By Leon Bent –
Mary Help of Christians is a Roman Catholic Marian devotion, with a feast celebrated on May 24. Don Bosco also propagated Marian devotion under this title.
At the end of the 17th century, Emperor Leopold I of Austria took refuge in the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Pasau, when 200,000 Ottoman Turks besieged the capital city of Vienna, but a great victory occurred thanks to Mary Help of Christians: On September 8th, Feast of Our Lady’s Birthday, plans were drawn for the battle. On September 12, Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, Vienna was finally freed through the intercession of Mary Help of Christians. All Europe had joined with the Emperor crying out “Mary, Help!” and praying the Holy Rosary.
In 1809, Napoleon’s men entered the Vatican, arrested Pius VII and brought him in chains to Grenoble, and eventually Fontainbleau. His imprisonment lasted five years. The Holy Father vowed to God that, if he was restored to the Roman See, he would institute a special feast in honour of Mary. Military reverses forced Napoleon to release the Pope, and on May 24th, 1814, Pius VII returned in triumph to Rome. Twelve months later, the Pope decreed that the feast of Mary Help of Christians, be observed on the 24th of May.
St. John Bosco (1815 – 1888) was a dynamic priest who founded the Salesian Order in the XIX century, in Italy. His many prophetic dreams, beginning at age nine, guided his ministry and gave insights for future events.
On May 14, 1862, Don Bosco dreamed about the battles the Church would face in the latter days. In one dream, the Pope of those days anchors the ‘ship’ of the Church between two pillars, one with a statue of Mary (Auxilium Christianorum or ‘Help of Christians’) and the other with a large Eucharistic Host.
In the latter half of the 19th Century, St. John Bosco had a particular reverence for this title and made Mary Help of Christians the patroness of his religious order, the Salesians. He also helped raise funds and build a basilica in her honour.
It is significant then, that St John would place the account of the public ministry of Jesus in between two events showing Mary in a key role, even coming to the help of the nascent church. The first was the marriage feast at Cana. She prompted Jesus to reveal his true personhood. The second Marian event was at the foot of the Cross. The grieving Mother was linked to the event that brought salvation to the nascent Church.
In our times, with the abandoning of faith being widespread the Help of Christians in supporting the trust of the faithful is paramount. We are called to express our faith in faith action and so the Help of Christians.
Since the Middle Ages, the Church has devoted the month of May to Mary. Many parishes have “May Crownings” during this time in which a statue of the Blessed Mother is adorned with a diadem or a wreath of flowers. Many Christians also undertake pilgrimages during this month to shrines associated with the Blessed Virgin. In May, there are also three Marian feasts that are celebrated which help us to understand what Mary can teach us about being disciples.
Earlier this month, on May 13, we commemorated the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima. The Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, which is celebrated today, May 24, is an older feast, dating back to the to the sixteenth century, which was not a peaceful time in Europe. The third Marian feast in May is the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin on May 31.
To rejoice in Mary is to celebrate God’s greatest creation – the vessel he fashioned to be his own mother, the woman who would bear him into the world. In the life of the “handmaid of the Lord,” we learn what it means to say “yes” to life in the Lord and to discover in him the meaning of life.
Her feasts not only empower us to turn to her in prayer, but also to love Jesus and others, with a greater love.
“In many countries May is the month of Mary. May the Mother of God accompany us and protect Christians in fighting against the forces of evil. Let us entrust ourselves to her and pray for the Church and for peace in the world” (Pope Francis).
And, this final flourish! To find God’s grace we must discover Mary!
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.
Leon Bent regularly writes for 9 Catholic Magazines, Journals and Web Portals, worldwide – occasionally, the reach is over 5 million readers.