The Archconfraternity of
Our Mother of Perpetual Succour
and Our Holy Father St Alphonsus

Does She have a Place in your Life?

You do not need the prayers of Don Bosco!

Before St John Bosco’s saintly life came to a close, a young American Redemptorist recommended himself to his prayers. This he did through a brother who was going to Europe to study, and who intended calling on the Saint. Several weeks later the young priest received a letter from his brother describing the visit to Don Bosco. Having related the striking impression the saintly man produced on him, the brother wrote: “I exchanged a few words with him and put in your bid for prayers. When I told him what you said and what you wanted, and that you are a priest, he asked me: ‘What kind of a priest is your brother in America?’ I told him you were a Redemptorist… Here is what happened: those marvellous eyes of his opened wide and looked up towards Heaven. Then he smiled ever so graciously and said: ‘Tell your brother this, that the Redemptorists have the Mother of Perpetual Succour and, therefore, do not need the prayers of Don Bosco…’”

Just one session of the many weekly Perpetual Novenas to Our Mother of Perpetual Succour in the then newly built Redemptorist Church in the Philippines. Great is the devotion of the Fillipino people!

No Shelter in which the Picture was exposed, suffered!

During the Second World War, the Japanese invasion brought untold misery to the Philippines. The statue of Santo Niño of Cebu, the most ancient and most precious image in the Philippines, was brought to the shrine of the Mother of Perpetual Succour, that “the Mother might look after her Little Boy”; and right well did she fulfil the charge. But that is not all. No shelter in which the picture was exposed, suffered. And one Filipino proudly treasures a battered medal of the Mother of Perpetual Succour that stopped an assassin’s bullet!

The Peculiar Exorcism of Ruhning-fu

The Spanish Redemptorist, Fr Moran, who, in 1928, was active in the South of China, talked about a peculiar exorcism at Ruhning-fu. On the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a woman was freed from seven devils. On that day, just before they departed, the devils admitted in the presence of several foreign missionaries, some Chinese nuns and a number of surprised pagans, that they suffered particularly from the image of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour and that She under this title commanded them to depart from the possessed soul. Upon this, the exorcist asked the devils: “For what purpose does the Blessed Virgin intervene with this miraculous intervention?” To which the devils replied: “We believe that She wants the speedy conversion of many pagans.”

A Miniature and Lamp

Thus writes a Mother Superior; “One of our orphans was in danger of losing his left eye. Seeing this danger, we placed, as soon as possible, a miniature on the sick eye and candles were lit before the venerated image; teachers and students prayed with confidence. And it was not in vain: the second day of the novena, the eye was perfectly healed and our supplications changed to acts of thanksgiving.

An even more remarkable intercession took place when a boy of 8 had some kind of a tumour on the left knee. Many remedies were tried out by the parents, but all in vain. Troubled by the heartbreaking cries of her child, the mother came to the church and prostrate before the holy image she prayed before the image to the Blessed Virgin to cure her child. At that moment, she felt inspired to take some of the oil of the lamp burning in front of the Mother of Perpetual Succour and with it anointed the sick knee. Full of confidence, she obtained her request. Hardly had the oil touched the knee, when all pain ceased and the child was able to raise himself. During 9 days the prayers and anointments continued and the boy could walk, but crutches were still needed. A month passed by, but it remained impossible to walk without the crutches. Then the family made a second novena with candles burning in front of the miraculous image of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour and the little sister of the boy daily recited invocations for her brother. The Blessed Virgin granted the desired favour. The cure this time was complete. The crutches were hung up in the church as the most beautiful ex-voto one could offer to Our Lady.

“This beloved Madonna cured me.”

In January 1933, two-year old Giovanni Merletti from Forella di Carifi, near Ciorani, Italy, was suffering from a double lung infection, accompanied with very high fever. It was clear that death was not far off. Four doctors were consulted. All feared the dangerous brain fever. It was in this extreme that the parents had recourse to Heaven. Prayers were offered up fervently for the cure of the child. His bed was surrounded by all kinds of religious images. And then, something wonder happened! The child opened its eyes, called for his mother, then raised his little hands to the image of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour, which stood amidst the many others, and said: “This beloved Madonna cured me.” And the child repeated its words over and over again, each time fixing its eyes upon the beautiful image. Finally, on 25 June, 1933, the mother of the little boy offered, out of gratitude, her ring to Our Mother of Perpetual Succour, containing a precious diamond, and signed, together with a Redemptorist Father, a declaration concerning the truthfulness of the miracle.

Altar of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour maintained by the Archconfraternity in the Alsatian village of Ammerschwir. Does she have a place in your home or traditional parish?

Fire in the Outback

This is the story of a housewife in Australia, who told it to one of the Redemptorist Fathers when they preached Mission at Tenterfield: “Over 50 years ago, when the Redemptorists preached their very first Missions here, my mother bought an image of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour. She cherished it very much and always bestowed her confidence upon it. Then, when I got married, she gave it to me as a wedding gift. I hung it up in a place of honour inside my house, and have experienced no less than my mother the wonderful protection of Our Lady’s image. Now, one evening, while we were milking the cows, the house caught fire. Because of the wind, the flames took control of the building. When we noticed the disaster, the destruction had already advanced too far for us to save anything. The only thing we could do, was to look with pain in our hearts at how everything burned down. Finally, the flames and the smoke diminished: One pillar, totally burned, was the only thing that remained erect. All walls had fallen down. But there, on that pillar, hung the picture of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour, undamaged! It was a sign of hope amidst our desolation. You can imagine how much we hold her in honour ever since!

Noticeboard

The trust placed by Fr De Smet, S.J. in Perpetual Lamps

“After 33 days of difficult navigation [Fr DeSmet, the famous apostle of the Native American] reached the fort situated near the mouth of the Cannonball River, where hundreds of Indians were gathered to attend “the great peace council” [...] On 1 June the missionary announced that he was going to seek the hostile tribes, in order to induce the chiefs to attend the conference. The Indians were astounded at such audacity, and wished to dissuade him. “Black Robe,” they said, “it will cost you your scalp.” But the missionary replied: “Before a picture of the Blessed Virgin, Mother and Protector of all nations, six lamps are burning day and night during my absence, and before these lamps more than a thousand children implore heaven’s protection for me.” Then the Indians lifted their hands to heaven, exclaiming: “How wonderful! How splendid! We want to accompany you. When will you start?” “Tomorrow at sunrise.”

[From his life]