Rome (Italy). As per tradition, in preparation for the Solemnity of Mary Help of Christians to be celebrated on 24 May 2025, the whole Salesian world is united in the prayer of the World Novena, from 15 to 23 May 2025.
“Be children” is the theme of this year’s proposal, curated by IME Communication, with the comment of the Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Fr. Fabio Attard: “The novena is all about our being children, which is much more complicated than we think. Our Lady knows how to make herself Mother; she knows how to wait for us, how to choose us. It is up to us to have the ability to be children, always, at any age,” explain the curators.
“In history, Mary appears to the little ones because they, without superstructures, trust what they see and entrust themselves. But not only, Mary speaks to the little ones because she entrusts her message of love to her children immediately. She makes them feel her presence, her closeness, as every mother does. And it will be this love, this continuous accompaniment, this discreet presence that will make children loved adults, aware of and capable of living and cultivating hope.”
Starting from this idea, in this novena the emphasis is placed on the children of the greatest of mothers; and through them it is possible to see the characteristics of Mary, mother of these children, mother of all humanity.
From 15 to 23 May, through nine videos, are proposed nine Marian experiences in which Our Lady has manifested herself. Each day you will meet a seer, the place of faith born from the encounter with Mary, and the proposal of a theme.
The common points of each experience vary. All the young people chosen by Mary are “pure of heart” (and for this, as in the Beatitudes, they will see God); all receive a message to transmit to the Church and to the people; all must overcome skepticism and slander; all are at the origin of a “high place” of faith and conversion, because as Jesus says, “I tell you that, if these will be silent, the stones will cry out”; the great shrines are today the “stones” that cry out the presence of God to humanity.
Every day a different aspect of filiation will be developed: Humility and faith; Simplicity and hope; Obedience and dedication; Wonder and reflection; Trust and prayer; Suffering and healing; Justice and dignity; Sweetness and daily life; Construction and dream. Each of these themes is accompanied by the figure of Mary as Mother.
The structure of the videos includes:
– Be children developed according to the theme of the day.
– The statement of the historical fact, preceded by a title that focuses on the “child” to whom Mary has shown herself.
– The historical fact of the Marian manifestation, with a part of the story in first person and a short text – halfway between the prose and essay – that explains the facts.
– A closing sentence that becomes a reminder for those who are looking at the novena and that is related to the theme.
– The intervention of the Rector Major.
– The voice of young people that actualizes in the concrete reality of today the message and the dimension of being children.
– The concluding prayer, with a brief summary in relation to the theme, the true and proper prayer, and a final Hail Mary.
The videos are available in Italian, English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese in the different language channels of ANSChannel and on TELEGRAM SDB.ORG. Each video is made visible one day in advance, starting on 14 May.
Source: InfoANS
GRAZIE! ATTENDIAMO CON GIOIA LA NOVENA DI MARIA AUSILIATRICE. LA TENEREZZA DELLA MAMMA CELESTE CI AVVOLGA COL SUO AMORE. SR. NUNZIA CIRAMI E COMUNITA FMA DI ACIREALE