One of your friends asks you: WHO IS OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS? What do you respond? Maybe you say she is Mary, the mother of Jesus ...she is the Patroness Saint of my parish in Waldorf. This is correct, but your friend may want to know more: "Yes, I know that the title Our Lady refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus. But why is she called Help of Christians?” I must confess that until I was assigned to OLHOC, I would have been unable to answer this deeper, follow-up question. I had no idea what is the origin of such title of Mary. I may have vaguely remembered that it is one of the titles of Mary mentioned in the long Litany of Mary (sometimes prayed at the end of the Rosary). However, I had never heard of any other Catholic church with such name until I came to Waldorf as a newly ordained priest 10 years ago...

As part of our "Celebrating 40 years",.....