The Annual Mother of Perpetual Help Conference in Houston, Texas, is celebrating the 160th anniversary of Pope Pius IX entrusting the miraculous icon to the Redemptorists with the mission to “Make Her Known” throughout the world. Held from Thursday, June 25, through Sunday, June 28, 2026, the Conference gathers the faithful under the theme “Merciful Eyes—Helping Hands,” reflecting Mary’s attentive love and her constant readiness to accompany those in need.
This year marks the 27th Conference hosted by the Vietnamese Redemptorists of Extra Patriam. Throughout the Conference, priests, religious sisters, and lay presenters from various religious communities and states of life offered conferences on topics ranging from Mary’s love to the practical challenges of daily life, including anger management and parenting. A special session for youths on Saturday focused on family life, with the youth program centered on the theme “Anchor of Love.”
In addition to the talks and conferences, participants were blessed with the opportunity to venerate hundreds of relics of saints and to encounter statues of Mary from around the world. These sacred signs invited the faithful to deepen their devotion and to recognize the universal reach of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
It is also worth noting that the Conference this year offered the devotees each night with a special “reflective prayer performance”, the highlight of which was on Saturday night when all gathered in a fully packed new hall to witness prayerful plays, songs and presentations, all centering on the Icon of Mother of Perpetual Help. The presence of Angelo Band coming all the way from Vietnam has made these nights even more unique and special.
On Saturday, the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, the community marked the day with a solemn Marian procession following Mass in the evening. The gathering concluded on Sunday with a Mass celebrated by Most Rev. John Nhan Tran, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, bringing the conference to a prayerful and joyful close.
As Redemptorists and devotees continue the mission entrusted by Pope Pius IX, this anniversary celebration serves as a renewed invitation to make Mary known through mercy, prayer, and helping hands extended to all God’s people.
Thomas Hoang, CSsR.
