On the feast in honour of Mary Help of Christians, a Marian dedication formerly known as “Mary, Help of Christians” on May 24, we share some facts about devotion’s importance.
1. She was Called “Auxiliadora”
The first Christians in Greece, Egypt, Antioch, Ephesus, Alexandria and Athens used to invoke the Holy Virgin with the name of “Helper”, which in Greek is ” Boetéia ” and means “She who brings help from Heaven”.
The first Father of the Church known to have called the Virgin Mary by this title was Saint John Chrysostom in the year 345, in Constantinople.
The saint said: “You, Mary, are God’s most powerful help.” It was also recognized with this name by Proclus in 476 and Sebas of Caesarea in 532.
2. She Interceded in the Battles of Lepanto and Vienna
In 1572, Pope Saint Pius V, after the victory of the Christian army over the Muslim Turks in the battle of Lepanto, ordered the celebration of the Holy Rosary on 7 October and that “Mary, Help of God” be invoked in the litanies the Christians”.
The previous year Our Lady had prodigiously saved all of Christendom from being destroyed by a Mohammedan army of 282 ships and 88,000 soldiers.
In 1683 the Turks attacked Vienna during the pontificate of Innocent XI. Under the command of the King of Poland, John Sobieski, he defeated the Turkish army, relying on the help of Mary Help of Christians, even with inferior military forces.
Shortly after, they founded the association of Mary Help of Christians, which exists today in more than 60 countries.
3. Her Team was Born during the French Revolution
The history of the feast of Mary Help of Christians dates back to the years following the French Revolution, in which a severe blow had been dealt to the Church.
Pope Pius VII was imprisoned in the Palace of Fontainebleau by the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and dedicated his prayers to Mary Help of Christians to protect the Church.
The Pontiff’s prayers were heard, and in 1814 Napoleon signed his abdication. The following year, when the Church had regained her position and spiritual power, the Pope instituted the feast of Mary Help of Christians on May 24 to perpetuate the memory of her return to Rome after her captivity.
4. Feast Day has been Celebrated in Ukraine since the 11th Century
The name “Helper” was given to the Virgin Mary in Ukraine in the year 1030 for having liberated that region from the invasion of pagan tribes. Since then, in that country, the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of Mary Help of Christians every October 1.
5. She Appeared to Don Bosco
Saint John Bosco was a great propagator of love for this Marian dedication because the Virgin herself appeared to him in a dream to point out the place in Turin (Italy) where a temple should be built in his honour. Likewise, she asked to be honoured under the title of “Auxiliadora.”
In 1863, Saint John Bosco began the church’s construction with a few cents, but with the intercession of the Most Holy Mary, on 9 June 1868, just 5 years later, the temple’s consecration took place.
The saint used to say: “Each brick of this temple corresponds to a miracle of the Holy Virgin.” From that Sanctuary, devotion to Mary began to spread throughout the world under the title of Help of Christians.