OUR LADY OF ST JOHN

Day 358: May 06

Our Lady of St John, Sommariva Bosco, Cuneo, Italy

A cry full of wonder broke the silence of the quiet morning of May 6, 1685, the second Sunday of Easter "Miracle! I can see it! It attracted the attention of the few people gathered in prayer in front of the majestic image of Our Lady, painted in red, with St John the Baptist and St Anthony the Abbot on the side, on a pylon near Sommariva Bosco, on the road leading to Caramagna. It was the day of the feast of St John at Porta Latina.

The notarial deeds, which are in the Archiepiscopal Archives of Turin (Vol. X Codex de Diversis), report the descriptions made before the notary "by the Most Illustrious and Rev Mr Michele Beggiami, by the grace of God and of the Apostolic See Archbishop of Turin, officially delegated", by eyewitnesses.

A certain Carlo Antonio Ferrerio, of the "priocha diocese of Asti", on his way to the Sanctuary of the Moretta to fulfill a vow, together with one of his relatives Andrea Rosso, blind and prevented from walking, stopped in front of the chapel of Our Lady, at the exit of Sommariva, to rest and pray. After a short prayer, Andrea felt healed, cried out for a miracle and immediately continued his journey to the Sanctuary of Moretta to thank Our Lady. The few people present ran to inform the parish priest, but when the authorities arrived on the spot they no longer found the small group with Andrea Rosso. The news of the extraordinary event spread in a flash and people flocked in large numbers. The next morning, the whole population was in turmoil. It was market day in Sommariva; from Caramagna, Racconigi, Carmagnola, Ceresole and all the surrounding area, numerous sellers and buyers flocked, also attracted by the desire to know and see something about the very recent prodigy. Don Cesare Gargano, from nearby Ceresole, also came, naturally on foot, to Sommariva, reciting his breviary. At a certain point a beautiful brunette girl approached him and asked him, in the harsh dialect of the place: "A và-lu chièl a la Madòna d'san Giuvàn?" (Are you going to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of St John?).

The priest, annoyed and amazed by the question, replied: "And why do you ask me?" Then the girl, again in dialect, explained: "Because yesterday I performed a miracle on a blind man." The good curate was stunned, also because the girl disappeared immediately, in the morning light; then he hurried to notify the authorities of Sommariva, and everyone ran in front of the Image of Our Lady.

"And behold," the Acts continue, "the sacred Image in which everyone had their eyes fixed, as if a living person, suddenly changes color on the face: it becomes pale, then vermilion, then lit as if embers, especially on the left cheek, which it presents in all its fullness to those present, and on the forehead, in the middle of which appears a vein of the thickness of a little less than a finger, swollen and red, as if of a person moved by great indignation. These changes follow one another alternately for the space of perhaps a quarter of an hour, and are accompanied by others no less distinct and admirable. The eyes of the painting move in their sockets, especially the left eye which turns all its black on the side of the nose, on that of the corresponding ear, on the upper eyelid, on the lower eyelid, half hiding it. Three or four times in the aforementioned space of time, then the black itself remaining in the middle of the eye; and then you could see the face of the Virgin all counterfeit, pale and almost vanished for the space of half a Hail Mary, then returning to her appearance...".

The extraordinary events continued in the following days, and miraculous healings began; the locals and the surrounding area were in turmoil. The facts were interpreted differently: for some they were a sign of divine blessing, for others they were salutary warnings and admonitions. In the face of these events, a process was immediately instituted, led by a commission headed by a delegate of the Bishop of Turin, as reported in the notarial deeds cited.

The ancient Image of Our Lady of St John portrays the Blessed Virgin, dressed in red, with a white mantle, in the act of uncovering, with her right hand, the face of the Child, lying on her knees, on a red cloth; with her left hand she holds a book resting on her chest and observes, with a sweet and loving gaze, the face of the Child.

Great celebrations were held on the occasion of the first Coronation of the effigy, on 21 September 1785, and even more on the occasion of the second Coronation, by the hand of Cardinal Alimonda, Archbishop of Turin, on 6 May 1885.

The Sanctuary, a splendid monument of the Piedmontese Baroque, was built following the first miracle of May 6, 1685, by popular will and gratitude to the Virgin, by municipal ordinance (July 8, 1685), on the ancient chapel that enclosed the pylon, designed by the architect Michelangelo Garoé. Behind the main altar you can still admire the miraculous image preserved as it was originally.

St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"O Most Holy Virgin Mary, Virgin Mother of God, Our Lady of Divine Vocations, here we gather ourselves around you and we live your life, our vocation and mission with you. Although much unworthy, may you be for us the mediatrix of all graces, the helper of all souls, the queen of all saints, the mother of gentle love! Make us saints, O Mary, in truth and in charity."

(Justin Russolillo, Devotional, Vocationist Editions, Pianura, 2009, pp. 233-234)