Prayer to Mary Help of Christians

Christians have called on the Blessed Virgin as Help of Christians (Auxilium Christianorum) since the early centuries, and the title appears in the Litany of Loreto. Pope Pius VII established the feast of Mary Help of Christians on May 24 in thanksgiving for his return to Rome in 1814 after years of captivity under Napoleon. St. John Bosco later spread the devotion around the world and built the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin.

This prayer places us under Mary's motherly protection and asks her to preserve the Church, the Holy Father, all the faithful, and our homes. Pray it for the Church in times of trouble, for persecuted Christians, for your family, and on May 24. It is also a favorite prayer of Salesian schools and families.

The Prayer

Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, we place ourselves under thy motherly protection. Preserve the Church, our Holy Father, and all the faithful. Guard our homes from every evil, and keep us in the grace of thy Son. Amen.

Traditional prayer to Mary Help of Christians; classic manuals, public domain.

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