The feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is celebrated on June 27.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, associated with the Byzantine icon of the same name, said to be from the 13th or 14th century, but perhaps 15th century, which has been in Rome since at least the late 15th century. The image is very popular among Catholics throughout the world, and has been much copied and reproduced.

According to tradition, when handing over the Icon to the Redemptorist in 1866, Pope Pius IX expressed the desire that they should make her known to the world. From that time until present day, devotion to the Mother of Perpetual help has spread all over the world. Thousands of copies of the Picture have been dispatched throughout the world and there are many shrines where copies of the original Icon are venerated and regarded as miraculous.

Prayer to Our Mother of Perpetual Help

O Mother of Perpetual Help! With the greatest of confidence I approach you to implore your aid. You have seen the wounds of your Son and His blood shed for our salvation. You know how He desires our salvation. Because of this, I kneel before you and beseech you to obtain for me the mercy of which I stand in such great need. 0 Mary, most amiable among women, obtain the favor I seek from Jesus, the source of all good. Here, state intention. 0 Mother of Perpetual Help, you desire our salvation more than we ourselves do. Your Son has given you to be our mother, and you have chosen for yourself the name: Mother of Perpetual Help. I do not trust in my own merits, but in your powerful intercession. I trust in your goodness and in your motherly love. For the love that you have for Jesus, your Son, and my Savior, for the love of the souls faithful to you, and for the sake of your love for my soul, obtain for me all the graces and favors I ask of you. Amen.

Today we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, the great herald of the Gospel, preparing the way for Christ. John recognized his mission from God to point to the son of God and the coming of the Kingdom, and he lived that vocation with great passion…even unto death. His attitude toward Christ is summed up in his beautiful words:

“He must increase; I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

We can all learn from John and point others toward Christ every day of our lives. How can you bring the Good News to people in your life today and this week?

John the Baptist, pray for us!

Jesus said, “Among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist” (Mt 11:11). Each year on June 24 the Catholic Church honors the birth of John by reflecting on his unique role as the precursor of Jesus. The solemnity held on that date praises John as a worthy example of what it means to be a follower of Christ.

A solemnity is the most significant feast the Church can establish. While other saints are remembered with feast days to remember their deaths, St. John the Baptist, like Our Lady, is honoured with solemnities to recall both his birth and his death.

The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856 and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.

The devotion to the Sacred Heart is one of the most well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of “God’s boundless and passionate love for mankind”

Say this prayer together with your family.

Lord Jesus Christ, your heart was moved with love for the men and women who came for help in their need. You healed the sick, you fed the hungry, you forgave sinners, you cried over Jerusalem. Above all, you showed to those who were prepared to listen the way to true life, for you are the Way the Truth and the Life.

Lord, your heart is still moved today by your people and their many needs. Open our hearts to hear your word, to accept your love, and to respond to your call.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

Amen.

On Sunday 31^st May, 2020 is the second biggest feast in the church year. Pentecost is when the Holy Spirit came to the disciples and the church was formed. The apostles went out and began to preach the Gospel and baptize thousands of people, receiving them into the church.

The Holy Spirit is God. He is the third person of the Holy Trinity, after the Father and the Son. Before Jesus came to earth, the Holy Spirit inspired the men who wrote the Old Testament ( part of the Bible). It was the Holy Spirit who brought baby Jesus to the world through Mary. Jesus told his followers that He would send the Holy Spirit to them after He went up into heaven.

We all need the Holy Spirit. We can’t do anything by ourselves. The Holy Spirit gives us the strength we need to do good. Did you know that we wouldn’t even pray if the Holy Spirit didn’t inspire us to?

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning , is now and will be forever! Amen.

Our Lady of Fatima, is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary based on the Marian apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria, in Fátima, Portugal. She appeared to them on the 13th day of each month at approximately noon, for six straight months .The three children were Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto. In all Her appearances at Fatima, the Blessed Mother repeatedly emphasized the necessity of praying the Rosary daily. She also emphasized wearing the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel, and of performing acts of reparation and sacrifice. May 13 is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

Fatima Prayer

O my Jesus forgive us our sins , save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy.

Amen