Between 1621 and 1629, a chapel was built to hold the honored image of Our Lady of Good Counsel next to the Church in Genazzano, Italy where it had been previously kept.
The Manifestation of Our Lady of Good Counsel
Another title for the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel is the word "Eleousa" which means the Mother of Tenderness. In the image, Mary and the Baby Jesus nestle close to one another in a manner which is often referred to as showing the intimacy of breastfeeding.
There are two stories around Our Lady of Good Counsel, and it is not known which story carries the higher strand of truth.
The story begins in Albania where Our Lady of Good Counsel was venerated as Our Lady of Shkodra. The ancient icon inspired such love of the Blessed Mother, that many were drawn to it as a devotional work which inspired the intense feelings of the love of the Mother of God to all her children.
Many people prayed before the image, oftentimes asking for protection for armies fighting invading forces from other countries.
A miraculous occurrence happened one day when two soldiers came in to pray before the Blessed Lady’s image which they reported to miraculous move away from the wall. They followed the image as it traveled all the way to Genazzano, where they chose to settle away from the invading Turks who overcame their home country.
But a second strand to the stories begins here. Petruccia de Geneo, a local widow in Genazanno found herself called to help repair the church where the image had been kept which had fallen into disrepair. But her money was all spent before the building was finished, leaving an entire wall undone.
On April 25, 1467, the Feast Day of St. Mark, the city was participating in a yearly festival when a fantastic miracle occurred at the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel. At 4:00 p.m., they saw a mysterious cloud come down from heaven completely encompassing the unfinished wall of the church. When they dissipated, the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel was standing tall above the unfinished wall and the city bells rang without the aid of human hands.
The Message of Our Lady of Good Counsel
The most common prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel is “Mother of Good Counsel, return to us. On the path of peace, lead us.” Many devotions to Our Lady of Good Counsel have evolved over the years. “O Mary of Good Counsel, inflame the hearts of all who are devoted to you, so that all of them have shelter in you, O great Mother of God. O most worthy Lady, let everyone choose you as teacher and wise counselor of their souls, since you are, as Saint Augustine says, the counsel of the Apostles and counsel of all peoples. Amen.”
Perhaps the most striking sign of the impact of Our Lady of Good Counsel is the fact that prayers to her are included in some of the liturgies of the Catholic Church.
Unlike Our Lady of Garabandal which forewarned of dangers to come, Our Lady of Good Counsel is much like Our Lady of Guadalupe in that it gives hope for the future of the world.
Sources:
- Those who Saw Her: Apparitions of Mary, by Catherine M. Odell.
- Catherine Laboure and the Modern Apparitions of Our Lady, by Abbe Omer Englebert.
- Miraculous Images: Photographs Containing God's Fingerprints, by Marilynn Hughes.
- Medjugorje: Light for the World, by Pietro Jacopini.
- Our Lady Comes to Garabandal, by Joseph A. Pelletier, A.A.
- The Wonder of Guadalupe, by Francis Johnston.
- The Glories of Czestochowa and Jasna, To the Priests Our Lady's Beloved Sons, by Marian Movement of Priests.
- Our Lady of America, by Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil.
- The Thunder of Justice, by Ted and Maureen Flynn.
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