Devotion to the Virgin with the title of Our Lady of Help appeared in the first years of the fourteenth century in the church of St Augustine in Palermo, from which it spread to the whole of the Order, especially to Italy, Spain and Latin America. In the original iconographic representation, the Virgin of Help appeared with the Child in her arms, driving away the devil with a staff. Later, iconography varied greatly from country to country, and from one era to another. The Order introduced the memoria of the Virgin of Help in its liturgy in 1804.
Our Lady of Help
Because of the great hostility between the Woman and the Serpent, which, by the decree of God, runs through human history from its very origins ( Genesis 3, 1-6, 23-15 ) to the end of time ( Apocalypse 12, 1-3, 7 – 12. 17 ), the Blessed Virgin Mary incessantly defends and assists the Church, whether nourishing the faith of Christians, or helping them in their needs.