About The Devotion

From the earliest days of Christianity, the Blessed Virgin was invoked as “Mother of God” and “Help of Christians”. Church Fathers such as St. John Chrysostom in the 4th century and St. John Damascene in the 8th century referred to her as Boetheia, meaning “Helper” in Greek.

Throughout history, Mary Help of Christians has intervened miraculously during moments of danger and distress. In the 11th century, she aided Ukrainian Christians in defending themselves from barbarian invasions.

In 1571, when the Muslim fleet threatened to invade Europe, Pope Pius V invoked Mary’s help and urged the faithful to pray the Rosary. Miraculously, the Christian forces triumphed in the Battle of Lepanto. The Pope then declared October 7 the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and added the invocation “Mary, Help of Christians” to the Litany of the Virgin.

Ten years later, Turkish troops surrounded Vienna. A small Christian army, led by the Polish king John Sobieski, defeated the invaders after entrusting themselves to Mary Help of Christians.

In the 19th century, Pope Pius VII was imprisoned by Napoleon Bonaparte. He promised the Blessed Virgin that, if he returned safely to Rome, he would dedicate the day of his arrival to her. Surprisingly, Napoleon began to lose battles and was exiled from France. The Pope returned to Rome on May 24, 1814, and immediately fulfilled his promise by declaring it the feast of Mary Help of Christians.

Other popes also had a special devotion to Mary under this title. St. John XXIII kept an image of her in his room and named her patroness of the Second Vatican Council.

St. John Paul II often visited the Salesian church in Krakow, where he prayed in the chapel of Mary Help of Christians. On November 3, 1946, he celebrated one of his first Masses as a priest there.

Pope Francis, during his time with the Salesians in Ramos Mejía, Argentina, learned to love the Blessed Virgin deeply. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he celebrated the main Mass for the feast of Mary Help of Christians every May 24 at the Basilica in Almagro.

Mary Help of Christians was Don Bosco’s favorite Marian title. On many occasions, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him in dreams. At just nine years old, Don Bosco dreamed of Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, who, mysteriously, revealed his vocation to him. She advised him:

“Make yourself humble, strong and resilient.”

When facing financial difficulties as a seminarian, he shared with a friend:

This night I had a dream, according to which I will continue my studies, become a priest and lead numerous children, dedicating myself to their education for my entire life.

In another dream, Mary Help of Christians entrusted him with a vast flock. When Don Bosco hesitated, unsure how he could care for so many, she reassured him:

Do not be afraid. I will be with you.

At age 21, he dreamed of the origins of the oratory. He saw priests helping him, but eventually leaving:

Then I turned to the Lady again, who said to me:

—Do you want to know to keep them from leaving? Take this ribbon and bind it around their foreheads.

I took a white ribbon from the Lady’s hand with all reverence and saw that this word was written on it: OBEDIENCE.

I immediately tried to do what She had indicated to me and began to tie the heads of my voluntary helpers with the ribbon, observing that a wonderful effect was immediately produced. An effect that increased while I continued devoted to the mission that had been assigned to me, as those priests and clerics discarded the thought of going elsewhere, staying with me to help me in my work.

Thus the Congregation was established.

In 1854, Don Bosco told a group of young men:

The Virgin wants us to found a Society. I have decided that we will call ourselves Salesians. Let us place ourselves under the protection of Saint Francis of Sales.

Initially, the congregation had only eighteen members. By the time of Don Bosco’s death in 1888, there were already 768 Salesians. Today, it is the second-largest male religious congregation in the Catholic Church, present in 136 countries across all five continents.