The Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help is a booklet containing a set of prayers including the Roman Catholicnovena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, that was originally published in Jaén, Spain in 1899. It was then widely republished by American Redemptorist priests in 1927, then ultimately revised by Irish and Australian Redemptorist priests on 23 June 1948. The present booklet was mainly co-authored by the Australian priest The Rev Leo James English, C.Ss.R, and Fra Gerard O'Donnell, and is officially presently used at the Church of San Alphonsus Ligouri in Rome each week, where the original icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is permanently enshrined. In the Catholic Church in the Philippines, the novena is recited at Baclaran Church, where a copy of the icon is enshrined, and in the Filipino diaspora. The popularity of the novena became known due to the authorisation granted by the Holy See to propagate the icon, along with prayers which addressed the strengthening of marriages, healing of sicknesses, and helping find employment, thus earning it a quick following from the masses. In the United States, a 9-day televised novena is hosted at the Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help hosted by CatholicTV. The icon featured on the show does not bear its canonical crown.
History
The earliest existing novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help was a booklet already in its third edition, and was published by the Bishop of Madrid, José María Cos y Macho, who granted his imprimatur in 1899. These were followed by re-printing in later years. In the United States, the first novena prayers were compiled by Reverend Joseph Chapoton, the Vice-provincial of Portland, Oregon. After his death in 1925, the laity added more prayers and hymns into the booklet This perhaps was the main reason why for many years, there was no set of novena prayers designated for Perpetual Help. By research within the United States, numerous texts vary from the Perpetual Help novena used in Redemptorist centers in Portland Brooklyn, Boston, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Saint Louis, Missouri. Several versions of the Novena were made and circulated from the now-closed St. Philomena's Church. One of these copies, dating from 1927, was brought to Manila in the Philippine Islands. The novena was originally designed for exclusive recitation by the presiding priest. After the Second Vatican Council, the laity were encouraged to participate more in religious activities, thus necessitating a revision of the prayers for uniform use by the laity. The new set of prayers was used in Baclaran Church and became widespread in various Filipino congregations. The specific acts of Benediction and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the novena service, however, remain the exclusive domain of the presiding priest.
Revision
During the pontificate of Pope Paul VI, a foreword on the indulgences for the novena was attached, including instructions citing the Sacrosanctum Concilium to:
Assist during Mass for collections, lector and laity recitation of the Novena within parishes.
Permission to recite the novena in private, in cases of dire sickness or illness before the image.
Writing a letter of thanksgiving in honour of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Dropping the letter of thanksgiving or petition in its designated box provided by the parish.
Attaching the Benediction and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, per citation of the Mediator Dei, part II, chapter IV
From the original 1927 Portland version, several common Marian hymns were included. After Vatican II, the following expiatory prayers were removed:
"That we may never grow so proud as to think we can do without God or religion"
"That we may practise self-denial and penance this Lent"
† In some communities, Salutaris Hostia and Tantum Ergo are sung in the original Latin. The Church in the Philippines meanwhile uses a different tune for Tantum Ergo that is unique to the country. Ejaculatory prayers for courtship, against temptations, financial help, and the Memorare are also often added to the set of prayers.
