Events for Friday 24th May 2024 |
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Our Lady Help of Christians |
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Starts | 00:00 | Ends | 00:05 | |||
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Information
The feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, was instituted by Pius VII. By order of Napoleon 1, Pius VII was arrested in 1808, and detained a prisoner for three years at Savona and at Fontainebleau. In 1814, after the battle of Leipzig, he was set free. The people crowded the streets of Rome to catch a glimpse of the venerable pontiff who had so bravely withstood the threats of Napoleon. He entered Rome, 24th May, 1814, and was enthusiastically welcomed. In 1815, to give thanks to God and Our Lady he instituted for the Papal States the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, to be celebrated on 24th May, the anniversary of his first return. The feast is celebrated with great splendour in the churches of the Fathers of the Foreign Missions of Paris. St. Don Bosco, founder of the Salesian Congregation, in 1868 dedicated to Our Lady, Help of Christians, the mother church of his congregation at Turin. The Salesian Fathers have carried the devotion to their numerous establishments throughout the world. |
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