Novena to Mary Helper (Help of Christians) 2026
By BSOL Editor (home made translation)
May 9, 2026
St. John Bosco felt a very deep devotion to Mary under the title of Help of Christians – Auxilium Christianorum – patroness and protector of the Salesian work. It was not he who created this title: the feast had already been instituted by Pope Pius VII on September 15, 1815 (a month after his birth), but Don Bosco was convinced that it was an explicit request from Heaven. He himself confessed in 1862: "Our Lady wants us to honour Her under the title of Mary Help of Christians: times are so sad that we need the Blessed Virgin to help us to preserve and defend the Christian faith".
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It is a title that speaks volumes, as he himself explained: “We must not expect help from Divine Providence while we remain idle. She will act once She has seen our generous efforts out of love for Her.” And it is a title that also speaks to its scope: “She is called the Help of Christians, both against external enemies and against internal enemies.”
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It is a devotion born also of concrete experience: "Do what you can: God will do what we cannot do. Entrust everything to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary Help of Christians and you will see what miracles are."
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Don Bosco teaches us that Mary's help has no borders: neither of time – in life, in death and even after death – nor of person – just and sinners, individuals and peoples – nor of necessity – the soul, the body, faith, society. It is basically a mother's help. A mother never stops helping her children.
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Don Bosco also indicated the dispositions of mind for the novena to be effective:
"1. To have no hope in the virtue of men, faith in God.
2. The petition is based entirely on Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, source of grace, goodness and blessing; may it rest on the power of Mary that in these times God wants to glorify on earth.
3. But in all things the condition is to be placed that 'thy will be done' and whether it is good for the soul of the one for whom it is prayed."
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And in order to obtain graces more easily, Don Bosco advised approaching, during the Novena, at least once to the Blessed Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist and to make or promise an offering for the Salesian Missions.
This novena can be prayed in preparation for the feast of Mary Help of Christians (May 24) or at any time of the year according to one's needs.
This year, 2026, the feast of Mary Help of Christians will be celebrated on May 25, since the 24th is the Solemnity of Pentecost; Therefore, the first day of the novena will be May 16, instead of the 15th.
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In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
OPENING PRAYER
(to pray every day)
O Mary Help of Christians, Mother of the Church and my Mother, in these nine days of prayer I draw near to you with a humble and trusting heart. I know that Your intercession is powerful before God, and that no one has turned to You in vain. I ask You to accompany me on this journey of prayer, to purify my intentions, to kindle in my heart a truer love for your Son Jesus. Teach me to pray as You have prayed, to entrust myself as You have entrusted Yourself, to love as You have loved. Be my guide and my hope. Amen.
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Day 1
HELP FOR ALL CHRISTIANS
May the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament be praised and glorified at all times!
Don Bosco: "The most splendid proof that Mary is the help of Christians is found on Mount Calvary."
INVOCATION
O Mary Help of Christians, Mother of all Christians, at that supreme moment on Calvary, Jesus, Your Son, dying on the cross, gave You as Mother to all mankind in the words addressed to the disciple John: "Behold, Your mother". Since then, down the centuries, Christians have experienced Your powerful intercession: healings, conversions, extraordinary protections have marked the story of Your devotion. You, who have shared the sacrifice of Your Son with an immaculate heart, are the infallible help of those who turn to You in faith. For this reason we call upon You as the powerful Help of all Christians.
INTERCESSION
O most sweet Mary Help of Christians, I turn to You with humility and filial trust, recognizing that I am in need of Your help at every moment of my Christian life. I am weak, I often forget to live as a true child of God, and the weight of the days distances me from that living faith that should animate my every step. Intercede for me before Your Son Jesus, so that He may grant me the grace to be an authentic Christian, capable of witnessing to the Gospel with words and deeds. Obtain for me strength in moments of discouragement, hope in difficulties and a faith that is ever more alive and active. Help me never to tire of seeking God, to find my peace in Him. Amen.
Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be..., Hail...
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!
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Day 2
HELP IN THE DEFENSE OF THE FAITH
May the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament be praised and glorified at all times!
Don Bosco: "Then the holy Pontiff, in gratitude to Mary, to whose patronage he attributed the glory of that day [victory at Lepanto], ordered that in the Litany of Loreto the short prayer be added: 'Maria Auxilium Christianorum, ora pro nobis', Mary help of Christians, pray for us."
INVOCATION
O Mary Help of Christians, the history of the Christian faith bears the stamp of Your powerful protection. In 1571, while the Christian fleets were preparing to defend themselves from the Ottoman navy at Lepanto, Pope St. Pius V asked all the faithful to pray the Holy Rosary. The extraordinary victory won on October 7 of that year was unanimously attributed to Your intercession: an army inferior in numbers prevailed thanks to Your prayer. The Pope then instituted the feast of the Queen of the Holy Rosary. You, who have defended the Christian faith in the most difficult moments, are the infallible guardian of the true faith.
INTERCESSION
O Mary, powerful Help of Christians and defender of the Christian faith, intercede for me, who every day face the invisible battles of the spiritual life. Faith today is tested by so many contradictory voices: by doubts, indifference and confusion; by a world that often considers it superfluous or useless. I ask for Your motherly intercession, so that You may obtain to me from the Lord a firm faith that does not waver in the face of difficulties or be extinguished in daily indifference. Protect me from relativism and spiritual lukewarmness. Do also defend my poor faith, so that it may remain alive, luminous and able to guide my every choice. Make me a courageous witness of the Gospel. Amen.
Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be..., Hail...
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!
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Day 3
HELP IN CHURCH ADVOCACY
May the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament be praised and glorified at all times!
Don Bosco: "The marvellous way in which Pius VII was released from his prison is the great event that gave rise to the institution of the feast of Mary Help of Christians."
INVOCATION
O Mary Help of Christians, the Church has known moments of great persecution, but You have never abandoned her. Napoleon Bonaparte had Pope Pius VII imprisoned in 1809, trying to bend the Church to temporal power. In those dark years, the faithful insistently entrusted themselves to Your intercession. On May 24, 1814, the Pontiff returned to Rome freely, amidst the joy of the Christian people, and for this reason he officially instituted the liturgical feast of "Mary Help of Christians" precisely on this day, wishing to thank You for Your mediation.
INTERCESSION
O Mary, who has freed the Vicar of Christ from prison and sustained the Church in her most difficult moments, look with mercy upon Your Church in this time. She faces trials old and new: internal divisions, external misunderstandings, the fatigue of proclaiming the Gospel in a world that is moving away from God. Intercede so that the Pope, Bishops and Priests may be men of God, strong and faithful. Obtain the grace of unity, holiness and prophetic value to the whole Church. Protect her from visible and invisible persecutions. And help me, a simple member of the People of God, to love the Church, to serve her loyally and never to be a cause of scandal to my brothers and sisters. Amen.
Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be..., Hail...
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!
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Day 4
YOUTH ADVOCACY HELP
The Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin
May the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament be praised and glorified at all times!
Don Bosco: "Let it always be said and preached that Mary Help of Christians has obtained and will always obtain special graces, even extraordinary and miraculous, for those who come to give Christian education to the Youth that are in danger by works, by counsel and by good example or simply by prayer."
INVOCATION
O Mary Help of Christians, mother and educator of Youth, St John Bosco has chosen You as patroness and guide of his mission among the poor and abandoned young people of Turin. Guided by a supernatural vision and by Your maternal inspiration, he wanted to build a basilica in Your honor in the Valdocco district. On June 9, 1868, the temple was consecrated, and since then, many young people from all over the world have come to Your feet to find comfort, light, and strength for life. A year later he also founded the Association of the Devotees of Mary Help of Christians, which spread Your cult throughout the world. You who have accompanied every apostolic dream of Don Bosco, are the tireless Mother of every boy and girl in search of meaning and love. Youth has always been dear to Your Immaculate Heart.
INTERCESSION
O Mary Help of Christians, mother of young people and hope of families, I entrust to You with all my heart the young people of our time: those who grow up without points of reference, who seek identity in the wrong places, who suffer in loneliness or abandonment. Intercede so that they may find in the Gospel and in Your maternal presence the compass for their lives. I also entrust to You the young people who are close to me: those of my family, of my environment, of my community. Obtain for them the grace to grow in faith, honesty and authentic love. And grant that they may receive the wisdom and patience of Don Bosco in dealing with young people: that of educating with the heart, with reason and with religion. Amen.
Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be..., Hail...
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!
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Day 5
HELP SINNERS
May the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament be praised and glorified at all times!
Don Bosco: "Let us recourse to Mary, who is the refuge of penitent sinners; She will lead us to the throne of mercy and make us find grace before Jesus, Her beloved Son."
INVOCATION
O Mary Help of Christians, Refuge of sinners and Cause of our joy, in the Gospels Your Son Jesus has never distanced Himself from those who were in sin: He has sought the lost, He has forgiven the sinner, He has welcomed the thief on the cross. You, His Mother, share His infinite mercy. From Lourdes to Fatima, from Guadalupe to Turin, wherever You have appeared You have called for conversion, penance and prayer. Countless sinners, addressed to You with humble trust, have received the grace of return to God: confessions after decades of distance, hardened hearts that have been opened to mercy, lives radically transformed by Your intercession. You are the gate of heaven, open to those who have lost their way, the hand stretched out to those who have fallen into the mire of sin.
INTERCESSION
O Mary, merciful mother of every sinner, I too recognize my spiritual poverty, my repeated falls, my infidelities to God. I am not ashamed to present myself to You like this, for I know that You do not reject anyone who approaches You sincerely. Intercede for me, so that I may receive the grace of a true contrition for my sins: not only of a superficial disgust but of an authentic pain that moves me to change my life. Obtain for me the gift of frequenting the Sacrament of Reconciliation with humility and constancy. Help me not to give in to despair after falls, but to always rise, trusting in the mercy of Your Son. Be Yourself my strength against sin. Amen.
Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be..., Hail...
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!
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Day 6
HELP IN DANGERS AND TEMPTATIONS HASTA ACÁ
May the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament be praised and glorified at all times!
Don Bosco: "I will repeat to You that, by the end of this novena that is still in progress, you engrave in your hearts these words: 'Maria Auxilium Christianorum, ora pro me': and that you recite them in every danger, in every temptation, in every need and always; and that you also ask Mary Help of Christians for the grace to be able to invoke Her. And I promise You that the devil will go bankrupt. Do you know what it means that the devil will go bankrupt? It means that he will no longer have any power over you, he will no longer succeed in making you commit any sin, and he will have to withdraw."
INVOCATION
O Mary Help of Christians, ivory tower and impregnable fortress against the forces of evil, Christian tradition has always invoked You as a powerful defense against the snares of the devil and the dangers of life. How many people, in moments of physical or spiritual danger, have called upon You and been protected in a miraculous way! Sailors in storm, soldiers in battle, souls tempted in faith: all have experienced Your mighty arm that succors and saves. You know the snares of the enemy because You are the Immaculate One, the One who has never yielded to sin, and You are the sure guide for those who walk in darkness.
INTERCESSION
O Mary Help of Christians, I need Your protection in the spiritual dangers that threaten my Christian life every day. Temptations take a thousand forms: pride that encloses me in myself, lust that degrades my dignity and that of others, greed that makes me a slave to material goods, laziness that separates me from God and from prayer. In these inner battles I often feel weak and unable to resist alone. Intercede for me, so that the Lord may grant me His strength and grace to overcome temptations. Protect me also from the physical and moral dangers of the daily journey. Put Your Mother's mantle over me and hold me closely by the hand, as a caring mother does with her child. Amen.
Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be..., Hail...
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!
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Day 7
HELP IN DISEASES
May the Blessed and Most Divine Sacrament be praised and thanked at all times!
Don Bosco: "Commit Mary Help of Christians to Your behalf; and persuade Yourselves that what surgeons cannot do, She will know how to do."
INVOCATION
O Mary Help of Christians, Health of the sick and consolation of the afflicted, from the beginning, Marian devotion has seen in You the great mediator of spiritual and corporal healing. The shrines dedicated to You have always been the destinations of sick pilgrims, and the number of miracles and healing graces obtained through Your intercession is incalculable. Don Bosco himself obtained extraordinary graces of healing for many sick people through Your intercession, to the point of affirming: "Whoever comes to Her does not perish". The Gospel also testifies that Jesus, moved with compassion, never refused to heal those who approached Him in faith. You, His Mother, carry to His merciful heart every human pain, every suffering body, every broken spirit.
INTERCESSION
O Mary Help of Christians, Health of the sick, I present to You all the diseases that I carry in body and spirit. Bring me before the throne of mercy of Your Son, that He may grant me healing, if it is his will, and in any case the strength to bear suffering with faith. I also entrust to You all the sick people I know: my relatives, my friends, those who suffer alone in hospitals, those who have no one nearby. Intercede so that doctors may have wisdom and humanity, so that relatives may find the strength to lovingly assist their loved ones. Obtain for those who suffer the gift of discovering in pain a deeper dimension of existence, uniting their own suffering with that of Christ. Amen.
Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be..., Hail...
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!
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Day 8
HELP WITH EVERYDAY SPIRITUAL AND MATERIAL NEEDS
May the Blessed and Most Divine Sacrament be praised and thanked at all times!
Don Bosco: "My only support has always been recourse to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary Help of Christians."
INVOCATION
O Mary Help of Christians, attentive and provident Mother in the small and great needs of Your children, the story of Your devotion is full of concrete and daily graces: families who have found work, debts miraculously paid, domestic difficulties resolved, serenity recovered in the most difficult relationships. You have personally experienced the poverty of Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, the worries of a mother. You know from the inside the weight of everyday life. As at Cana, where You first noticed the lack of wine and asked Jesus to intervene, so every day You notice the needs of Your children before they even express them. You are the provident Mother who never allows those who entrust themselves to You with the simplest faith to lack what is necessary.
INTERCESSION
O Mary Help of Christians, Mother of daily life, I present to You all my daily needs: spiritual needs, such as the grace to pray constantly, to read the Word of God, to live the sacraments fruitfully; and material ones, such as work, the economic health of my family, relationships between loved ones, worries that weigh on my heart. Do intercede that I may learn to bring everything to God in prayer, without striving in vain, but trusting in His Providence. Help me to see in the little graces of daily life the sign of His concrete love. Make me grateful for every good received and generous in sharing with those who are most in need. Teach me to encounter God in everyday life and to sanctify every moment of the day. Amen.
Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be..., Hail...
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!
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Day 9
HELP AT THE HOUR OF DEATH
May the Blessed and Most Divine Sacrament be praised and thanked at all times!
Don Bosco: "Mary offers us her help in life, in death and after death."
INVOCATION
O Mary Help of Christians, gate of Heaven and hope of the dying, every Hail Mary closes with this supplication: "Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." Death is the most decisive step in human existence, and Christian tradition has always asked for Your presence in that supreme hour. Don Bosco, in his life, witnessed many holy deaths of young people entrusted to Your protection: they died serenely, with Your name on their lips, sure of being welcomed by Your Son. You, who were present at Jesus' death on the Cross with a heartbroken and faithful heart, are the Mother who does not abandon Her children at the moment of the great step. Your motherly hand guides souls into eternal light, and Your intercession can open the doors of divine mercy even at the last moment.
INTERCESSION
O Mary Help of Christians, gate of Heaven, I ask You for the most important grace of all: that of a good death. I do not know when or how my earthly life will end, but I know that that hour will come and that I want to be prepared. Intercede so that I may live each day in such a way that I may not fear this step: that I may convert sincerely, that I may forgive those who have wronged me, that I may ask forgiveness from those I have offended, that I may receive the sacraments with faith and devotion. In that hour, be close to me with Your motherly presence. Bring my soul before the throne of mercy of Your Son Jesus and, with Your powerful intercession, intercede so that I may be welcomed into the eternal joy of Paradise. O Mary, Help of Christians, be my mother in life and in death. Amen.
Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be..., Hail...
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!
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FINAL PRAYER OF THE NOVENA
O Mary Help of Christians, I have gone through these nine days of prayer with You, presenting to You my needs, my fears, my hopes. I thank You for having listened to my voice with a mother's heart. Bring my intentions before the throne of Your Son Jesus and, according to His holy will, intercede, so that I may receive the graces I need for my salvation and for the good of those I love. Whatever God's answer to my prayers, help me to welcome it with filial faith and abandonment, certain that He knows what is best for me. O Mary, never cease to be my Help of Christians: today, tomorrow and at the hour of my death. Amen.
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen