April 26 | Our Lady of Good Counsel

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, imagine a beautiful, ancient painting. It is an image of a mother and child locked in a sweet, tender embrace. It sounds simple, right? But this specific image is so revered, so spiritually powerful, that some of the greatest leaders in the world, the popes of the Catholic Church, have traveled to see it in person.

It's a mysterious image that traces its origins all the way back to Shkoder, Albania, before crossing the sea to find its permanent home in a small Italian town. Today, we are diving into the story of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Our Lady of Good Counsel is a Marian title deeply tied to an incredibly historic shrine and long-standing Augustinian piety. Picture the scene. You are in the town of Genozzano, Italy. There's a shrine here that has been faithfully run by the Augustinian order since the year 1200. Inside this ancient building rests the revered icon of the Madonna and Child in their tender embrace. Because this beloved image originally comes from Albania, Our Lady of Good Counsel is notably honored as the patron of Albania.

But why is this so dramatic? Because this shrine is an absolute magnet for the popes. Pope Leo XIII loved this image so much that, even though he never managed to visit it himself, he elevated the shrine to the dignity of a minor basilica in 1903. Other modern popes did make the journey. Pope John XXIII visited in 1959, and Pope John Paul II visited in 1993.

On May 10, 2025, Pope Leo XIV chose to visit this exact shrine in Genozzano for his very first trip outside the Vatican. Historically, popes have actively supported this devotion, recognizing the shrine's massive importance and encouraging the celebration of this feast.

Here is where her story becomes a tool you can use every single day. She is the patron of discernment and counsel. You are constantly making choices. Who should you hang out with? What kind of person do you want to be? How do you handle drama, peer pressure, or your future? The devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel is actually described as a school of discernment. It is built on the simple idea of discernment, and it is built on the simple idea of discernment.

It is built on But profound conviction that God guides us, and he often does this through Mary's maternal intercession. This feast is incredibly useful because it fights back against two extremes we see in the modern world. On one side, some people treat private revelation from God like it's just entertainment. On the other side, there is a modern suspicion that God is distant and cannot practically guide our everyday decisions.

Our Lady of Good Counsel sits right in the middle, teaching us to ask for light, to truly listen, to act prudently, and to trust that God is never silent when a soul sincerely seeks Him. In our modern age, the word discernment often just means rationalizing what we already want to do. Have you ever asked a friend for advice, but you only asked the friend who you knew would tell you that you were right? This title of Mary calls for something much sharper.

When we ask for good counsel, we aren't asking for comfort. We are asking for counsel that is ordered to truth, holiness, and courage. The guidance we receive might challenge us. Redirect our path, or even demand a real sacrifice. The next time you are faced with a difficult choice, don't just look for comfortable advice. Take a moment to ask Our Lady for good counsel. Pray for the courage to hear the truth, the light to listen, and the prudence to act, trusting that God will guide you, even if it demands a real sacrifice from you. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.