| On
the Feast of Saint Mark, April 25 1467, the people of
Genazzano, Italy witnessed a Marvellous sight. A cloud
descended upon an ancient church dedicated to Our Lady
of Good Counsel. When the cloud disappeared, an image of
Our Lady and the Child Jesus was revealed which had not
been there before. The image, on a paper-thin sheet, was
suspended miraculously.
Soon after the
image's appearance many miracles were attributed to the
intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Because of
this, Pope Paul II ordered an investigation and the
results have been preserved.
It was later
discovered that the very same image had been seen in a
church dedicated to the Annunciation in Scutari,
Albania. The image in this church was said to have
arrived there in a miraculous manner. Now, the image had
been transported from Albania miraculously to avoid
sacrilege from Moslem invasion.
A commission of
enquiry determined that a portrait from the church was
indeed missing. An empty space the same size as the
portrait was displayed for all to see.
Many miracles
continue to be attributed to Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Pope Saint Pius V, for example, credited victory in the
Battle of Lepanto to Her intercession.
Several Popes
have approved the miraculous image. In 1682 Pope
Innocent XI had the portrait crowned with gold. On July
2 1753 Pope Benedict XIV approved the Scapular of Our
Lady of Good Counsel, and was the first to wear it.
In 1884 a special Mass and Office of the Feast of Our
Lady of Good Counsel was approved by Pope Leo XIII.
For more than 500
years the image has continued to attract countless
pilgrims.
Although much of
the church was destroyed during World War II, the image
has remained intact - and continues to be suspended
miraculously.
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