May 24: Blessed Virgin Mary Help of Christians
A Mother close to her children
To invoke Mary, with the title of Help of Christians or Help of Christians, means to recognize her as Mother and Queen. It expresses, in particular, the filial affection of the faithful towards She, who was the first Disciple of the Son.
Devotion to Mary Help of Christians dates back centuries, when it spread enormously after the victory of the fleet of the Holy League against the Turks, at Lepanto, on October 7, 1571, and then at the gates of Vienna in 1683.
However, it was not until Pope Pius VII, in 1814, officially instituted the Feast of Mary Help of Christians, setting the date on May 24.
In fact, Pius VII, a prisoner of Napoleon for almost five years, returned to Rome, welcomed by a jubilant crowd on May 24, 1814. The Pope wanted to thank the Virgin Mary by establishing the feast, which was celebrated for the first time on May 24, 1815.
On the same year, Saint John Bosco was born, one of the greatest promoters of devotion to Mary Help of Christians. In just three years, from 1865 to 1868, he built and dedicated a Basilica to her in Valdocco (Turin). Above the high altar, commissioned by Don Bosco, there is a striking painting depicting her, the Help of Christians, wearing a red tunic and blue cloak holding the scepter of command in her right hand while holding the Child Jesus. Her figure, suspended on a cloud, is surrounded by the Apostles and Evangelists. The symbolism is clear: Mary is always present in the life of the Church, protecting it throughout the centuries.
Don Bosco also placed under her protection the institutes he had founded: the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and the Salesian Cooperators.
When the trials became more difficult, Don Bosco entrusted himself unreservedly to Mary, as he wrote in 1862 to Don Giovanni Cagliero:
“Our Lady wants us to honor her under the title of Mary Help of Christians: the times are so sad that we need the Most Holy Virgin to help us preserve and defend the Christian faith” (MB 7,334).
In 1869, the Saint also founded the Association of Devotees of Mary Help of Christians and later spread this devotion throughout the world.