The Picture at the Shrine in the Church of Kilteevogue is an authentic copy of the ancient Miraculous Picture. It is painted on cedarwood, supported by an exquisitely wrought angel-group in chaste Carrara marble. It was blessed by the Pope and touched the Miraculous Picture itself in the Church of St. Alphonsus, Rome, before it was brought to Glenfin.

It is on record that it was during a Mission (July, 1916), conducted by the Redemptorist Fathers in Glenfin, that the parish priest, Fr. Anthony Gallagher, felt inspired to put his new Church under the patronage of the glorious Mother of Perpetual Succour. The missioners re-told the wonderful story of the Miraculous Picture of the Mother of Perpetual Succour, and described the world-wide devotion to Our Lady under that title. As a consequence, the parishioners developed a strong and enduring love of Our Lady under this title, and had copies of the holy Picture blessed for their homes.

During the Mission the Picture was carried in a magnificent outdoor procession along the valley of the Finn amid scenes of great devotional fervour. As a fitting crown to the glories of that day - and as a reward for her childrens' love - Our Lady of Perpetual Succour was to come ten years later to establish her reign among them forever in a glorious shrine in her first Church in Ireland.

An ancient tradition has it that the original picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour was painted by the evangelist Saint Luke. However, the more likely theory is that it was painted, not by St. Luke, but by some Greek artist of the 13th century. It's subsequent history is interesting and in a sense providential.

The island of Crete was threatened with invasion by the dreaded Turkish armies at the end of the 15th century. Thereupon many of it's inhabitants, realising the consequences of such an invasion, decided to emigrate to Italy. Among their number was a wealthy merchant, in whose possession the picture was. He treasured the picture and had a strong devotion to the Madonna of Perpetual Succour. Tradition tells of a fierce storm which this party of exiles encountered on the trip to Italy. The survival of the entire party was attributed to the intercession of the Madonna whose picture they reverently carried with them on the voyage.

The party eventually reached Rome, the Eternal City, and the Cretan merchant, having been struck down by a serious illness, and realising that his life was in danger, decided to bequeath the picture to one of the Roman Churches. After his death, his wife at first was reluctant to part with her treasure - but eventually released it. It was said that Our Lady herself had revealed that she wished to be honoured in a Church between St. Mary Major's and St. John Lateran's - two of Romes major Basilicas. There was only one Church to answer to this location - that was the Church of St. Matthew, under the care of the Augustinian Order.

And so the picture was handed over to this Church. In the year 1658, Pope Alexander VII bestowed the Church of St. Matthew on the Irish Augustinians - who, we are told, 'were wanderers from the kingdom of Ireland through the fierce persecutions of the English heretics'.

These Irish exiles became then the guardians of the Miraculous Picture and Shrine of the Mother of Perpetual Succour until the destruction of St. Matthews's Church by the French invading armies about the year 1808. But although the Church of St. Matthew was razed to the ground, the picture miraculously escaped, and after a long night of oblivion - was handed over to the Redemptorist Order who had built the new Church of St. Alphonsus on the ruins of St. Matthew's.

The Redemptorists have since been the official guardians of the Miraculous Picture. Innumerable favours, both spiritual and temporal, are attributed to the Madonna of Perpetual Help.