The liturgical celebration of the Feast of the Mother of Perpetual Help in her sanctuary in Rome took place on the afternoon of June 27. The solemn Mass was presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, and concelebrated by a large group of Redemptorist bishops who had arrived in Rome for the First International Meeting on the occasion of the Jubilee of Bishops in the Vatican.
In the presence of diplomatic delegations from some countries where the Redemptorist missionaries are present and of numerous faithful who frequent the church of Sant’Alfonso in via Merulana in Rome, the procession of the Icon of Perpetual Help also took place, which was delivered by Pius IX to the missionary sons of Sant’Alfonso to “Make it known to the whole world.”
Cardinal Tobin in his homily reflected on what the Icon represents for the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. He recalled the significant points of the reading of the image: the Madonna with Child, the tenderness of the welcome of the Redeemer in the arms of his mother, the colors of the painting, the archangels, the golden background, and the gaze of Our Lady who observes us from whatever angle we see her. All this has always been, insisted Cardinal Tobin, from the experience of faith and trust that the Redemptorist missionaries have been able to sow together with the proclamation of the Copious Redemption.
The Cardinal also told a story from his youth, when still a seminarian in the 1970s, he received the image of Perpetual Help from the hands of a cardinal during a celebration in the church in St. Louis.
The faith, beauty, art and history of the Icon, which reveals the Paschal Mystery of Christ, have provided the backdrop for the reflection on the feast that today many Redemptorists in all the countries where they are present (more than 85) have celebrated with pride and commitment for the poorest.
At the end of the mass, the Superior General, Father Rogério Gomes, thanked the members of the Congregation and all those who were present to accompany and celebrate together with the Redemptorists.
After the mass, the participants in the liturgy set out in a solemn procession with the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, walking through the nearby streets of the Esquiline in Rome. After leaving the church of Sant’Alfonso, they walked all the way around the church and, after arriving at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, they returned to the churchyard to receive the blessing and renew their fidelity to the Mother of Perpetual Help.
For those who were unable to participate in the live streaming, you can now relive the celebration in the church and the procession on the YouTube channel of the Sanctuary of Perpetual Help in Rome.
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