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Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Note that the crowns and jewels were removed to restore and prevent damages to the icon in 1995.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help (or of Succour) or "Sancta Mater de Perpetuo Succursu" (Official Latin Title) Holy Mother of Perpetual Help is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by Pope Pius IX, associated with a Byzantine icon of the same name dating from the 15th century. The icon has been in Rome since 1499, and is currently in the church of Sant'Alfonso di Liguori all'Esquilino. In the Eastern Orthodox Church this iconography is known as the Virgin of the Passion or Theotokos of the Passion. Some Roman Catholics believe the icon to be a true copy of the painting that according to legend was painted from the life by Saint Luke using the meal table of the Holy Family in Nazareth, and in Eastern Orthodox tradition was often identified with the Hodegetria icon,^[1] and consider it to be a miraculous imprint of the Blessed Virgin Mary both in the Latins and Orthodox communities. The icon is unique and renowned due to Mary looking towards the faithful, while pointing at her son, Jesus Christ who is frightened by the instruments of crucifixion and is depicted with a fallen sandal.^[1]

Due to the Redemptorist Priests who had been appointed as missionaries of this icon, the image has become very popular among Roman Catholics in particular, and has been very much copied and reproduced. Modern reproductions are sometimes displayed in homes or elsewhere. For many centuries, Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians have prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary for intercession on their behalf to Jesus Christ. On the current feast of Roman Catholic calendar of saints Our Lady of Perpetual Help is commemorated on June 27.^[2]

Description

The original wooden icon suspended in the altar measures 17" × 21" inches and is painted on hard nut wood with a gold leaf background.^[3] The image depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary wearing a dress of dark red, representing the Passion of Jesus with a blue mantle representing her perpetual virginity and cloaked veil which represents her pure modesty. On the left side is the Saint Archangel Michael, carrying the lance and sponge of the crucifixion of Jesus. On the right is the Saint Archangel Gabriel carrying a 3-bar cross used by Popes at the time and nails. The Virgin Mary has a star on her forehead, signifying her role as Star of the Sea while the cross on the side has been claimed as to the school which has produced this icon. The Byzantine depictions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in art has three stars, one star each on the shoulder and one on the forehead. This type of icon is called Hodegetria composition, where Saint Mary is also pointing to her Son, known as a Theotokos of the Passion.^[4]

The Greek inscriptions read 'MP-ΘΥ (Μήτηρ Θεού, Mother of God); OAM (Archangel Michael); OAΓ (Archangel Gabriel); and Iς-Xς ( Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Jesus Christ ), respectively. The icon is painted with a gold background on a walnut panel which was probably painted in the islands of Crete, which at the time was then ruled by the Republic of Venice.^[5] The Cretan School was the source of the many icons imported into Europe from the late Middle Ages through the Renaissance. The icon was cleaned and restored once in 1866 and again in the year 1940.

Origin and Discovery

The earliest written account of the image comes from a Latin and Italian plaque placed in the church of San Matteo in Via Merulana where it was first venerated by the public in 1499.^[6] The writer of the icon is unknown, but according a parchment attached to the painting^[7] that accompanied the icon, it was stolen by a merchant from Crete who was sailing to Rome. The merchant sailed and hid the icon while traveling at sea, until a storm hit hard and the sailors prayed to the icon for help.^[8] When the merchant arrived in Rome he fell ill, and as he was dying wish he asked a second merchant to place the icon in a church where it could serve for veneration.^[8] Initially, the merchant was reluctant in giving away the icon and took four instances until the second merchant confided to his wife about the icon. Upon seeing the beautiful icon, the woman refused to give it to the church but instead hung it in their home. Later on, the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to the merchant's daughter, grandmother and neighbor, who implored that the icon be turned over to a parish.^[7] The Virgin Mary allegedly appeared to the little girl that the icon ought to be placed between the basilicas of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran. The wife gave the icon to the Augustinian Friars. On March 27, 1499, the icon was transferred to the church of San Matteo where it remained for 300 years.^[7]

Transfer & Restoration

In 1798, Gubernatore André Masséna, who was then the pro-consul and governor of Rome, had decided to destroy and pillage several churches in the city for the usage of infantry bases. The church of San Matteo in the Via Merulana was one of these. The Augustian friars first took the icon to the nearby Church of St. Eusebius, then later set it up on a side altar in the Church of Santa Maria in Posterula. Decades later, Pope Pius IX invited the Redemptorist Fathers to set up a Marian house of veneration in Rome, in response to which the Redemptorists built the Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori at that location. The Redemptorists were thus established on the Via Merulana, not knowing that it had once been the site of the Church of San Mateo and shrine of the once-famous icon.^[7]

Present Caretaker

The Superior General of the Redemptorists, Father Nicholas Mauron, brought the urgent matter to the attention of Pope Pius IX, who later decided the icon should certainly be exposed to public veneration and given an official Marian title. The current site chosen by Pope Pius IX was the Church of St. Alphonse, standing as it did on the site where it had formerly been venerated. In 1866, Pope Pius IX wrote a short memorandum ordering the Augustinian friars to surrender the icon to the Redemptorist priests, on condition that the Redemptorists must supply the Augustinians with another picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help or a good copy of the icon in exchange as a gesture of goodwill.^[8] Upon its official transfer, Pope Pius IX finally gave his Apostolic Blessing and titled the icon Mater de Perpetuo Succursu" or "Our Mother of Perpetual Help. On June 23, 1867, the image was canonically crowned by the Dean of the Vatican Chapter in a solemn and official recognition of the Marian icon under that title.^[9] On April 21, 1866, the Redemptorist Superior General gave one of the first copies of the icon to Pope Pius XI. This copy is preserved in the chapel of the Redemptorists' Generalate in Rome. The original icon remains under the care of the Redemptorist Fathers at the Church of St. Alphonsus with the latest restoration of the icon having taken place in 1990.^[10]

Pope Pius IX very words of instructions to the Redemptorists were:

11 December 1865

The Cardinal Prefect of Propaganda will call the Superior of the community of Sancta Maria in Posterula and will tell him that it is Our desire that the image of Most Holy Mary, referred to in this petition, be again placed between Saint John and St. Mary Major; the Redemptorists shall replace it with another adequate picture.

Pope Pius IX^[11]

Religious Veneration

Since then, the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Perpetual Help has been venerated, having been popularized among many cultures and under several titles in different languages such as Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro, Notre-Dame du Perpétuel Secours, Mater de Perpetuo Succursu, Ina ng Laging Saklolo, and Mother of Perpetual Succour. In addition to this, Our Lady of Perpetual Help has been the national patron saint of Haiti.^[12]

Filipino Veneration of Our Mother of Perpetual Help

File:PerpetualNovena.jpg

The Perpetual Help Novena, Baclaran. Published by Irish Redemptorist priests

Among Roman Catholics in the Philippines and various Filipino communities worldwide, Our Lady of Perpetual Help is widely venerated. Pope John Paul II held mass at the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in the Philippines where the devotion is very popular and many Catholic churches hold a Rosary, Benediction, Novena and Eucharistic Mass honoring Mary every Wednesday using a replica of the icon, which is also widely displayed in houses, buses and public transport in the Philippines.^[13]^[14]^[15] Devotions to the icon have spread from the Philippines to the United States.^[16]^[17] The Perpetual Help Novena uses the same Wednesday novena booklet initially published by the Redemptorist Fathers from Ireland who introduced the icon to the Philippines in the early 20th century. Many Roman Catholic parishes with Filipino communities abroad have also adopted the same tradition of the solemn Wednesday novena.

Haitian Veneration of Notre Dame du Perpetuel Secours

The Republic of Haiti honors the Blessed Virgin Mary under the French title of 'Notre Dame du Perpetuel Secours as the patroness of the country. In February 5, 1882, the Virgin Mary, under this title is widely credited by Haitians for curing a widespread epidemic of Smallpox (locally termed as verettes) which ravaged the country. In 1942, the bishops of Haiti, along with President Élie Lescot and his presidential cabinet, petitioned the Holy See to invoke Our Mother of Perpetual Help has the patroness of their country. Many Roman Catholic schools, parishes and postage stamps in Haiti are dedicated to Mary under this Marian title. Haitian devotees of Perpetual Help enshrine a copies of this icon in their home, parishes and schools as a personal reminder of Roman Catholicism in their country.

Singaporean Veneration of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour

The town of Novena, Singapore, was named in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in 1935 upon arrival of the Redemptorist missionary priests in Singapore as they spread Novenas which are held every Saturdays as opposed to the traditional Wednesday Novena. The church of Saint Alphonsus Liguori was so popular among the Singaporean faithful that they referred to its as the Perpetual Novena church.

References

^ ^a ^b Our Mother of Perpetual Help
^ Feast of The Mother of Perpetual Help
^ Fest-schrift zum Andenken an die Wieder-Eröffnung der St. Peter's Kirche, St. Peter's Church Philadelphia, 1901, page 93
^ Types of Theotokos of the Passion
^ Icons and saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church by Alfredo Tradigo 2006 ISBN 0892368454 page 188
^ Mother of Perpetual Help
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Our Mother of Perpetual Help History
^ ^a ^b ^c Ann Ball, 2003 Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices ISBN 0-87973-910-X pages 431-433
^ Our Mother of Perpetual Help June 27th
^ The History of the Icon
^ The History of the Icon
^ patrons of Haiti
^ Vatican website: Pope John Paul II in the Philippines
^ Culture and customs of the Philippines by Paul A. Rodell 2001 ISBN 0313304157 page 58
^ Relations between religions and cultures in Southeast Asia by Donny Gahral Adian, Gadis Arivia 2009 ISBN 1565182502 page 129
^ Asian American religions by Tony Carnes, Fenggang Yang 2004 ISBN 081471630X page 355
^ Religion at the corner of bliss and nirvana by By Lois Ann Lorentzen 2009 ISBN 0822345471 pages 278-280

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Our Lady of Perpetual Succour". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices; Ann Ball;2003;Our Sunday Visitor Publishing;ISBN 087973910X

External links

Website of the Redemptorist Fathers'

[OUR_LADY_OF_FATIMA_CRUSADER_BULLETIN-1] Our Mother of Perpetual Help

[2] Feast of The Mother of Perpetual Help

[3] Fest-schrift zum Andenken an die Wieder-Eröffnung der St. Peter's Kirche, St. Peter's Church Philadelphia, 1901, page 93

[4] Types of Theotokos of the Passion

[5] Icons and saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church by Alfredo Tradigo 2006 ISBN 0892368454 page 188

[6] Mother of Perpetual Help

[Liguori_Publications-7] Our Mother of Perpetual Help History

[Ball431-8] Ann Ball, 2003 Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices ISBN 0-87973-910-X pages 431-433

[9] Our Mother of Perpetual Help June 27th

[10] The History of the Icon

[11] The History of the Icon

[12] trons of Haiti

[13] Vatican website: Pope John Paul II in the Philippines

[14] Culture and customs of the Philippines by Paul A. Rodell 2001 ISBN 0313304157 page 58

[15] Relations between religions and cultures in Southeast Asia by Donny Gahral Adian, Gadis Arivia 2009 ISBN 1565182502 page 129

[16] Asian American religions by Tony Carnes, Fenggang Yang 2004 ISBN 081471630X page 355

[17] Religion at the corner of bliss and nirvana by By Lois Ann Lorentzen 2009 ISBN 0822345471 pages 278-280

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Distinguish|Mary Help of Christians}}
-[[Image:Our Mother of Perpetual Help.jpg|thumb|right|Our Lady of Perpetual Help.]]
+[[Image:PerpetualExact.jpg|thumb|right|Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Note that the crowns and jewels were removed to restore and prevent damages to the icon in 1995.]]
-'''Our Lady of Perpetual Help''' (or of '''Succour''') or "Mater de Perpetuo Succursu" (Official Latin Title) '''Our Mother of Perpetual Help''' is a title given to the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]], associated with a [[Byzantine art|Byzantine icon]] of the same name, said to be 13th or 14th century, but perhaps 15th century. The [[icon]] has been in Rome since at least the late 15th century, and is currently in the [[Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Rome|church of Sant'Alfonso di Liguori all'Esquilino]]. In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] this [[iconography]] is known as the ''Virgin of the Passion'' or ''Theotokos of the Passion''.  Some [[Roman Catholics]] believe the icon to be a true copy of the painting that according to legend was painted from the life by [[Saint Luke]], and in [[Eastern Orthodox]] tradition was often identified with the ''[[Hodegetria]]'' icon,<ref name="OUR LADY OF FATIMA CRUSADER BULLETIN">[http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-112.html Our Mother of Perpetual Help]</ref> and consider it to be a miraculous imprint of the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] both in the [[Latin Church|Latins]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] communities.<ref name="OUR LADY OF FATIMA CRUSADER BULLETIN"/>
+'''Our Lady of Perpetual Help''' (or of '''Succour''') or "Sancta Mater de Perpetuo Succursu" (Official Latin Title) '''Holy Mother of Perpetual Help''' is a title given to the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] by [[Pope]] [[Pius IX]], associated with a [[Byzantine art|Byzantine icon]] of the same name dating from the 15th century. The [[icon]] has been in Rome since 1499, and is currently in the [[Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Rome|church of Sant'Alfonso di Liguori all'Esquilino]]. In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] this [[iconography]] is known as the ''Virgin of the Passion'' or ''Theotokos of the Passion''.  Some [[Roman Catholics]] believe the icon to be a true copy of the painting that according to legend was painted from the life by [[Saint Luke]] using the meal table of the [[Holy Family]] in [[Nazareth]], and in [[Eastern Orthodox]] tradition was often identified with the ''[[Hodegetria]]'' icon,<ref name="OUR LADY OF FATIMA CRUSADER BULLETIN">[http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-112.html Our Mother of Perpetual Help]</ref> and consider it to be a miraculous imprint of the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] both in the [[Latin Church|Latins]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] communities. The icon is unique and renowned due to Mary looking towards the faithful, while pointing at her son, [[Jesus Christ]] who is frightened by the instruments of [[crucifixion]] and is depicted with a fallen sandal.<ref name="OUR LADY OF FATIMA CRUSADER BULLETIN"/>
 Due to the [[Redemptorist]] Priests who had been appointed as missionaries of this icon, the image has become very popular among Roman Catholics in particular, and has been very much copied and reproduced. Modern reproductions are sometimes displayed in homes or elsewhere. For many centuries, Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians have prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary for intercession on their behalf to Jesus Christ. On the current feast of [[Roman Catholic calendar of saints]] Our Lady of Perpetual Help is commemorated on June 27.<ref>[http://www.dailycatholic.org/issue/05Jun/jun27aux.htm Feast of The Mother of Perpetual Help]</ref>
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 ==Transfer & Restoration==
-In 1798, Gubernatore [[André Masséna]], who was then the pro-consul and governor of Rome, had decided to destroy and pillage several churches in the city. The church of San Matteo in the Via Merulana was one of these. The Augustian friars first took the icon to the nearby Church of [[St. Eusebius]], then later set it up on a side altar in the Church of Santa Maria in Posterula. Decades later, [[Pope Pius IX]] invited the [[Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer|Redemptorist Fathers]] to set up a Marian house of veneration in Rome, in response to which the Redemptorists built the [[Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Rome|Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori]] at that location. The Redemptorists were thus established on the Via Merulana, not knowing that it had once been the site of the Church of San Mateo and shrine of the once-famous icon.<ref name="Liguori Publications"/>
+In 1798, Gubernatore [[André Masséna]], who was then the pro-consul and governor of Rome, had decided to destroy and pillage several churches in the city for the usage of infantry bases. The church of San Matteo in the Via Merulana was one of these. The Augustian friars first took the icon to the nearby Church of [[St. Eusebius]], then later set it up on a side altar in the Church of Santa Maria in Posterula. Decades later, [[Pope Pius IX]] invited the [[Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer|Redemptorist Fathers]] to set up a Marian house of veneration in Rome, in response to which the Redemptorists built the [[Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Rome|Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori]] at that location. The Redemptorists were thus established on the Via Merulana, not knowing that it had once been the site of the Church of San Mateo and shrine of the once-famous icon.<ref name="Liguori Publications"/>
 ==Present Caretaker==
 The [[Superior General]] of the Redemptorists, Father Nicholas Mauron, brought the urgent matter to the attention of Pope Pius IX, who later decided the icon should certainly be exposed to public veneration and given an official Marian title. The current site chosen by Pope Pius IX was the Church of St. Alphonse, standing as it did on the site where it had formerly been venerated.  In 1866, Pope Pius IX wrote a short memorandum ordering the Augustinian friars to surrender the icon to the Redemptorist priests, on condition that the Redemptorists must supply the Augustinians with another picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help or a good copy of the icon in exchange as a gesture of goodwill.<ref name=Ball431 >Ann Ball, 2003 ''Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices'' ISBN 0-87973-910-X pages 431-433</ref> Upon its official transfer, Pope Pius IX finally gave his Apostolic Blessing and titled the icon '''Mater de Perpetuo Succursu" or "Our Mother of Perpetual Help'''. On June 23, 1867, the image was canonically crowned by the [[Dean (religion)|Dean]] of the [[St. Peter's Basilica|Vatican]] [[chapter (religion)|Chapter]] in a solemn and official recognition of the Marian icon under that title.<ref>[http://www.wf-f.org/OurMotherofPerpetualHelp.html Our Mother of Perpetual Help June 27th]</ref> On April 21, 1866, the Redemptorist Superior General gave one of the first copies of the icon to [[Pope Pius XI]]. This copy is preserved in the chapel of the Redemptorists' Generalate in Rome. The original icon remains under the care of the Redemptorist Fathers at the Church of St. Alphonsus with the latest restoration of the icon having taken place in 1990.<ref>[http://www.cssr.com/english/whoarewe/iconstory.shtml The History of the Icon]</ref>
+''Pope [[Pius IX]] very words of instructions to the [[Redemptorists]] were:''
+''11 December  1865
+The Cardinal Prefect of Propaganda will call the Superior of the community of Sancta Maria in Posterula and will tell him that it is Our desire that the image of Most Holy Mary, referred to in this petition, be again placed between Saint John and St. Mary Major; the Redemptorists shall replace it with another adequate picture.''
+''Pope [[Pius IX]]''<ref>[http://www.cssr.com/english/whoarewe/iconstory.shtml The History of the Icon]</ref>
 ==Religious Veneration==
@@ Line 24: / Line 32: @@
 ===Filipino Veneration of Our Mother of Perpetual Help===
+[[Image:PerpetualNovena.jpg|thumb|right|The Perpetual Help Novena, Baclaran. Published by Irish [[Redemptorist]] priests]]
-Among [[Roman Catholicism in the Philippines|Roman Catholics in the Philippines]] and various [[Filipino people|Filipino]] communities worldwide, Our Lady of Perpetual Help is widely venerated. Pope [[John Paul II]] held mass at the [[National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help]] in the Philippines where the devotion is very popular and many Catholic churches hold a Novena and Mass honoring it every Wednesday using a replica of the icon, which is also widely displayed in houses, buses and public transport in the Philippines.<ref>[http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1981/february/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19810217_manila-baclaran_en.html Vatican website: Pope John Paul II in the Philippines]</ref><ref>''Culture and customs of the Philippines'' by Paul A. Rodell 2001 ISBN 0313304157 page 58</ref><ref>''Relations between religions and cultures in Southeast Asia'' by Donny Gahral Adian, Gadis Arivia 2009 ISBN 1565182502 page 129</ref> Devotions to the icon have spread from the Philippines to the United States, and remain popular among Asian Americans in California.<ref>''Asian American religions'' by Tony Carnes, Fenggang Yang 2004 ISBN 081471630X page 355</ref><ref>''Religion at the corner of bliss and nirvana'' by By Lois Ann Lorentzen 2009 ISBN 0822345471 pages 278-280</ref> The Perpetual Help Novena uses the same Wednesday novena booklet initially published by the [[Redemptorist]] Fathers from [[Ireland]] who introduced the icon to the Philippines in the early 20th century. Many [[Roman Catholic]] parishes with Filipino communities abroad have also adopted the same tradition of the solemn Wednesday novena.
+Among [[Roman Catholicism in the Philippines|Roman Catholics in the Philippines]] and various [[Filipino people|Filipino]] communities worldwide, Our Lady of Perpetual Help is widely venerated. Pope [[John Paul II]] held mass at the [[National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help]] in the Philippines where the devotion is very popular and many Catholic churches hold a [[Rosary]], [[Benediction]], [[Novena]] and [[Mass (liturgy)|Eucharistic Mass]] honoring Mary every Wednesday using a replica of the icon, which is also widely displayed in houses, buses and public transport in the Philippines.<ref>[http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1981/february/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19810217_manila-baclaran_en.html Vatican website: Pope John Paul II in the Philippines]</ref><ref>''Culture and customs of the Philippines'' by Paul A. Rodell 2001 ISBN 0313304157 page 58</ref><ref>''Relations between religions and cultures in Southeast Asia'' by Donny Gahral Adian, Gadis Arivia 2009 ISBN 1565182502 page 129</ref> Devotions to the icon have spread from the Philippines to the United States.<ref>''Asian American religions'' by Tony Carnes, Fenggang Yang 2004 ISBN 081471630X page 355</ref><ref>''Religion at the corner of bliss and nirvana'' by By Lois Ann Lorentzen 2009 ISBN 0822345471 pages 278-280</ref> The Perpetual Help Novena uses the same Wednesday novena booklet initially published by the [[Redemptorist]] Fathers from [[Ireland]] who introduced the icon to the Philippines in the early 20th century. Many [[Roman Catholic]] parishes with Filipino communities abroad have also adopted the same tradition of the solemn Wednesday novena.
+===Haitian Veneration of Notre Dame du Perpetuel Secours===
+The [[Republic of Haiti]] honors the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] under the [[French]] title of '''Notre Dame du Perpetuel Secours'' as the patroness of the country. In February 5, 1882, the Virgin Mary, under this title is widely credited by Haitians for curing a widespread epidemic of [[Smallpox]] (locally termed as ''verettes'') which ravaged the country. In 1942, the bishops of Haiti, along with President [[Élie Lescot]] and his presidential cabinet, petitioned the [[Holy See]] to invoke Our Mother of Perpetual Help has the patroness of their country. Many [[Roman Catholic]] schools, parishes and postage stamps in [[Haiti]] are dedicated to Mary under this Marian title. Haitian devotees of Perpetual Help enshrine a copies of this icon in their home, parishes and schools as a personal reminder of [[Roman Catholicism]] in their country.
+===Singaporean Veneration of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour===
+The town of [[Novena, Singapore]], was named in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in 1935 upon arrival of the [[Redemptorist]] missionary priests in Singapore as they spread Novenas which are held every Saturdays as opposed to the traditional Wednesday Novena. The church of Saint Alphonsus Liguori was so popular among the Singaporean faithful that they referred to its as the Perpetual Novena church.
 ==See also==