OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP
HISTORY, TRADITION, AND INTERPRETATION
My name is Mother of Perpetual Help.
No century or country can claim me. I belong to all ages and all peoples. Many
names have been given to me. I have been called the "Virgin of the Passion,"
"the Golden Madonna," "the Mother of the Redemptorist Missionaries",
"the Mother of Catholic Homes," The name of my own choosing is
"Mother of Perpetual Help." My Story is how Heaven hallows human happenings for
divine purposes. It is a history that appears complicated and adventurous, but seen
"from above" it is a simple, Straight line drawn through human history. It is
the story of an unknown artist, a repentant thief, a curious little girl, an abandoned
church, an old religious and a Pope.
And above all, it is the Story of my Son and me facing the reality of the Passion and the
calling of my children to share in it.
HISTORY
I.
The Merchant Who Stole "Our Lady"
Thc Icon of Perpetual Help was painted on the isle of Crete by an unknown artist
between the14th and the 15th century. A Cretan merchant in the 15th century, stole from
Crete, the icon taking it from a church where it had worked many miracles. He hid it among
his wares and set out westward it was only through Divine Providence that he survived a
wild tempest and landed on solid ground After about a year he arrived in Rome with his
stolen picture.
It was there he became mortally
ill, and looked for a friend to care for him. At his hour of death, he revealed his secret
of the picture and begged his friend to return it to a church. His friend promised to
fulfill his wish, but because his wife did not want to relinquish such a beautiful
treasure the friend also died without fulfilling the promise. At last, the Blessed Virgin
appeared to the six-year-old daughter of this Roman family and told her to tell her mother
and grandmother that the Picture of"Holy Mary of Perpetual Help" should be
placed in the Church of St. Mathew the Apostle, located between the basilicas of St. Mary
Major and St. John Lateran.
The tradition relates how, after many doubts and difficulties, the mother obeyed after
consulting with the clergy in charge of the church. The picture of the Virgin was placed
in St. Matthew's, on the 27th of March,1499. There it would be venerated during the next
300 years; Thus began the second stage of the icon, and devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual
Help began to spread throughout the city of Rome.
2. Three Centuries
in the Church of St. Matthew
St. Matthew's church was not grand but it possessed an enormous treasure that attracted
the faithful: the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. From 1739 to 1798, the church and
adjacent monastery were under the care of the Irish Augustinians who had been unjustly
exiled from their country and used the monastery as a formation center for their Roman
Province The young students found an asylum of peace in the presence of the Virgin of
Perpetual Help while they prepared themselves for priesthood.
In 1798, war raged
in Rome and the monastery and church were almost totally destroyed. Several
Augustinians remained there for a few more years but eventually they, too, had to leave.
Some returned to Ireland, others to new foundations in America, while the majority moved
to a nearby monastery. This last group brought with them the picture of Our Lady of
Perpetual Help.
Thus began the third Stage of her history, the "Hidden Years." In 1819, the
Irish Augustinians moved to the Church of St. Mary in Posterula, near the "Umberto
I" bridge that crosses the Tiber River With them went the "Virgin of St.
Matthew's." But as "Our Lady of Grace" was already venerated in this
church, the newly arrived picture was placed in a private chapel in the monastery where it
remained, all but forgotten, but for Brother Augustine Orsetti, one of the original friars
from St. Matthew's.
3. The Old
Religious and the Young Altar Boy
The years passed and it seemed that picture that had been saved from the war that
destroyed St. Mathew's Church was about to be lost in oblivion. A young altar boy named
Michael Marchi often visited the Church of St. Mary in Posterula and became friends with
Brother Augustine. Much later as Father -Michael, he would write: "This good brother
used to tell me with a certain air of mystery and anxiety, especially during the years
1850 and 1851, these precise words: 'Make sure you know, my son, that the image of the
Virgin of St. Mathew is upstairs in the chapel. Don't ever forget it ... Do you
understand? It is a miraculous picture.' At that time the brother was almost totally
blind. "What can I say about the venerable picture of the 'Virgin of St. Matthew',
also called 'Perpetual Help" is that from my childhood until I entered the
Congregation (of the Redemptorists) I had always seen it above the altar of the house
chapel of the Augustinian Fathers of the Irish Province at St. Mary in Posterula [..],
there was no devotion to it, no decorations, not even a lamp to acknowledge its presence .
. . it remained
covered with dust and practically abandoned. Many were the times, when I served
Mass there, that would stare at it with great attention".
Brother Augustine died in 1853 at the venerable age of 86, without seeing fulfilled his
desire that the Virgin of Perpetual Help be once again exposed for public veneration EIis
prayers and boundless confidence in the Virgin Mary seemed to have gone unanswered.
4. The Rediscovery
of the Icon
In January of 1855, the Redemptorist Missionaries purchased "Villa Caserta" in
Rome, converting it into the general house for their missionary congregation that had
spread to western
Europe and North America. On this same property along the Via Merulana, were the ruins of
the Church and Monastery of St. Matthew. Without realizing it at the time, they had
acquired the land that, many years previously, had been chosen by the Virgin as her
Sanctuary between St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran . Four months later, construction
was begun on a church in honor of the Most Holy Redeemer
and dedicated to St Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Congregation. On December 24th,
1855, a group of young men began their novitiate in their new house One of them was
Michael Marchi.
The Redemptorists were extremely interested in the history of the new property. But more
so, when on February 7th, 1863, they were puzzled by the questions
from a sermon given by the famous Jesuit preacher, Father Francesco Blosi, about an
icon of Mary that " had been in the
Church of St Matthew on Via Merulana and was known as 'The Virgin of St. Matthew' or more
correctly as 'The Virgin of Perpetual Help',"
On another occasion, the
chronicler of the Redemptorist community "examining some authors who had written
about Roman antiquities, found references made to the Church of St Matthew. Among them
there was a particular citation mentioning that in the church (which had been situated
within the garden area of that community) there had been an ancient icon of the Mother of
God that enjoyed "great veneration and fame for its miracles." Then"having
told all this to the community, a dialogue began as to where they could locate the
picture. Father Marchi remembered ah that he had heard from old Brother Augustine Orsetti
and told his confreres that he had often seen the icon and knew very well where it could
be found."
5. The
Reception of the Icon by the Redemptorists
With this new information, interest grew among the Redemptorists to know more about the
icon and retrieve it for their church. The Superior General, Father Nicholas Mauron,
presented a letter to Pope Plus IX in
which he petitioned the Holy See to grant them the icon of Perpetual Help and that it he
placed in the newly built Church of the Most Holy Redeemer and St. Alphonsus, which was
located near the she where the old Church of St, Matthew had stood. The
Pope granted the request on December l1, 1865.
According to tradition, this is when Pope Plus IX told the Redemptorist Superior General:
"Make her known throughout the world!" In January 1866, Fathers Michael Marchi
and Ernest Bresciani went to St. Mary's in Posterula to receive the picture from the
Augustinians. Then began the process of cleaning and retouching
the icon The task was entrusted to the Polish artist, Leopold Nowotny. Finally, on
April 26th, 1866, the image was again presented for public veneration in the Church of St.
Alphonsus on the Via Merulana. With this event, the fourth stage of her history began: the
spread of the icon throughout the World.
6. The Latest
Restoration of the Icon
In 1990, the picture of Our Mother of Perpetual Help was taken down from above the main
altar to satisfy the many requests for new photographs of the icon It was then that the
serious state of deterioration of the image was discovered; the wood, as well as the paint
had suffered from environmental changes and prior attempts at restoration The
Redemptorists decided to bring about a general restoration of the icon,
The first part of the restoration consisted of a series of tests and analyses. The results
of these analyses especially a Carbon-14 test, indicate the wood of the icon of Perpetual
Help could safely be dated from the years 1325 - 1480.
The second stage of the restoration consisted of the physical work of filling the cracks
and perforations in the wood, cleaning the paint and retouching the affected sections,
strengthening the structure that sustains the icon, etc.
THE MESSAGE OF THE ICON
1. What is
an Icon?
The Greek word "eikon"
from which comes the word "'icon" means "image" When we speak of an
icon, we usually mean a representation of Christ, the Blessed Virgin, or a Saint, that has
been painted according to specific technical and theological norms.
An icon is much more than a
simple representation of events or persons of the past. An icon makes present that which
it remembers. It is a meeting point between the mystery of God and the reality of Man. An
icon is not an altar decoration, an icon is an altar. This is why in the Oriental
liturgies, the icons are venerated along with the Word of God
An icon is an object of meditation When we come before an icon with an attitude of prayer,
we can deepen our understanding of the mysterious reality that it represents and better
appreciate the value of liturgical prayer. Icons were created to foster contemplation.
2. Thc
Painter of the Icon
The painter of an icon needs to be more than an artist, because an icon is more than a
work of art, so art is not enough; above all he ought to possess the sanctity of life. The
painter has to live the life of the icon in order that he might be able to mold the
spiritual mystery into the icon The good iconographical artist represents not only the
body, but above all the soul. The iconography ought to be able to reflect the illumination
of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the principal artist.
The Child Jesus is depicted in
full proportion He rests in the left arm of the Virgin while His hands clutch the right
hand of Mary. He is dressed in a green tunic, a red cincture, and a red cloak. He has
brown hair and childish features. The archangel Gabriel presents the cross and the four
nails. The archangel Michael presents Him with the other instruments of the Passion; the
lance, the pole with a sponge and a vessel containing vinegar.
Two most painful figures stand
out: Jesus and Mary. Jesus shows in his posture the reaction of horror; He saw the cross
as the tragic end of His life, frightened he turns and seeks for protection with His
Mother; His sandal is falling from His foot. Before the tragedy of the Passion which he
foresees, He looks for a refuge in more affectionate arms than those of the cross.
3. Materials of
the Icon
The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is painted on a plaque of wood that measures 54
centimeters (21 in) high and 41 centimeters (16 in.) wide.
The colors are a primary element
in the icon Gold is the most striking color; it fills a large part of the icon, it
constitutes the background and delineates the figures, braids the mantles, adorns them
with golden hems; and it designates royalty. The gold gives light to the icon, illuminates
it symbolically, gives joy and charm to it. It
becomes a luminous spiritual image which opens to other horizons and higher thoughts. The
blue color envelopes the body of the Virgin The blue symbolizes the heavenly clarity of
midday when the intense blue sky illuminates the earth
Red is the symbol of the fire of love. Green in the icon is the color of hope. Finally,
the grey and purple colors which symbolize the passion appear also in the icon.
4, The
Virgin of the Passion
The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help has received throughout history two basic titles.
For artistic reasons and in accord with the style of the image, it has been called.
"The Virgin of the Passion." Icons of the Virgin of the Passion usually
represent the Mother of God holding ha Son Jesus and to the sides, the angels carrying the
instruments of the passion.
The other title that is bears
comes from the devotion that surrounds it: "Our Mother of Perpetual Help." In
this icon, the Mother of God is depicted looking tenderly at her devotees and ever ready
to help them in whatever need. The icon shows four holy figures: The Virgin Mother of God,
the Christ Child and the archangels Michael and Gabriel. These personages are identified
by the letters that appear in the
icon.
Only half of the Virgin's body is depicted but the impression is that she is standing. She
wears a red tunic, a dark blue hooded cape with a green lining, a cobalt-blue head dress
that covers her hair and forehead. In the center of her head on the hood, there is a star
of eight golden, linear rays; next to it is 8 gold cross in the form of a star. The
circular halo around her head, typical of the School of Crete, can be better appreciated
now that the overlaid, jeweled crown that has
hidden it since 1867, has been removed.The Virgin's face is slightly inclined toward the
Christ child whom she holds in her left hand.
Her larger right hand holds the hand of Jesus. With a sad tenderness, she looks not at her
Son but appears to be in dialogue with whomever looks at her.
5. The Mystery of
Redemption
The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is not merely a decoration hut a message. It is a
dissertation about the central mystery of our faith The different elements that appear in
the icon, tell us about God-with-us, the way of the Cross, the loving intercession of Mary
and the glory of
Divine Light.
The largest figure in the icon
is that of Mary, but she is not the focal point of the painting. The center is rather in
the joining of her hand with those of Jesus and the manner in which she points out that
her Son is Jesus Christ, the Son of God who offers His life for us all. It is
understandable
why the image of Perpetual Help draws us to pray.
The title of Our Mother of
Perpetual Help signifies Mary's readiness to stand by all those who suffer. In the holy
icon, she is pictured with her face turned, not to Jesus, but to all those who gaze on the
picture. Even though she is deeply saddened by the vision of the instruments of Jesus'
Passion, she turns with sympathy to all the children of the earth.
We believe she turns to all of
us when we call on her in our troubles and sorrows, Her care never ends; it is a perpetual
care. For centuries the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help has inspired a deep devotion
among Christians everywhere.
Today Mary, the Mother of
Jesus, still offers us her help and her love. Her feast day is June 27th.
We are grateful for the information that was provided for this article by "Our Lady
of Perpetual Help" the Redemptorist Missionaries, and "Holy Mary of Perpetual
Help" Addino M. Garcia Paz.
|
Church of St Alphonsus, Rome,
Italy. where the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is venerated.
The
icon is stolen by the Cretan merchant.
The
Greek island of Crete as it may have appeared during the time that the icon was hidden on
the island. |
