CD – Our Lady of Good Success
The latest offering from Lighthouse Catholic Media’s CD of
the Month Club is Matthew Arnold’s presentation on Our Lady of Good
Success. Although devotion to Our Lady
of Good Success has a long history in South America, it is only becoming widely
known now, though it is fully approved by the Church.
In 1594, Mary appeared to a Conception sister, Mother Mariana
de Jesus Torres, in Quito, Ecuador under the title of Our Lady of Good
Success. The title can be a little
misleading, as if it is a Catholic version of the “health and wealth gospel,”
which it is not. It refers to the promise
of a happy ending, or a joyful outcome, which is one of the reasons people originally
asked for Our Lady’s intercession under this title when they were expecting a
child.
Mary appeared to Mother Mariana over the period of a number
of years with requests, prophecies and miracles. One of the incredible things about these
apparitions is that many of the events they foretold refer to our times.
Mary requested that a statue be fashioned of her, holding the
Infant Jesus in her left arm and in her right, a crosier and the keys to the
convent. She desired people to come to
her, “for I shall lead them to Him.”
Construction of the statue began in 1610. When the sculptor went to Spain to get the
paint he needed to finish, however, Mother Marianne had a vision of archangels
finishing the work. When the sculptor
returned and saw the statue finished, he declared that, “no human hand has done
this.”
Pilgrims may notice that the quality of the statue of Jesus
is less than that of Mary. The reason is
that one of the sisters hid the original Infant statue when the convent was at
risk of being destroyed by government soldiers and died before she revealed
where it was hidden, so Mary now holds a replacement.
Numerous miracles surround the devotion. In 1941 when Ecuador was at war with Peru,
the bishop asked for people to come make a novena for peace. On the fifth day of the novena, the statue
moved. It looked down at the people
praying and then up to Heaven. The
miracle, completely documented at the time, continued into the night, and the
war ended that very day.
Another time, the sisters were told by the government that soldiers were coming to close and confiscate the convent. On the prescribed day, no one came – the
government was overthrown in a coup.
The many prophecies Our Lady made to Mother Mariana catch
many people’s attention. Many had to do
with Ecuador – the revolution, and the Catholic presidency of Don Gabriel Garcia
Moreno and his martyrdom. She also
prophesied many of the details of the pontificate of Pius IX.
But her most stunning prophecies were those of our day,
particularly beginning in the second half of the 20th century. She prophesied a great crisis of faith, and
the loss of innocence in children.
Marriage would be attacked, she said, and evil laws would make it easy
for people to live in sin. Many children
would be born out of wedlock and denied baptism. Vocations would plummet and there would be
scandals among the clergy that would try the strength of faithful priests. Last Rites would be widely ignored, the
Eucharist would be profaned, and there would be many sacrilegious Communions.
“Wealthy and powerful Catholics won’t do a thing about it,”
she said. They would fail to use their
wealth or influence to stop the slide.
Mother Mariana, when she had a vision of these days, said that without a
special grace, she would have died of shock.
These prophecies, made 400 years ago, have all come true, all
but one. When it seems that evil has
triumphed, Our Lady said, that is when satan will be dethroned and trampled
underfoot. Ultimately Our Lady of Good
Success is about hope. She foretold a
great restoration of the Church. Mother
Mariana, in fact, offered herself as a victim soul for our times.
The promised restoration is coming. The devotion, prophesied not to become widely
known until the end of the 20th century, is spreading, and it should
bring us hope.
Matthew Arnold, a brilliant storyteller of all things
Catholic and historical, does a wonderful job in this CD of giving detailed
information about Our Lady of Good Success and documenting reasons for hope. To order the CD, please go to lighthousecatholicmedia.org,
or the online store in the sidebar.
To learn more about the CD of the Month Club, and to sign up
to receive a new inspiring talk from a dynamic Catholic speaker every month,
for yourself or as a gift, click
here. Also, see Mr. Arnold’s Web site, for more information on Our
Lady of Good Success.
