 |
||
OCONOMOWOC — The Redemptorists are celebrating the 150th Jubilee of promoting devotion to the miraculous Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help — one of the most beloved images of the Mother of God in the worldwide Catholic Church — and offering a special novena and opportunities for private veneration at the Redemptorist Retreat Center in Oconomowoc May 28 to June 10.
The faithful in the Diocese of Madison are welcome to venerate a Jubilee Missionary Icon commissioned for the Jubilee Year from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Redemptorist Retreat Team staff also will lead a nine-day novena at 7 p.m. on May 30 to June 7.
Both events will be held in the new Mother of Perpetual Help Shrine Chapel built on the grounds of the retreat center during this Jubilee Year.
Historical exhibit
A historical exhibit featuring the 150-year history of the Redemptorists and Our Mother of Perpetual Help in the western U.S. will also be displayed in the chapel.
In addition to authenticated miraculous intercessions, highlights include: a display of vintage novena booklets; history of devotion at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church in St. Louis; the story of how devotion spread throughout the U.S. and to the foreign missions; and a showcase of Perpetual Help images.
Veneration, miracles
Ever since 1866 when Pope Pius IX entrusted to the Redemptorists the Perpetual Help Icon with the mandate to “Make her Known,” this ancient image of the Mother of God has enjoyed “great veneration and fame for its miracles.”
Since the milestone anniversary celebration last June 27 — the feast day of Our Mother of Perpetual Help — at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church in St. Louis, the icon and exhibit have traveled to Redemptorist ministry sites throughout the U.S.
At least one miraculous cure has been attributed to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. A man in Seattle diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer had endured several chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The day before his scheduled surgery, he participated in Morning Prayer and a Communion Service, and received an anointing from a Redemptorist priest, in the presence of the icon.
The next day, surgeons found only the marker that had been inserted in his colon: the tumor had completely disappeared, and the post-operative report declares that he is cancer-free. He and his family, as well as the friends who supported him since his diagnosis, believe that he was blessed with a miraculous healing through the intercession of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
Renewal of preaching
The Jubilee Year also launched a renewal of the Redemptorist ministry to preach the Gospel, especially using the Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help to illustrate the mystery of redemption: the incarnation, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
“Our Mother of Perpetual Help is known and loved throughout the world, so the Redemptorists have very effectively fulfilled the 1866 papal mandate,” said Redemptorist Br. Dan Korn, an internationally renowned iconologist. “Our new mission is to teach people how to read and pray the icon.”
Br. Dan has published Embracing the Icon of Love (Liguori Press).
For a history of the icon, visit http://www.cssr.com/english/whoarewe/iconstory.shtml
For more information about the Redemptorist Retreat Center in Oconomowoc, visit: http://redemptoristretreat.org