The feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help — 27 June
When the feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is celebrated, how the date was chosen, and simple ways to prepare for it with the Nine-Day Novena.
22 October 2026 · 1 min read
The feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is celebrated every year on 27 June.
How the date was chosen
After Pope Pius IX entrusted the icon to the Redemptorists in 1865 and it was enshrined in their church in Rome, devotion spread quickly. The icon was solemnly crowned on 23 June 1867, and in 1876 Pius IX fixed 27 June as its feast day. Churches dedicated to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, and the Redemptorists everywhere, keep it with special solemnity.
Some Eastern Catholic Churches keep their own date: the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, for example, celebrates the feast on the first Sunday of July.
Preparing with the Nine-Day Novena
A beautiful way to prepare is to pray a novena for the nine days before the feast — beginning on 18 June and ending on 26 June, the eve of the feast. The Nine-Day Novena in this app keeps track of the days for you, and missing a day never resets your progress.
Ways to keep the feast
- Go to Mass if you can, especially in a church that has the icon.
- Pray the Chaplet with your family or friends.
- Bring your intentions — and your thanksgivings for prayers already answered. You can entrust an intention here so that everyone praying the Novena prays for it.
- Spend a few minutes with the icon, looking at its details. Our guide to what the icon means can help.