"If I can unite in myself the thought and devotion of Eastern and Western Christendom, the Greek and the Latin Fathers, the Russian and the Spanish mystics, I can prepare in myself the reunion of divided Christians. From that secret and unspoken unity in myself can eventually come a visible and manifest unity of all Christians. If we want to bring together what is divided, we cannot do so by imposing one division upon the other. If we do this, the union is not Christian. It is political and doomed to further conflict. We must contain all the divided worlds in ourselves and transcend them in Christ." ~ Fr. Thomas Merton 1915-1968

"The signature of God is One" Fr. Lawrence Vadakkan
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
The Feast of Mary Mother of God was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1931 in view of fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus. Oct.11, 431 AD was the date historians believed to have been the date of the close of the the Third Ecumenical Council. In the Council of Ephesus Mary was proclaimed Theotokos the Mother of God.
Mary is devoutly honored as Theotokos in the Eastern Church, and the pope, in instituting the feast, asked prayers for Christian unity.
The feast day was moved by Pope Paul VI to January 1, Solemnity of the Mother of God.