The origins of devotion to Our Lady, under the invocation Help of Christians dates back to 1571.
In that crucial year, Christians and Turks met in the largest naval battle ever. The great Pope Saint Pius V had labored for years to get the Catholic League together and in fighting shape.
On October 7, 1571, 210 Catholic ships, mostly Spanish and Venetians, opposed 290 Turkish ships. The Catholics won a spectacular victory under the leadership of the Spanish Prince Juan of Austria.
Ah, yes ... the pale version of La Virgen Morenita ;-).
I have choir practice tomorrow morning for our Sunday Guadalupe celebration. One of my favorite things about the Spanish congregation is that we can bring out our Marian songs any time, and everyone is happy, but we have a special selection of Mexican favorites for Guadalupe.
