The Catholic bulletin., 1915-05-15


the procession a woman who had suf-
fered for years from paralysis in the
arm touched the holy picture and was
Immediately cured.
All this was more than four hundred
years ago and the shouts of triumph
and of praise and the voices of the
prayerful multitude that welcomed
Mary to her throne that day have so
grown that to-day in every Redemp-
torist parish in almost every country
of the world the name of Our Lady
of Perpetual Help is household word
and there are thousands of homes
wherein the picture of this good
mother is reyered.
But how came it ever that the Re-
demptorists have charge of this pic
ture? Did we not say it was present
ed originally to the Augustinians ?
We shall tell the story briefly.
For three centuries, that is, from
1899 till about 1909, the picture of Our
Lady of Perpetual Help remained in
st. Matthew'S. In 1903 Napoleon or
dered General Miollis to take Rome.
This General discovered that, for the
proper execution of his command, the
Church of the Augustinians, which
stood in the way of his cannons and
batteries, must fall Of course it was
levelled to the ground. God some
times allows the petty tyrants of this
world to have their way-but these
are only as clouds, impotent and void,
which pass before the shining Sun of
Justice. st. Matthew's was levelled
and it's little community fed with
their picture to the Church of ST. Fuse
bius and later on to that of Santa
Maria in Posterula. Here then for
fifty-eight long, weary years she who
had once drawn down the acclama-
tions of all Rome was abandoned and
forgotten save for the few faithful
friars who continued to love her.
In 1854 the Redemptorists pur-
chased the Villa Caserta, Rome, and
built upon it's extensive grounds the
church and monastery of st. Alphon-
sus. One day the Fathers of this
house learned of the strange fact that
they were living by the side of the
old ruins of church which had once
been noted for it's miraculous picture
of the Blessed Virgin. To this one
of the Fathers added the striking
coincidence that when he used to
serve Mass, as a little boy, in the
Church of Santa Maria in Posterula,
he used to see-in the private ora
tory of the friars there-that very
picture which once brought crowds to
old st. Matthew's. This took place in
the year 1863. In the same year Fa-
ther Blosi, S. j., gave course of
sermons on the Glories of Mary in one
of the leading Churches in Rome
One of these sermons treated of "the
ancient and miraculous picture of Our
Lady of Perpetual Help" His refer
ence to the miracles already related
and to the Church of ST. Matthew's left
no doubt whatever as to what picture
he had in mind. Thus then became
known the hiding-place, the title, and
the ancient home of the picture.
Two years later Most Rev. Father
Mauron, then Superior General of the
Redemptorists, putting together all
these circumstances and stating
particularly our Blessed Lady's ex-
press wish to dwell between the
Church of st. Mary Major and that of
ST John petitioned the Holy Father
Pope Plus TX. to have the picture of
Our Lady of Perpetual Help brought
to the church which was built along
side the ruins of that pictures an
cierlt sanctuary. The request was
granted The Augustinians willingly
gave up the treasure they had been
guarding so long and so faithfully
On April 26. 1866 an immense multi
tude accompanied Our Lady of Per
petual Help to the Church of st. Al
phonsus. New miracles gave evidence
of heavens pleasure The. picture was
placed above. the High Altar in the
church and there it remains to this
day. 1t has triumphed over persecu-
ton, it has outlived the great ones
of the earth, it has conquered all its
enemies and Thou alone, o God,
canst tell how many favors have been
obtained, how many homes made hap
py, how many lives have been sane
titled, how many hearts made pure
through the intercession of Thy dear
Mother. our Mother-the worlds s
Perpetual Help
The LseomIon'.