In the Italian town of Genazzano (about 30 miles form Rome), a contest was held in which the neighborhood donating the most money would receive a large piece of property. The winning region decided to build a church on this property and named it Our Lady of Good Counsel. In 1356, the church was entrusted to the care of the Augustinian community.
On the feast of St. Mark in 1467, worshippers gathered at the tiny church, which was undergoing much-needed renovation. Suddenly, they say an image of Our Lady of Good Counsel appear to be suspended in air before descending in front of an unfinished church wall that was to be dedicated to Mary. Devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel quickly sprung up after the event.
Our Lady of Good Counsel was a local feast until 1753 when Pope Benedict XIV approved the feast for the faithful. In 1863, Pope Leo XIII sanctioned the use of the white scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
The image of Our Lady of Good Counsel represents Mary tenderly holding the Infant Jesus after they had returned from hearing Simeon's prophecies at the Temple.
The feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel is celebrated on April 26 (the day after the feast of St. Mark) in order to avoid any confusion between the two feasts. Saints such as Aloysius Gonzaga, Alphonsus Liguori, and John Bosco frequently prayed to Our Lady of Good Counsel.
- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw