The image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help depicts Mary comforting Jesus as he clings to her, frightened at the idea of his crucifixion. The star on Mary’s veil reminds us that she is the dawn announcing the coming of Christ. This depiction of Mary demonstrates her role as a motherly protector and her unique closeness with Jesus. The original icon is under the care of the Redemptorist Fathers at the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome. Pope Pius IX asked the Redemptorists to “make her known throughout the world.”