Behold, O Mother of Perpetual Help,
at thy feet a wretched sinner,
who has recourse to thee and trusts in thee.
O Mother of mercy, have pity on me;
I hear all men call thee the refuge and hope of sinners:
be therefore my refuge and my hope.
Help me for the love of Jesus Christ:
hold out thy hand to a fallen wretch,
who commends himself to thee
and dedicates himself to be thy servant forever.
I praise and thank God,
who of His great mercy
hath given me this confidence in thee,
a sure pledge of my eternal salvation.
Alas, it is only too true
that in the past I have fallen miserably,
because I did not come to thee.
I know that with thy help I shall conquer;
I know that thou wilt help me,
if I commend myself to thee;
but I am fearful lest in the occasions of sin
I shall forget to call upon thee
and so I shall be lost.
This grace, then, do I ask of thee;
for this I implore thee,
as much as I can and know how to do;
namely, that in the assaults of hell
I may ever run to thy protection
and may say to thee:
Mary, help me;
Mother of Perpetual Help,
permit me not to lose my God.
Say the Hail Mary here…
O Mother of Perpetual Help,
grant me ever to be able to call upon thy powerful name,
since thy name is the help of the living
and the salvation of the dying.
Ah, Mary most pure,
Mary most sweet,
grant that thy name from this day forth
may be to me the very breath of life.
Dear Lady, delay not to come to my assistance
whenever I call upon thee;
for in all the temptations that assail me,
in all the necessities that befall me,
I will never leave off calling upon thee,
ever repeating: Mary, Mary.
What comfort, what sweetness,
what confidence, what tenderness fills my soul
at the sound of thy name,
at the very thought of thee!
I give thanks to our Lord,
who for my sake hath given thee a name so sweet,
so lovable, so mighty.
But I am not content merely to speak thy name;
I would utter it for very love of thee;
it is my desire that love
should ever remind me to name thee,
Mother of Perpetual Help.
Say the Hail Mary here…
O Mother of Perpetual Help,
thou art the dispenser of every grace
that God grants us in our misery;
it is for this cause that He hath made thee so powerful,
so rich, so kind,
that thou mightest assist us in our miseries.
Thou art the advocate of the most wretched
and abandoned sinners,
if they but come unto thee;
come once more to my assistance,
for I commend myself to thee.
In thy hands I place my eternal salvation;
to thee I entrust my soul.
Enroll me among thy most faithful servants;
take me under thy protection
and it is enough for me: yes,
for if thou protect me,
I shall fear nothing; not my sins,
for thou wilt obtain for me their pardon and remission;
not the evil spirits,
for thou art mightier than all the powers of hell;
not even Jesus, my Judge,
for He is appeased by a single prayer from thee.
I fear only that through my own negligence
I may forget to recommend myself to thee
and so I shall be lost.
My dear Lady,
obtain for me the forgiveness of my sins,
love for Jesus,
final perseverance
and the grace to have recourse to thee at all times,
O Mother of Perpetual Help.
Say the Hail Mary here…
PRAYER FOR THOSE
WHOSE LIVES I TOUCHED
Beloved Shepherd of Souls!
As I tread into the sunset of my life,
I grow anxious for the spiritual welfare of souls
who came to know me.
It grieves me to think
of the offenses they may have committed
because of words or deeds of mine.
I have in mind those who were my close responsibility
as well as those whom I sponsored in Baptism
and whose spiritual condition is no longer known to me.
In Your Merciful Goodness
I now plead for the pardon of the soul
who because of me may have lost Your favour.
humbly I implore You,
let not one of them be lost,
but when they leave this world
may they find glorious entry
into the Kingdom of Heaven!
On behalf of those
who may need to atone for offenses
I may have caused them to commit,
I offer You any infirmities
or sufferings I am to undergo
during the remaining years of my life.
Dear Shepherd of Souls,
grant them life eternal.
(By F. E. Callaghan)