10th May - OUR MOTHER DEDICATED BY CONSTANTINE

 The incomparable faith and piety of St. Helena greatly influenced her son Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, and served to kindle a holy zeal in the hearts of the people 

    of the Roman Empire. In her 18th year she made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, with the ardent desire of discovering the Cross on which Our Blessed Redeemer suffered. After many labors, 

    three crosses were found on Mount Calvary, together with the nails and the inscription recorded by the Evangelists. It still remained to identify the true Cross of Our Lord. 

    By the advice of the Bishop, Macarius, the three were applied successively to a woman afflicted with an incurable disease, and no sooner had the third touched her than she arose, 

    perfectly healed. The pious Empress, transported with joy, built a most glorious Church on Mount Calvary to receive the precious relic, sending portions of it to Rome, 

    Trier and Constantinople, where they were solemnly exposed to the adoration of the faithful. In the year 312, Constantine, while encamped with the imperial troops in Germany, 

    found himself attacked by the heathen Maxentius with vastly superior forces, and the very existence of his Empire threatened. In this crisis, he thought himself of the Christian

    God Whom his mother Helena worshipped, and kneeling down, prayed God to give him victory. Suddenly, at noonday, a Cross of fire was seen by his army in the calm and cloudless sky, 

    and beneath it the words, "In Hoc Signo Vinces" i.e. "In this Sign you shall conquer." By Divine command, Constantine made a standard like the Cross he had seen, 

    which was borne at the head of his troops; and under this Christian ensign they marched against the enemy, and obtained a complete victory. 

    The apparition of Mary the Theotokos occurred during the 10th century at the Blachernae Church in Constantinople where several of her relics were kept. 

    St. Andrew who was a Slave by birth, saw the dome of the Church open and the Virgin Mary enter, moving in the air above him, glowing and surrounded by Angels and Saints. 

    She knelt and prayed with tears for all faithful Christians in the world. The Virgin Mary asked Her Son, Jesus Christ to accept the prayers of all the people entreating Him 

    and looking for Her protection. Once Her prayer was completed, She walked to the Altar and continued to pray. 

    Afterwards, She spread Her veil over all the people in the Church as a protection.




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