penance for them. Through You, * we thank the Eternal Father for the gift of life. * He has created all the wonderful things of this world for us. * May we learn to use them well * so that through them * we may grow in love for Him.
Above all, * we thank our Father * for sending You to us * as the greatest expression of His love, * to save us and all creation * by Your death and resurrection.
We thank You, Lord, * for giving us Your own Mother, * to be our Mother of Perpetual Help.* May the countless favors * we have received through her intercession, * and especially through the Novena * inspire us to greater confidence * in God’s loving mercy * and her perpetual help. * Grant that we may always do the Holy Will of God * and persevere in His love. *
TO THE MOST HOLY TRINITY * FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT * BE HONOR, GLORY AND THANKSGIVING FOREVER AND EVER. Amen.
Prayer for the Sick
Lord Jesus Christ * you bore our sufferings and carried our sorrows * in order to show us clearly * the value of human weakness and patience. * Graciously hear our prayers for the sick. * Grant that those who are weighed down * with pain and other afflictions of illness * may realize that they are among the chosen ones * whom you called blessed. * Help them to understand * that they are united with You in Your sufferings * for the salvation of the world. Amen.
Let us Raise our Voice
Let us raise our voice
To proclaim our faith
Christ the Lord for us has died
Dying, He destroyed our death,
Rising, He restored our life.
O Lord Jesus, we await
Your last return in glory.
When we eat the bread
and we drink the cup
in the blessed Eucharist.
We meet You, our risen Savior
Giving life to us anew
Through life’s journey,
be with us,
to strengthen us forever.
Amen. Amen.
Benediction
V: You have given them bread from Heaven
(Alleluia)
R: The source of all happiness (Alleluia)
Let us pray:
Lord God, by the paschal mystery of the death and
resurrection of Your only Son, You accomplished the
work of man’s redemption. Full of trust, we proclaim
the paschal mystery in the sacramental signs of the
Eucharist. Help us to see ever growing in us the
fruits of Your saving work through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Divine Praises
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption,
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse,
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.
O Sacrament Most Holy
O Sacrament Most Holy
O Sacrament divine,
All praise and all thanksgiving
Be every moment Thine
Be every moment Thine.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God.
Pray for us sinners.
Now and at the hour of our death.