Town of Genazzano with Shrine of our Mother of Good Counsel 

 

 

 

Town of Genazzano

In a little village, nestled in the Alban Hills south of Rome together with many other such villages, is the town of Genazzano, revered by the Augustinian family because of the ancient shrine and parish dedicated to Mary under the title, MOTHER OF GOOD COUNSEL.

This Augustinian Basilica is also the place of rest of Blessed Stephen Bellesini, O.S.A., a friar recognized by the Church as 'blessed', the final step prior to canonization as a saint. He was an Augustinian friar who was pastor of this parish from 1826 until his death on February 2, 1840. When Stephen Bellesini was beatified on November 1, 1904 by Pope Saint Pius X, he became the first pastor to be elevated to the honors of the altar.           

The Alban Hills are also often referred to as the region of Castelli Romani or Roman Castles because in this part of Italy south of Rome, many wealthy Romans built villas to escape the summer heat of Rome. Many Romans still come to this area each summer today for the same reason. In fact, quite near Genazzano is another well-known place, Castel Gandolfo, a little village made famous because it is the residence of the pope during August and early September each year.

 

 

Il Santuario della Madonna del Buon Consiglio

As Augustinian pilgrims, we visit this Shrine Church and town to recognize the honored role and place that Mary had in the lire of St. Augustine and continues to have in the Augustinian tradition. At the same time, we become more aware of the person of Stephen Bellesini, particularly in light of the fact that he is the patron of one of Merrimack College's more recent outreach projects, BELLESINI ACADEMY in Lawrence.

The Academy was begun in 2003 to educate gifted young boys in grades five through eight who otherwise would not be able to receive a Catholic education in the Augustinian tradition. The school is another testimony to the important relationship between town and gown, between the College and the local community it was founded to serve.

This image of Our Mother of Good Counsel has been in the reverent keeping of the members of the Order of St. Augustine for over four hundred years. Legend has it that this church, in which the fresco is enshrined, stood unfinished and roofless when, on April 25, 1467, the image of the Madonna was miraculously transported there from its former home in Shkoder, Albania. Coming to rest precariously on a narrow stone ledge in the wall inside the church, the legend continues, the picture has remained in that position to the present day.

Careful investigations undertaken between 1957 and 1959 for the purpose of restoration have revealed something of the true origin of the fresco. The image of the Madonna, about twelve inches wide and seventeen inches high that the viewer sees encased in an elaborate glass, metal, and marble framework is part of a large fresco that once covered a portion of the wall now hidden by the baroque shrine altar. Art experts suggest that the fresco, including the image of the Madonna, is the work of the earl fifteenth century artist Gentile da Fabriano. Based on their careful study, he most likely painted it between 1417 - 1431.          

A few days prior to opening the Second Vatican Council in Rome in 1962, Blessed Pope John XXIII visited this shrine to pray for the intercession of Mary, Mother of Good Counsel, on those who would gather for this pivotal Council of the Church. On April 22, 1993, a few days prior to the annual feast of Our Mother of Good Counsel on April 26, Pope John Paul II visited the Shrine in preparation for his visit to Albania where ancient tradition link the shrine with the town of Shkroder. Also present that day was Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta, a native of Albania.

The venerated image has survived for centuries, even through a number of earthquakes and through the aerial bombardment of Genazzano during World War II. Under this title, Mary, Mother of Good Counsel, is often referred as the Madonna of the Popes because so many of then have, in some way, shown great devotion to her under this title. There is a marble statue of Our Mother of Good Counsel on the campus of Merrimack College in the shrine between Austin and Cushing Hall. The lounge in Deegan Hall is named Good Counsel Lounge.

 

 

The chapel and the room of Blessed Stephen Bellesini, O.S.A.    

Luigi Giuseppe Bellesini was born in Trento, northern Italy, on November 25, 1774 during a period of great turmoil for the Church and for society. At the age of twenty, he entered the Augustinian Order, taking the religious name, Stephen. He was ordained a priest in Rome in 1797. In his first years of ministry, he was occupied principally as a preacher and rector of the small chapel attached to the Order's monastery in his native city.

However, in 1810, he and his confreres were ejected from their monastery during the suppression of religious houses in the wake of the Napoleonic wars. Stephen lived in his brother's home as a secular priest. Determined not to allow the anti-clerical atmosphere of society to thwart his desire to serve the Church, he established a school to care for the many poor children of the city who were without means to receive an education. He provided both moral and intellectual formation as well as clothing and food to the young boys who carne to him for assistance.      

Despite all the good he did as an educator and the great popularity he enjoyed among students, teachers and government officials, he left Trento in September of 1817 and went to Rome in the Papal States where it was possible to live the religious life as an Augustinian friar. By 1826, he was sent to the Shrine of Our Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, first as the difettar of novices of the Order and then, in 1826, as pastor or the church.      

In 1839, the plague reached Genazzano and Father Stephen devoted himself to the spiritual as well as the physical care of its victims with exemplary, even heroic, selflessness. On January 23,1840, while at prayer with bis community, he was once more called to care for a sick parishioner. On descending the steps in the choir, he stumbled and fell, causing a cut on his leg.

That night, he came down with a very high fever. Nevertheless, when the fever subsided on the following day, he went to the public hospital for a pastoral visit. He remained on his feet for two days more, until the twenty-sixth when, given his terrible appearance, his brothers forced him to go to bed. He died at four in the afternoon of February 2, 1840. His remains are venerated in a special chapel at the Shrine at Genazzano. His feast is celebrated by the Augustinian family each year on February 3.