OUR LADY OF LAKE GARBAGNA DI TORTONA

Day 259: January 26

Our Lady of Lake Garbagna di Tortona, Alessandria, Italy



The village of Garbagna is located on the Tortona hills to the right of the Scrivia stream and is famous, as well as for the variety of cherries La Bella di Garbagna, for the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lake Garbagna.

The sanctuary dates back to the fourteenth century and from Garbagna it can be easily reached with a short walk of about 2 km through the village woods. Leaving the town of Garbagna, you can continue in the direction of Borghetto Borbera, until you reach the height of the last houses, after which you turn left into via Madonna del Lago and, climbing for about a kilometer through the woods, you will arrive at the large meadow where the church stands.

The history of this sanctuary is linked to the apparition of the Blessed Virgin in 1341, of which there is a trace in the Legé studio in the Castle of Sorli in Val Borbera (AL), which has always been linked to the peace between Guelphs and Ghibellines stipulated on June 7, 1341.

The Blessed Virgin appeared to a shepherdess, who the whole village knew to be mute from birth, and said to her: "Go, return to Garbagna and announce to that people, that if here, where I am, they will build a small church in my honor, I will take all these places under my protection; hatred, brawls, injuries and murders will cease; I will put the devil to flight and charity, security and peace will immediately return to their midst."

The shepherdess, once she returned to the village radiant with joy, as if by miracle began to speak and announced the wishes of Our Lady.

The inhabitants of the area did not doubt even for a second what happened and shortly thereafter erected a chapel in memory of this prodigious event.

Not only that, in chapter 77 of Garbagna's statutes entitled De Festivitatibus celebrandis, abstinence from work was prescribed on all Fridays in the month of May in honor of the Madonna del Lago (Our Lady of the Lake).

Even today the Sanctuary represents an important pole of attraction for the faithful who during the Marian month want to manifest their devotion to Our Lady, especially on the third Friday of May when, at the end of the Holy Mass, the statue of the Virgin is carried in procession on the square surrounding the Sanctuary.


St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"We unite ourselves, O Mary, to the favor and love of the Holy Spirit for you. We salute you for all eternity on behalf of and in the name of the Third Divine Person: "Full of Grace! He, the Lord, is with you.""

(Justin Russolillo, Spirit of Prayer, trans. Louis Caputo, Vocationist Fathers, Newark, 1996, p. 155)

Comments

Post a Comment

Hot Picks

OUR LADY OF MELIAPORE

Image
Day 47: June 26 This is the shrine in the East Indies, where Saint Francis Xavier often retired to pray during his eleven years with the people of India. The Blessed Virgin Mary was Francis’ constant source of strength and inspiration. The image before which Saint Francis used to pray is called Mylai Matha in Tamil, or Our Lady of Mylapore in English. It is an ancient statue about three feet tall, Our Lady of Meliapore can still be venerated at the church. The church of Saint Thomas of Mylapore – spelled somewhat differently from the above – contains Mary’s shrine. According to tradition, the Apostle Saint Thomas came to India in 52 AD. Due to his success making converts to the True Faith, he was persecuted and finally martyred in the year 72 AD. Saint Thomas is buried at the shrine of Our Lady of Meliapore, and there are relics of Saint Francis Xavier. There was a church known to be in Mylapore going back to the 1st century, and built by St Thomas. According to tradition, there was a ...
Read more

Marian Year 2025-26

Image
  MARIAN YEAR The year 2026 marks the first centenary of the apparition of Our Lady to St Justin Russolillo, the Founder of the Vocationists. As the feast of Our Lady of Divine Vocations falls on May 11, the year preceding to that year (May 11 2025 – May 11 2026) has been declared to be celebrated as Marian Year by the Vocationists. The reason behind this year-long celebration is, as Pope Pius XII decreed prior to the Marian Year in 1953 on the occasion of the first centenary of the definition of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mother, “that the faith of the people may be increased and their devotion to the Virgin Mother of God become daily more inflamed.” As Rev. Fr. Louis Caputo SDV rightly points out, “the life of Fr. Justin here on earth began with the…apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary…, it developed in the shadow of Mary and ended in union with Mary.” The birth of Justin was preceded by an announcement by the Blessed Virgin Mary to Fr. Sa...
Read more

OUR LADY OF DIVINE VOCATIONS

Image
The Devotion to Our Lady of Divine Vocations The devotion to Our Lady of Divine Vocations has its foundation on the Marian Apparition that St Justin Russolillo had on May 10, 1926. He was praying breviary near a hut made of straws called pagliarella. St. Justin describes it in his diary (Book of the Soul) "May 10, 1926, first day of the Rogations. It was given to me the certainty that the Blessed Trinity has given the Blessed Lady the Office of the Immediate Superior of the Society of Divine Vocations and therefore of all the offices, mansions, studies, works, spheres and everything. She is the authority of the Society. Glory and thanks to God and Mary. Therefore, the established practice of having one person always present and on guard in the room dedicated to Our Lady to honor and venerate her perpetually." After the Marian Apparition, St Justin rushed to the rectory of St George's parish in Pianura where he used to be the parish priest. He asked Fr Luigi Diodato to pre...
Read more