Feast of Mary Help of Christians

24 May is always the big day for Salesians: feast of Mary under the title of Auxilium Christianorum. Popularly in Italian the name is Maria Ausiliatrice (Mary the Helper), but in English we have used the formal translation of the Latin: Mary, Help of Christians.

The feast was rather low-key at Don Bosco Hall this year. We had the mass at 8:00 followed by a festive breakfast (it was a little too early for brunch, after all). I was asked to preside at the liturgy, and Fr Arthur Lenti presided at the cooking of the breakfast.

As it happened, I presided at the mass on 15 May, first day of the novena of Mary Help. There has been a special intention for this feast set by the rector major, Pascual Chávez: the Church in China. Throughout the nine days of preparation for the feast, every Salesian community and gathering prayed for the people of this great country. In the rector major's words, we were to be like the apostolic community, gathered around the Mother of Jesus in prayer. "That is how I like the think of the Salesian Family," he said, "made up of apostles gathered around Mary, skilled in the Spirit, who teaches us how to wait for Him, welcome Him, and allow ourselves to be guided by Him."

Each day we had a particular group to remember and for whom to pray, and today it all came together in an entrustment of ourselves to the Virgin in praying for the Chinese. Using the prayer composed by Fr Chávez, we called on God through Mary to "fill all [the Chinese people and ourselves] with the desire to know the Father’s loving plan, the courage to accept Christ’s Gospel, the willingness to grow in the Holy Spirit."

For the rest, the Eucharist was simple. We sang a few more of hymns as well as the parts of the mass. At the end there was a solemn blessing.

Certainly, the breakfast will have been more memorable. It was a little too early for brunch, so Arthur prepared a champagne breakfast, with mimosa, French-roast coffee, six styles of eggs (quiche Lorraine, seafood quiche, omelette, fried, poached in a tomato sauce) and all manner of auxiliary dishes (bacon, salmon, muffins and scones). We spent a long time at table, visiting with one another, hearing plans for the coming months, and beginning to say our goodbyes.

And now?

The community will begin to disperse. Most of the work of the semester is complete, except for a few final papers and the registering of grades. Will there be a farewell party? Or did yesterday's celebration serve that function? It is hard to tell really.