Our Lady of Good Counsel (in Latin, Mater Boni Consilii) is the title under which Mary is honored at the Augustinian shrine of Genazzano, near Rome, where a small painted image of the Madonna and Child appeared in 1467. Catholics turn to her when they need guidance in a decision, and Pope Leo XIII loved the title so much that he added “Mother of Good Counsel” to the Litany of Loreto. Her feast is April 26. Below are the story of the image, the traditional prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel, and ways to honor her.
The image of Genazzano
Genazzano is a small town about twenty-five miles southeast of Rome. According to records from the reign of Pope Paul II, on April 25, 1467, the feast of St. Mark, a painting of the Virgin and Child appeared on a wall of the old church of Santa Maria, which the Augustinian friars had cared for since 1356. The image, painted on a thin layer of plaster, was observed to hang without visible support, and early tradition says a thread could be passed around it without touching it. Popular tradition adds that it had come through the air from Scutari in Albania, which was then falling to the Ottoman Turks.
Pilgrims began to arrive at once, and a register of miracles was opened within days. Pope Urban VIII made a pilgrimage there in 1630, and Pope Pius IX in 1864. The image was crowned in 1682, and Benedict XIV founded the Pious Union of Our Lady of Good Counsel in 1753, enrolling himself as its first member.
Leo XIII and Our Lady of Good Counsel
Pope Leo XIII was especially devoted to this title. He approved a proper Office and Mass for the Augustinians in 1884, approved the White Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel in 1893, raised the church at Genazzano to a minor basilica in 1903, and that same year added the invocation “Mother of Good Counsel” to the Litany of Loreto, right after “Mother most admirable.” He also indulgenced the prayer below.
Prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel
From the Raccolta, indulgenced by Leo XIII in 1880:
Most glorious Virgin, chosen by the Eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made Man, treasure-house of divine graces and advocate of sinners; I, the most unworthy of thy servants, have recourse to thee, begging of thee to be my guide and counsellor in this vale of tears. Obtain for me, through the most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, forgiveness of my sins, and the salvation of my soul with all the means necessary to secure it. Obtain for Holy Church triumph over her enemies and the extension of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ over the whole earth. Amen.
A prayer for guidance in a decision
Written for this page:
Mother of Good Counsel, you pondered all things in your heart
and said yes to God without seeing the whole road.
I bring you this decision: (name it).
Help me to see clearly, to listen to wise advice, to pray before I choose,
and to choose what will please your Son. Then give me peace in my choice. Amen.
See also the prayer for wisdom and psalms for guidance.
Ways to honor Our Lady of Good Counsel
- Pray the Litany of Loreto, pausing at “Mother of Good Counsel.”
- Ask her guidance before big decisions: a vocation, a marriage, a job, a move.
- Wear the White Scapular of Good Counsel, a sign of devotion approved by Leo XIII.
- Visit a church or school dedicated to her. Many Augustinian parishes, schools and universities around the world bear her name.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel?
April 26. At Genazzano the anniversary of the image’s appearance is kept on April 25, and elsewhere the feast was set a day later so as not to coincide with the feast of St. Mark. In 2027 April 26 falls on a Monday.
Why pray to Our Lady of Good Counsel?
For guidance and wisdom, especially when facing an important decision, and for those who have to give advice to others: parents, teachers, priests and counselors.
Who is the patron of Albania?
Our Lady of Good Counsel is honored as patroness of Albania, because of the tradition that the image came from Scutari.
More Marian prayers
- Litany of Loreto
- Marian feast days
- Memorare
- Our Lady of Loreto
- Prayer for wisdom
- Mother of Perpetual Help novena
Texts and sources
- The Raccolta (English edition, 1910), no. 269, Prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel (Leo XIII, 1880), public domain (archive.org).
- Thomas Cooke Middleton, “Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel,” Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 6 (1909), Wikisource.