Praise to be Jesus and Mary.
There are literally thousands of Marian shrines
and even miraculous images of Our Lady
throughout Italy.
And most of these serve the spiritual needs
of the people in the surrounding area,
but are little known outside of it.
And such is the case of Our Lady of Good Counsel
in Fregento, Italy,
a typical Marian shrine of this type.
What's also unique about this shrine
is that it is the mother house
of the Franciscans of the Immaculate.
This small shrine dates back to 1920
when Our Lady made her presence known
in a rather singular way.
Early in the 20th century,
a local farmer,
by the name of Carmen Capobianco,
claimed that the Blessed Mother
had revealed to him in a dream
that an image of her was buried
in one of the fields
just below the city of Fregento.
And for many years,
he dug in this field
without any results.
You could say it was like
looking for a needle,
a needle in a haystack.
And many of his fellow townspeople
ridiculed him as a dreamer
and out of his mind.
Nevertheless, he persevered.
He was tempted to give up
and actually decided to do so.
But an angel appeared to him
and told him eventually where to dig.
And in 1920,
he was able to dig a hole in the ground.
And he was able to dig a hole in the ground.
And he was able to dig a hole in the ground.
And he found buried in the field
an image of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
It was a colored ceramic image
of Our Lady and the Child Jesus,
which appeared to be the work
of an 18th century artist.
And how it happened to be buried
in this obscure place
is still a mystery.
The discovery of the image
vindicating the farmer
and fulfilling the prediction of Our Lady
caused quite a stir
among the local residents.
And after a thorough investigation,
the local bishop certified it
as a miraculous discovery.
There's been a lot of research
and a number of miraculous cures
that have occurred in connection with this image.
But what's most remarkable is the fact
that it revitalized the faith
in an area where it had languished for many years.
I mean, perhaps over a century.
And since 1920, the faith of the people
in this area has continued to grow.
Despite two earthquakes, the Second World War, and all the economic depression and poverty that resulted from these disasters.
Almost immediately, the townspeople built a small chapel to house this miraculous image.
At first, the chapel was administered by a committee of priests and local lay people.
Then in 1948, the Discalus Carmelites took over the administration of the sanctuary.
However, in the early part of 1962, they informed the bishop that they intended to leave the shrine.
However, in the meantime, there was an earthquake that I mentioned that did considerable damage to the shrine.
It was necessary to take down the bell tower because it was destroyed beyond repair.
In 1963, the friars minor conventualed.
They undertook the administration of the sanctuary.
In 1970, two friars of the province of Naples, Fr. Stefano and Fr. Gabriel, our founders, began to live Franciscan life in a stricter observance.
They modeled on the life and ideals of St. Maximilian Cole.
They modeled on the life and ideals of St. Maximilian Cole.
They modeled on the life and ideals of St. Maximilian Cole.
They modeled on the life and ideals of St. Maximilian Cole.
And also the Second Vatican Council's decree on the renewal of religious life,
which called for a constant return to the sources of the whole of the Christian life
and of the primitive inspiration of the Institute.
And eventually, this community formed the core of the...
of the new Franciscan community,
the Franciscan friars and sisters of the Immaculate,
which is flourishing with houses on five continents.
Today, the sanctuary in Frigento
is a center of devotion to Our Lady for the surrounding area.
There are many pilgrims that come each year
from as far as Naples and Salerno.
And the big feast day of Our Lady of Good Counsel
is celebrated with fitting solemnity.
But what's of greater importance
is the fact that a large number
of pilgrims are coming to the sanctuary
and a large number of people come regularly to the shrine
to receive the sacraments and catechetical instruction
given by the friars.
Our Lady, through a simple farmer's faith,
brought about a religious renewal
which ultimately touched lay people
and religious life.
Our Lady is filled with grace
and grace, her full operation
and she passed away at nine p.m.
on March 10, 2007,
this year on February 16th.
The church of Gotza Abel
has built new
Hamed занимating services
receive the Holy Roman-Deed
Commission for Familarity in theus deus.org .
INSIDER AND NETWORK
oken Gospel South tasted the訂 of Mary, the Book of Romaning.