Devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel began as devotion to a particular image of Mary in Genazzano, Italy.

For many years, the town of Genazzano dedicated its tithes to the construction of the beautiful basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome. In return, a church was built in Genazzano, and the Augustinian friars took charge of the church in 1356. Many pilgrims flocked to the church to pray to Mary.

The image of Our Lady of Good Counsel, to the left, purportedly appeared miraculously on the wall of the church when it had fallen into disrepair.

Art experts say that the image is from the early fifteenth century, the only surviving portion of a much larger fresco that had covered the church walls.

As pilgrims flocked to Genazzano and asked for the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel, they attributed miracles and cures to Our Lady’s intercession, and devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel spread throughout Italy. In 1903, Pope Leo XIII added the title to the Litany of Loreto, which honors Mary.

Popes, councils, and leagues of women have invoked her patronage and guardianship. She is the patron of the town of Essen in Germany and many of her devotees wear a white scapular as a sign of their trust in Mary.

One of the mottos inscribed on the scapular is a quote of Pope Leo XIII: “Child, listen to her counsels.” Our Lady of Good Counsel is an apt title for Mary that reminds us that we can look to her as a wise mother to guide us. As Mary offered herself completely to God, to bring the divine plan of Salvation to completion, she is an excellent guide for us as we seek to make Christ’s plans for us complete in our own lives.

Mary’s counsel will always lead us back to her Son, our God, and therefore we can always trust that it will be very, very good.

Our Lady of Good Counsel, our mother and guide—pray for us!