On June 27, 2026, the Church of Saint Alphonsus at Esquilino hosted the solemn celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. At 5:30 pm, the perpetual novena was presided over by Fr. Giovanni Congiu, C.Ss.R., the rector of the sanctuary; at 6:00 pm, the solemn Mass was presided over by Mons. Antonio De Luca, C.Ss.R., Bishop of Teggiano-Policastro. Concelebrants included Mons. Alfonso Amarante, C.Ss.R., Archbishop and Rector Major of the Pontifical Lateran University, and Mons. Charles Duval, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Grouard-McLennan, Alberta, Canada. Also present were Fr. Nicolas Ayouba, C.Ss.R., General Consultor, and Fr. Gennaro Sorrentino, C.Ss.R., Provincial Superior of Europe South Province.
In his introduction to the liturgy, Archbishop De Luca invited the assembly to pray for the people affected by the earthquake in Venezuela and for the Redemptorist confreres present in those areas. He also remembered two confreres who died this year, Father Antonio Marrazzo and Father Luciano Paella, both of whom had deep ties to the Roman shrine.
The celebration bore the hallmark of the sanctuary: its international character, with different ethnic groups united in prayer.
The homily by Archbishop De Luca
In his homily, Archbishop De Luca developed a single, strong theological thread: the title “Perpetual Help” is not a sentimental devotion, but expresses a central truth of Scripture—God is the helper of his people, and this help was made flesh in Jesus Christ.
Starting from a theological reading of the icon, the bishop emphasized that the center of the image is not Mary, but the Son: “The icon of Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, belongs to that ancient tradition of the one who shows the way. She is not the protagonist, she is not the center, but with her hand, with her gaze, she points the way.” The way is Jesus, and Jesus is God’s help, mercy, and care for humanity.
The underlying theme of the homily was the Gospel theme of compassion: “It appeared several times in the Gospels. Jesus, seeing the crowds, felt compassion for them.” This compassion, Archbishop De Luca explained, is not a fleeting feeling, but the very face of God revealed throughout history—from the Book of Genesis, where God does not abandon humanity after sin, to the Book of Revelation, where the woman clothed with the sun is an icon of Mary and the Church that walks through history under God’s protection.
Mary, in light of this revelation, is the spiritual mother of all believers: “By virtue of her motherhood, Mary accompanies the Church from the beginning, prays with the Church, for the Church, and receives with the Church the gift of the Spirit. Assumed into Heaven, she continues to accompany the Church with her maternal assistance and protects her on her journey to the Homeland, until the glorious return of her Son, the Lord Jesus.”
The procession and the conclusion
At the end of the Mass, Father Congiu thanked Bishop De Luca for his presence and his words, and expressed his gratitude to the choir, formed for the celebration by faithful from the sanctuary’s various ethnic groups.
The procession followed, during which the sacred icon was carried through the streets of the Esquilino neighborhood, amidst the recitation of the rosary, prayers, and songs. Once the procession returned to the facade of the church, the closing prayer and blessing were held, greeted by the joyful applause of the faithful. The band concluded the celebration with a few songs in the churchyard. The following day, Sunday, June 28, the festivities concluded with a concert of Marian songs performed by the shrine’s ethnic groups—Italian, Polish, Filipino, and Latin American.
The celebration was attended by the Redemptorist community of Sant’Alfonso, guests, women religious from various congregations, and numerous devotees of Our Lady, many of whom remained in the church for personal prayer before the icon.
The June 27th feast was prepared for by a novena that began on June 18th: for nine consecutive evenings, the perpetual novena and Mass were enlivened by Marian sermons. The week also included two musical events: on Saturday, June 21st, a concert with Natalia Pavlova (soprano) and Claudio Giuliani (guitar); and on Friday, June 26th, a concert of Marian songs by the Musica Creator Polyphonic Choir. The annual feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help thus confirms itself as one of the most anticipated events at the church that houses the original icon—a moment of grace that unites faithful from all backgrounds around the same Mother.
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