2026 World Novena to Mary Help of Christians

By Agenzia Info Salesiana (ANS)

(ANS – Rome) – The tradition of the worldwide novena to Mary Help of Christians is being renewed once again for 2026. This audiovisual project, which contains nine videos, will be presented by the Salesian Congregation’s communications sector to all members of the Salesian Family and, more generally, to the devotees of Mary under this title so beloved and championed by Don Bosco. “Mary, you are our help” is the motto guiding this year’s edition.

“Do whatever he tells you.” The key phrase of this year’s strenna is the phrase that marks Mary’s care for humanity: a reminder, a comfort, and a help at every moment of life. When we are sad and when we are happy, when we wish to give thanks and when we are in despair, when we ask for a favor and when we ask for the strength to face a situation too great for our own abilities, Mary is a mother who remains by our side and listens. But her listening, as always, is not passive: she does not merely receive our trust, but guides us towards a future filled with joy.

The 2026 World Novena to Mary Help of Christians highlights Mary’s presence in everyday life, through true stories in which we can recognize ourselves, bring our own experiences, and find a word of comfort, help, and love.

9 stories, 9 protagonists, 9 lives. One mother. And always the same love.

• Those who give thanks at the end of their days;
• A father who cannot communicate with his son;
• A youth worker who has supported a young person on probation;
• An evening school teacher dealing with war refugees;
• A wife who cannot help her husband, who has lost his job;
• A young Salesian seeking to connect with teenagers;
• A girl who does not know how to help her friend, who is suffering violence;
• A boy facing problems of cyberbullying; and
• A family experiencing the suffering of a terminally ill mother.

Each of these stories is accompanied by the figure of Mary, who introduces the theme:

• Mary, Mother of Presence
• Mary, Mother of Solitude
• Mary, Mother of Wayward Children
• Mary, Mother of Hope
• Mary, Mother of Uncertainty
• Mary, Mother of the Whispered Word
• Mary, Mother of Love
• Mary, Mother of Fragility
• Mary, Mother of Suffering

The structure for each day includes:

• Presentation of the theme
• Introductory Bible verse on the theme of the day
• Biographical story in cartoon format
• Commentary by the Rector Major
• Question for reflection
• Prayer related to the theme, with reference to the life of Don Bosco
• Closing prayer: “Do whatever he tells you”

The videos will be available in Italian, English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese on the various language channels of ANSChannel and on telegram.sdb.org. Each video will be released one day in advance. Therefore, since the novena officially begins on Friday, May 15, the first videos will be published on Thursday, May 14.

The English-language videos will also be released an additional day in advance to assist devotees in the English-speaking regions of Oceania and Asia, starting on Wednesday, May 13.

In the days leading up to the start of the novena, the booklet containing all the texts will also be made available.

Watch the trailer for the 2026 World Novena to Mary Help of Christians on ANSChannel.

All the materials for the novena will be available here as they are published.

Read the original article on ANS.