Tomorrow, April 26th, is the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel, patroness of the Vatican Observatory.
The history of how Our Lady became our patroness is a fascinating one, and I invite you to read more about it on our blog. Pope Leo XIII, who re-founded the Observatory in 1891, had a special devotion to her—but there is much more to the story.
I ask you to keep the continued work of the astronomers in Tucson and Rome, and their collaborators, in your prayers tomorrow—along with the outreach work of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. You’ll be joining the Jesuit Community in prayer as well, as we ask for Our Lady’s intercession to continue to enlighten our minds in our search for truth—scientific and divine.
If you’d like, please also consider a donation to further our mission of knowledge, discovery and education.
Below are two images that capture the Specola’s devotion; the first is of a portrait of Our Lady of Good Counsel that hangs at the entrance of our community in Castel Gandolfo.
The second is from a pilgrimage several members of our community made shortly after lockdown restrictions were lifted in 2020. They travelled to nearby Genazzano, Italy, where a fresco of Our Lady of Good Counsel is said to have miraculously appeared in 1467. The fresco draws pilgrims from around the world to this small town.
Thank you in advance, sincerely, for your continued prayers. Our mission succeeds because of them.
Our Lady of Good Counsel, pray for us!
