At Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Bernardsville, we are proud to be part of a parish community under the patronage of our Blessed Mother under her title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  We pray a novena in supplication to Almighty God relying upon the intercession of Mary every Saturday morning immediately following the 8:00 am Mass in church.  We invite everyone to join us.

For more about the icon and the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, please see the following sites:

For a video series by Brother Dan Korn, C.Ss.R. explaining the significance of the icon, please click on the following:

Elements of the image

  • Mary’s eyes, filled with compassion and love, are directed toward us.
  • Our Lady is clothed in the colors of virgins (red) and of mothers (blue). These are also royal colors.
  • Jesus, depicted as a young boy, wears the colors of a king.
  • The star on Mary’s veil reminds us that she is the dawn announcing the coming of Christ.
  • Our Lady’s hands hold her Son securely, and her right hand directs our gaze to Him.
  • The Christ Child grasps his mother’s hand as though he is frightened by what he sees.
  • In His hurry to reach his mother, Jesus has almost lost one of his sandals. He became human, like us, in all things but sin.
  • On Our Lady’s left and right we see the reasons for the child’s fear. On the right is the Archangel Gabriel, holding a cross and four nails. On the left is the Archangel Michael, holding a lance, a pole with a sponge, and a vessel of vinegar. This vision of the instruments of the crucifixion has driven the young Jesus to his mother’s protective embrace.
  • Yet Our Lady’s gaze is fixed on us, her children on earth. She is our source of constant comfort and hope.

Pray with the icon 

The following is adapted from “Novena Meditations to Our Mother of Perpetual Help,” compiled by David Werthmann, Liguori Publications, 2004. To order a copy of the booklet, visit www.liguori.org.