The story of how the Novena came to Ireland is fascinating. In 1866 Pope Pius IX commissioned the Redemptorists to make Mary known under the title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. In 1916 the American Redemptorists celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of that event by establishing a perpetual or weekly Novena. Eventually a young Redemptorist by the name of Matthew Meighan CSsR became the Novena director. Then in 1942 the attack on Pearl Harbour happened and the USA entered World War II. Matthew Meighan joined the US marines as a chaplain and quickly found himself posted to Northern Ireland in 1943. When visiting Clonard Monastery in Belfast he urged the Redemptorists to establish a perpetual Novena and on Thursday, 09th December 1943 the Novena began. It flourished in Belfast and quickly spread to other Redemptorist centres, especially Mount Saint Alphonsus in Limerick. In the late 1970s a team of Redemptorists based in Mount Saint Alphonsus, led by Vincent Kavanagh CSsR developed the Novena even further, giving it the particular festive atmosphere and popularity it enjoys today.
We are happy to bring the Novena to your parish or cluster of parishes. It is a joyful, scripture-based festival of faith which is very popular throughout Ireland. Enquiries to secretary@cssr.ie
