Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians

Our Lady's help has been invoked since Apostolic times, and during the Middle Ages the title for Mary, Help of Christians was widely used. People implored Mary's help while honoring her with the recitation of the Holy Rosary. In the 1800s the feast day for Our Lady Help of Christians was established within the Church and placed on May 24. 

In modern times we would do well to remember these Catholic traditions and implement them in our own lives. In the midst of such a troubled world, may we implore Our Lady Help of Christians, asking for her aid to bring Christ to all people and peace throughout the world. Meanwhile may we once again, like Catholics of old, hold tight to our rosaries, honoring Our Lady with this great devotion. The following prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians is a beautiful prayer to recite, asking our Lady to help each of us, the Church, and the whole world. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

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Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians 

Most holy and immaculate Virgin Mary, our tender Mother and mighty Help of Christians, we dedicate ourselves wholly to thy dear love and holy service. We dedicate to thee our minds and all our thoughts, our hearts and all our affections, our bodies and all our senses and all our strength; we promise to be ever willing to labor for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls. Meanwhile, do thou, O incomparable Virgin, who hast ever been the helper of the Christian people, continue to show thyself to be so in these our days. Bring low the enemies of our holy religion and frustrate their wicked designs. Enlighten and strengthen our Bishops and our priests; keep them always in close union and obedience to the Pope, their infallible Teacher; preserve thoughtless youth from sin and irreligion; increase holy vocations and multiply the number of the sacred ministers, that by means of them the kingdom of Jesus Christ may be preserved amongst us and be extended even to the uttermost parts of the earth. 

We pray thee, moreover, dear Mother, to keep thine eyes of mercy ever turned upon young men and maidens, who are exposed to so many dangers, as well as upon poor sinners and those who are dying; be thou, O Mary, to them all a source of sweet hope, thou who art the Mother of mercy and the Gate of heaven. 

But also for ourselves do we pour forth our supplications, O mighty Mother of God. Teach us to show forth in our lives thy virtues, especially angelic purity, deep humility and burning love; so by our demeanor, our words and our example may we, according as it is given to us, be living images of thy blessed Son Jesus in the midst of the world, and make thee known and loved, in the sure hope that thus we may succeed in bringing many souls to salvation. Grant unto us, O Mary, thou Help of Christians, to be gathered under thy maternal protection. May the thought of the love thou bearest toward thy devoted clients be unto us so great a source of strength as to make us victors over the enemies of our salvation, both in life and in death, that so we may come to stand about thee in the beauty of paradise. Amen 

---from the Raccolta

God bless!

+JMJ+

Prayers for the World

 My heart is saddened for the Ukrainian people right now and for the entire world.  I beg all of you to increase your prayers and penance for the people of the world and especially for the conversion of so many world leaders, and for peace throughout the entire world.  All things are possible with God!  We must pray and do penance; begin praying and fasting now for these intentions.  

Throughout history we have multiple examples of the faithful imploring heaven's help in times of war and tragedy --Mary's intercession, especially by praying the rosary and our Lord's help through devotion to the Blessed Sacrament:  the battle of Lepanto, the Muslims planned attack on the convent of the Poor Clares, and the near attack of the pirates upon Lima during the time of St. Rose to name just a few.  We must trust in God and his Mother, offering all of our prayers and penances for their help and in reparation of sin.  Remember to pray your daily rosary, imploring Mary for her intercession.

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Prayer to Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Help of Christians 

+Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, help of Christians, refuge of the human race, victorious in all the battles of God, we prostrate ourselves in supplication before thy throne, in the sure hope of obtaining mercy and of receiving grace and timely aid in our present calamities, not through any merits of our own, on which we do not rely, but only through the immense goodness of thy mother’s heart. In thee and in thy Immaculate Heart, at this grave hour of human history, do we put our trust; to thee we consecrate ourselves, not only with all of Holy Church, which is the mystical body of thy Son Jesus, and which is suffering in so many of her members, being subjected to manifold tribulations and persecutions, but also with the whole world, torn by discords, agitated with hatred, the victim of its own iniquities. Be thou moved by the sight of such material and moral degradation, such sorrows, such anguish, so many tormented souls in danger of eternal loss!

+ Do thou, O Mother of mercy, obtain for us from God a Christ-like reconciliation of the nations, as well as those graces which can convert the souls of men in an instant, those graces which prepare the way and make certain the long desired coming of peace on earth. O Queen of peace, pray for us, and grant peace unto the world in the truth, the justice, and the charity of Christ. Above all, give us peace in our hearts, so that the kingdom of God may spread its borders in the tranquility of order. Accord thy protection to unbelievers and to all those who lie within the shadow of death; cause the Sun of Truth to rise upon them; may they be enabled to join with us in repeating before the Savior of the world: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.”

+ Give peace to the nations that are separated from us by error or discord, and in a special manner to those peoples who profess a singular devotion toward thee; bring them back to Christ’s one fold, under the one true Shepherd. Obtain full freedom for the holy Church of God; defend her from her enemies; check the ever-increasing torrent of immorality, arouse in the faithful a love of purity, a practical Christian life, and an apostolic zeal, so that the multitude of those who serve God may increase in merit and in number. + Finally, even as the Church and all mankind were once consecrated to the Heart of thy Son Jesus, because He was for all those who put their hope in Him an inexhaustible source of victory and salvation, so in like manner do we consecrate ourselves forever to thee also and to thy Immaculate Heart, O Mother of us and Queen of the world; may thy love and patronage hasten the day when the kingdom of God shall be victorious and all the nations, at peace with God and with one another, shall call thee blessed and intone with thee, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the everlasting “Magnificat” of glory, of love, of gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, in which alone we can find truth, life, and peace. Amen. 

--written by Pope Piux XII

“The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors.” -- Pope Pius XI 

“The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying.” --Pope Leo XIII

God bless!

+JMJ+

Prayer to Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Help of Christians

 Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, help of Christians, refuge of the human race, victorious in all the battles of God, we prostrate ourselves in supplication before thy throne, in the sure hope of obtaining mercy and of receiving grace and timely aid in our present calamities, not through any merits of our own, on which we do not rely, but only through the immense goodness of thy mother’s heart. In thee and in thy Immaculate Heart, at this grave hour of human history, do we put our trust; to thee we consecrate ourselves, not only with all of Holy Church, which is the mystical body of thy Son Jesus, and which is suffering in so many of her members, being subjected to manifold tribulations and persecutions, but also with the whole world, torn by discords, agitated with hatred, the victim of its own iniquities. Be thou moved by the sight of such material and moral degradation, such sorrows, such anguish, so many tormented souls in danger of eternal loss!

+

Do thou, O Mother of mercy, obtain for us from God a Christ-like reconciliation of the nations, as well as those graces which can convert the souls of men in an instant, those graces which prepare the way and make certain the long desired coming of peace on earth. O Queen of peace, pray for us, and grant peace unto the world in the truth, the justice, and the charity of Christ. Above all, give us peace in our hearts, so that the kingdom of God may spread its borders in the tranquility of order. Accord thy protection to unbelievers and to all those who lie within the shadow of death; cause the Sun of Truth to rise upon them; may they be enabled to join with us in repeating before the Savior of the world: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.”

+

Give peace to the nations that are separated from us by error or discord, and in a special manner to those peoples who profess a singular devotion toward thee; bring them back to Christ’s one fold, under the one true Shepherd. Obtain full freedom for the holy Church of God; defend her from her enemies; check the ever-increasing torrent of immorality, arouse in the faithful a love of purity, a practical Christian life, and an apostolic zeal, so that the multitude of those who serve God may increase in merit and in number.

+

Finally, even as the Church and all mankind were once consecrated to the Heart of thy Son Jesus, because He was for all those who put their hope in Him an inexhaustible source of victory and salvation, so in like manner do we consecrate ourselves forever to thee also and to thy Immaculate Heart, O Mother of us and Queen of the world; may thy love and patronage hasten the day when the kingdom of God shall be victorious and all the nations, at peace with God and with one another, shall call thee blessed and intone with thee, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the everlasting “Magnificat” of glory, of love, of gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, in which alone we can find truth, life, and peace. Amen.
--written by Pope Piux XII                            
--The Raccolta

Imploring Mary's Help

 Our Lady's help has been invoked since Apostolic times, and during the Middle Ages the title for Mary, Help of Christians was widely used. People implored Mary's help while honoring her with the recitation of the Holy Rosary. In the 1800s the feast day for Our Lady Help of Christians was established within the Church and placed on May 24.

 In modern times we would do well to remember these Catholic traditions and implement them in our own lives. In the midst of such a troubled world, may we implore Our Lady Help of Christians, asking for her aid to bring Christ to all people and peace throughout the world. Meanwhile may we once again, like Catholics of old, hold tight to our rosaries, honoring Our Lady with this great devotion. The following prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians is a beautiful prayer to recite, asking our Lady to help each of us, the Church, and the whole world. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

+      +      +      +      +      +      +

Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians

Most holy and immaculate Virgin Mary, our tender Mother and mighty Help of Christians, we dedicate ourselves wholly to thy dear love and holy service. We dedicate to thee our minds and all our thoughts, our hearts and all our affections, our bodies and all our senses and all our strength; we promise to be ever willing to labor for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls. Meanwhile, do thou, O incomparable Virgin, who hast ever been the helper of the Christian people, continue to show thyself to be so in these our days. Bring low the enemies of our holy religion and frustrate their wicked designs. Enlighten and strengthen our Bishops and our priests; keep them always in close union and obedience to the Pope, their infallible Teacher; preserve thoughtless youth from sin and irreligion; increase holy vocations and multiply the number of the sacred ministers, that by means of them the kingdom of Jesus Christ may be preserved amongst us and be extended even to the uttermost parts of the earth. We pray thee, moreover, dear Mother, to keep thine eyes of mercy ever turned upon young men and maidens, who are exposed to so many dangers, as well as upon poor sinners and those who are dying; be thou, O Mary, to them all a source of sweet hope, thou who art the Mother of mercy and the Gate of heaven. But also for ourselves do we pour forth our supplications, O mighty Mother of God. Teach us to show forth in our lives thy virtues, especially angelic purity, deep humility and burning love; so by our demeanor, our words and our example may we, according as it is given to us, be living images of thy blessed Son Jesus in the midst of the world, and make thee known and loved, in the sure hope that thus we may succeed in bringing many souls to salvation. Grant unto us, O Mary, thou Help of Christians, to be gathered under thy maternal protection. May the thought of the love thou bearest toward thy devoted clients be unto us so great a source of strength as to make us victors over the enemies of our salvation, both in life and in death, that so we may come to stand about thee in the beauty of paradise. Amen

---from the Raccolta