o Saint Philip was a follower. Jesus specifically identified Philip and called him to follow Jesus.
o Saint Philip was a leader. It was Philip who brought a man named Nathanael to Jesus, and as a result, Nathanael believed.
o Saint Philip was a witness. Look at the story of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. When there were more than 5000 mouths to feed, Jesus asked Philip how these people would ever get fed. Philip pointed out that 200 days wages would not be enough to buy bread to feed all these people. And he witnessed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves.
o Sometimes, Saint Philip didn’t quite get it. Philip asked Jesus to “show them the Father” and Jesus says to Philip, “have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know me?”
o Saint Philip was a friend of Jesus. He was at the Last Supper, and he was in the Upper Room at Pentecost.
o Saint Philip was a martyr. He gave his life for Jesus, and was crucified upside down. It is said that from the cross, Philip continued to preach (despite how hard that must have been). He was crucified along with Saint Bartholomew. But because of Philip’s strong preaching from the cross, they decided to release him and Bartholomew. Philip insisted that he stay on the cross for Christ.
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"The beautiful image of "Our Lady of Perpetual Help" has recently been returned to the church for public veneration. While some years ago the image was displayed near the Altar of Mary, it had been put away for some time afterwards. Instead of returning it to its previous destination, the image has been moved to the main vestibule of the church for a few reasons. First, by giving the image its own space, we were able to create a shrine with additional candles for the faithful to light and offer special prayers. Moreover, it is not as appropriate to have this image of Mary immediately next to another image of Our Lady. Instead, the faithful are able to concentrate on one image at a time in order to enrich their prayer and devotion.
The original image, which is over 500 years old, can be found in a small church very near the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. It is under the care of the Redemptorist Fathers, and it is said to have been the focus of many miracles. Praying to Our Lady, who always directs our prayers to her Son, is a beautiful Catholic tradition that we should encourage others to practice and learn more about.
The image depicts Mary wearing a dress of dark red, representing the Passion of Jesus with a blue mantle representing her perpetual virginity and cloaked veil which represents her pure modesty. On the left side is the Archangel Michael, carrying the lance and sponge of the crucifixion of Jesus. On the right is the Archangel Gabriel carrying a cross and nails. Mary has a star on her forehead, signifying her role as Star of the Sea. The Greek inscriptions read Mother of God, Archangel Michael, Archangel Gabriel, and Jesus Christ, respectively."