Saint of the day: Our Lady of Good Counsel

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

On April 25, 1467, at the close of a festival in Genazzano, Italy, a cloud descended on an ancient 5th-century church in ruins, dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel.

When the cloud disappeared, the festival participants found a small, fragile image of Mary and Child on a sheet of plaster. The image hung in mid-air, floating without support, on a small ledge. The fresco is said to date back to the time of the Apostles, and had long been venerated in Scutari, the capital of Albania.

Although much of the church of Our Lady of Good Counsel was destroyed in World War II, this image remained in place. It is still suspended in the air, after over 500 years, and many miracles have been attributed to the prayerful intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

The annual spring celebration is observed on April 25 in Genazzano, and many pilgrims visit each year. Throughout the rest of the world, the feast is celebrated on April 26.