February 2: Our Lady of Good Success

Today, February 2, marks the feast day of Our Lady of Good Success, a devotion to Our Blessed Mother. May, Our Lady of Good Success, appeared to missionaries in Spain in the form of a beautiful statue discovered in a cave. Officially recognized in Spain, this devotion later took root in Quito, Ecuador, where Our Blessed Mother appeared in a series of visions to Mother Mariana, abbotess of the convent there.
On February 2, 1594, as Mother Mariana was praying to the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Good Success, she received an apparition. Our Lady of Good Success, smiling, dressed in gold, stated:

“I am Mary of Good Success, whom you have invoked with such tender affection. Your prayer has pleased me very much. Your faith has brought me here. Your love has invited me to visit you.”

The Blessed Mother, accompanied by saints and angels, went on to deliver powerful messages of crises in the world and Church, encouraging all to pray and turn from sin. Mother Mariana was blessed with a vision of Hell, which left her unconscious for several days. She recorded many of her visions and the communications of Our Blessed Mother, which I have previously summarized here and here.

In her last will and testament, Mother Mariana encouraged us to look to Mary, Our Lady of Good Success, as a model for love, charity, and mercy. She wrote of the deep connection between the Blessed Mother and the Infant Christ, as well as the advocate that Mary is for all of mankind. Mother Mariana encouraged us to turn to the Blessed Mother during the difficult times of our life, saying:

"Star of the stormy sea of my mortal life, may your light shine upon me so that I do not stray from the path that leads me to heaven."

Today, we look to Mother Mariana and her willingness to suffer and offer penance for others. We pray in a special way for the intercessions of Our Lady of Good Success, that we may be willing to suffer, offer penance, and keep the faith of Christ in times that are challenging. We pray, too, for the Church and the leaders of the Church, and for heavenly guidance.