OUR LADY OF BONARIA

Day 346: April 24

Our Lady of Bonaria, Cagliari, Italy



A ship, probably coming from Spain, was heading towards Italy when, suddenly, it was caught by a terrible storm. The captain, in a last attempt to save at least the crew, ordered to throw all the ship's cargo into the sea. There was also a large chest, whose owner and contents were unknown. It was thrown last. Suddenly, almost by magic, the storm stopped. An attempt was made to resume the predetermined course but the ship, almost forced by mysterious forces, followed the box which, after some time, ran aground on the beach, at the foot of the hill of Bonaria.

A large crowd, including religious and civil authorities, rushed to the beach to realize what had happened. Everyone contemplated the coffin, wondering what mysterious secret it contained. Attempts were made to open it, but no one succeeded. An attempt was made to lift it, but every attempt was in vain. The crate was too heavy. Suddenly a child's voice, a little boy in his mother's arms, cried out: "Call the friars of Mercede!" They arrived in haste and, without any difficulty, lifted the heavy coffin and carried it to their church.

What on earth could this mysterious coffin contain and why had only the religious been able to lift it and carry it to that sacred place? In an atmosphere of silence and piety, the religious opened the coffin and remained, together with all those present, amazed to see its contents. In that coffin there was a wonderful statue of Our Lady with the Child in her arms and, in her right hand, a lit candle. Brother Carlo's prophecy had come true. Mary, the great woman, who had come from the sea, had chosen her home, on the hill of Bonaria.

It was decided to place it in a side chapel, since the main altar was already occupied by another prodigious statue, Our Lady of the Miracle. The title of Our Lady of the Miracle originated following an event that happened some time earlier: a soldier, an avid card player, was losing all his possessions. At a certain point, desperate, he entered the church and begged the Virgin to grant him victory: if he won half he would offer it to the Virgin, otherwise, he would return to the Church and stab her. At night he could not sleep and the next day, after playing cards once again, he lost everything. Then enraged he returned to the church and pierced the statue of Our Lady with his sword. Blood gushed from the wound and traces can still be seen. The religious rushed and surprised him in despair. He was arrested. Since then, that image of Mary has been referred to as Our Lady of the Miracle.

The statue of the Virgin was therefore placed in a side chapel, but the following morning, the religious saw that the two statues had swapped places. The Madonna who came from the sea was on the High Altar. They thought that someone had wanted to secretly honor the new miraculous statue during the night, and they put the statues back in their place. The following morning they verified the same move. On the third night they decided to keep watch to prevent anyone from making that move, but, without being able to realize it, the Madonna who came from the sea moved once again to the High Altar. It was clear that the newcomer wanted to be honored as queen of the Sanctuary; therefore the religious left her in the place she had chosen for herself; Pius X, on September 13, 1907, proclaimed Our Lady of Bonaria the Patroness of Sardinia. Pope Paul VI honored the celebrations of the sixth centenary with her presence, on April 24, 1970. Pope John Paul II came as a pilgrim to Bonaria on October 20, 1985 and said, among other things, a phrase that is always relevant: "May the bitterness and pain of these days not suffocate piety, may they not extinguish hope." Pope Benedict XVI came to honor Our Lady of Bonaria on September 7, 2008.


St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"The same divine mission of your Incarnate Word in you through the work of the Holy Spirit reveals itself in your first visitation and then realizes itself in all the other visitations."

(Justin Russolillo, Devotional, Vocationist Editions, Pianura, 2009, p. 195)

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