Three more locations

 Here are three more places named for Our Lady of Consolation. Two have connections to Franciscans. One has a connection to St. Augustine. 

Conventual Franciscan Friars Province of Our Lady of Consolation was formed in 1926 to serve the Midwest United States. Conventual Franciscans had been in the US since 1852. As their numbers and ministry grew, they formed provinces. They named their Midwest Province after Our Lady of Consolation because Conventual Franciscan Friars had been taking care of the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Ohio since 1912. As of 2022, there are 99 Friars in the Midwest Province. Their headquarters is at Mount St Francis in southern Indiana.

In Oregon there is the Brigittine Monastery of Our Lady of Consolation. Also known as the Priory of Our Lady of Consolation. The Brigittine monks follow the rule of St. Augustine. That may explain why they chose to name this monastery for Our Lady of Consolation. There is a statue of Our Lady of Consolation at the monastery. This group of Brigittines in Oregon is known for making Artisan Chocolates. 

In Kenya, Africa, is found the Cathedral of Our Lady of Consolation. It is the Cathedral for the diocese of Garissa. It's first bishop, Bishop Paul Darmanin, OFMCap, was a Franciscan. OFMCap means a Capuchin Franciscan Friar. In 2022, Bishop George Muthaka OFMCap became the bishop of the diocese of Garissa. Between Bishop Darmanin and Bishop Muthaka, was Bishop Joseph Allesandro, also a Capuchin. Since its start in 1984, the diocese has always been led by Maltese Capuchins. 

Italy

 This blog has told the story of my own discovery of Our Lady of Consolation, which led from the USA to Belgium. Chapter 36 of this blog went to Italy. After much thought, I have decided to not continue making posts about Italy. Instead, I will give some titles of Our Lady of Consolation in Italian. If a reader wishes to explore more, then these can be searched. I have done extensive research in several languages about Our Lady of Consolation in the Benelux region. I have not put in the same time and effort to adequately tell the story of Our Lady of Consolation in Italy. I will merely state this one fact about Italy: The Confraternity of the Holy Cincture of Our Lady of Consolation was founded in Bologna, Italy in 1436. The Holy Cincture was an Augustinian tradition. 

Italian titles related to Our Lady of Consolation

Madonna della Consolazione

Santa Maria Madre della Consolazione

Santuario della Consolata

Santa Maria Consolatrice

Madre della Consolazione

Statues in trees? Chapter 37

 Statues in trees?

The history of Scherpenheuvel starts with a statue of Madonna and Child in a tree. This seems rather unusual to a fellow like me who was born and raised in the USA. However, Scherpenheuvel is not the only place in Belgium where this happened. It seems that outdoor shrines were popular in the region. Recall that Hendrick Busman was in the habit of stopping to pray at a roadside shrine where he was instructed to build a chapel. That chapel became Kevelaer. 

Researching about Marian devotion in the region of the Spanish Netherlands brought to light other instances of Marian statues in trees. 

Our Lady of Stoepe, or Onze Lieve Vrouw van Stoepe, is a Marian title connected to the pilgrimage site of Stoepe, Belgium. Near the town of Ertvelde there was a statue of the Madonna and Child in an oak tree. A young man was in the habit of stopping to pray there. He was deaf and mute. One day, after praying there, he returned home able to speak. This became known and more people came. The priest at Ertvelde decided to remove the statue from the tree and put it in the parish church at Ertvelde to protect it from the weather. After the statue was moved to the parish, it returned somehow to the tree. Three times the priest took the statue to the church, and three times the statue showed up in the tree again. So, it was decided to build a chapel around the location of the statue. The place became known as Stoepe. It is a pilgrimage site today, though not as well-known as places like Scherpenheuvel. Scherpenheuvel became a fortified city and so could defend its chapel. Stoepe suffered destruction at various times during the wars that came after the Reformation and also during the French Revolution. 

Our Lady of Stoepe

Image from the website below. The website claimed no copyrights. 

Here is an excellent web site that tells the history of Stoepe in great detail:

https://sites.google.com/site/stoepe/origin

https://sites.google.com/site/stoepe/inleiding

https://sites.google.com/site/stoepe/brochure-uit-1957

There are many pages at that site. The other pages can be navigated to from these pages. It is in Dutch. My web browser (Microsoft Edge) translated it for me. Google will turn up more web pages about Onze Lieve Vrouw van Stoepe. 

Another example can be found in the history of the Chapel of Our Lady of Fever, Onze Lieve Vrouw ter Koorts, in Leuven, Belgium. Leuven is only 29 miles from Scherpenheuvel. Here a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows hung in a tree. People would come there to pray for Mary's intercession when a child was sick with a fever. This sounds very much like Scherpenheuvel, where people would come to pray for Mary's intercession for a family member or friend who was sick. Some students at the local university once tried to throw away the statue but found it too heavy to move far. After that it was decided to build a chapel for the statue. Matthias Hovius, archbishop of Mechelen, consecrated the chapel in 1603. You may recall from earlier posts that this is the same archbishop who gave official approval of Scherpenheuvel and who had the oak tree at Scherpenheuvel cut down. Also recall that the chapel at Scherpenheuvel has seven sides and each side has artwork representing one of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Here is a web page about the Kapel Onze Lieve Vrouw ter Koorts: 

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapel_Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Koorts

In fact, the practice is not limited to Benelux, or to the 17th century. Here in the United States, in the 1800s, a Marian icon was placed in an oak tree in Indiana. The following information comes almost directly from a pamphlet from St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana. It is edited for brevity. Notice the similarities. A Marian icon in a tree, popular devotion, processions, moving the icon to a chapel, healing during a pandemic. I have visited this beautiful shrine. 

Monte Cassino Shrine

St. Meinrad Archabbey was founded in 1854 by two Benedictine monks from Switzerland. In those early days, monks and students discovered a favorite spot for hikes on a nearby wooded hill. Fr. Chrysostom Foffa, OSB, named it Monte Cassino. In 1857, Fr. Isidore Hobi, OSB, and some students attached an image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception to an oak tree there. They carved a niche in the oak tree and protected the image with a crude wooden roof. Devotion to Mary at the little shrine grew. By 1866 a small chapel was built, and the image moved inside the chapel. A year later, sandstone of an excellent quality was discovered on Monte Cassino hill. The first excavated stones were set aside for the current chapel which was built in 1870. A hand carved wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin and Child was brought from Switzerland and installed. In 1871 a smallpox epidemic hit the region just before Christmas. Several died. On January 5 a pilgrimage was made to Monte Cassino where mass was offered, and a novena started. The pilgrimage was repeated on the last day of the novena, January 13. Once the novena had begun, not a single case of smallpox broke out. In thanksgiving, St. Meinrad students still make a pilgrimage to Monte Cassino each year around January 13. 

 

Pope Benedict XVI and Our Lady of Consolation Chapter 36

 Between 1977 (when he became a cardinal) and 1993, Joseph Ratzinger was the Cardinal Priest at Santa Maria Consolatrice al Tiburtino in Rome. Consolatrice is Italian for the Latin word Consolatrix. 

As pope, he returned to visit this church on December 18, 2005. He became pope on April 19, 2005.  The homily he gave that day can be found here:

https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/homilies/2005/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20051218_santa-maria-consolatrice.html

That homily ends with these words: "...God's will gives us wings to fly high and thus we too can dare, with Mary, to open the door of our lives to God, the doors of this world, by saying "yes" to his will, aware that this will is the true good and leads us to true happiness. Let us pray to Mary, Comfort of the Afflicted, our Mother, the Mother of the Church, to give us the courage to say this "yes" and also to give us this joy of being with God and to lead us to his Son, to true life. Amen!"

Notice he refers to Mary as "Comfort of the Afflicted". 

By Fabio Pozzebom/ABr - Agência Brasil [1], CC BY 3.0 br, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2087685

Santa Maria Consolatrice was completed in 1945. Construction began in 1942, but the war delayed the completion. Capuchin friars had built a chapel at the same location in 1935 to serve a working-class suburb. They named it Madonna Consolata. It was named after La Consolata in Turin, Italy. The official name of that church in Turin is Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Consolazione, but it is commonly called Sanctuary of the Consolata. Consolazione translated from Italian to English is Consolation. Santa Maria della Consolazione is Saint Mary of Consolation. 

A copy of the icon of Our Lady that is at Santa Maria della Consolazione in Turin, was installed in the 1935 chapel. It is now above the tabernacle at the new church, built at the same location, Santa Maria Consolatrice  in Rome. This is where Pope Benedict gave the homily quoted above. 

Feast Day of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Chapter 35

 Today, November 17, 2022, is the feast day of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231). She is also known as St. Elizabeth of Thuringia. As a small child she was taken to Thuringia in present day Germany to be raised and to eventually marry to form a family and political alliance. She married at 14, was widowed at 20, and died at 24. She is known for many acts of charity to the poor. The Church declared her a saint in 1235.

Recall that St. Elizabeth had given her daughter, Sophie of Thuringia, the future Duchess of Brabant, a statue of Our Lady of Consolation. Sophie gave the statue to the beguines at Vilvoorde, Belgium (in Brabant). The beguines gave the statue to the Carmelite nuns in the 15th century. (See Chapters 21 and 22 of this blog.)

The Augustinian orders were formed in the mid 13th century. St. Elizabeth died in 1231. Sophie brought the statue of Our Lady of Consolation to Vilvoorde in the mid 13th century. Therefore, it is quite possible that this statue of Our Lady of Consolation at Vilvoorde was the first in the region. Some groups who followed the Rule of St. Augustine did exist before they were formed into the current Augustinian orders, but they do not seem to have operated as friars among the lay people. 

Here is a stained-glass window depicting St. Elizabeth of Hungary. She is holding roses. This is at Saint Elizabeth's Church in Grave, North Brabrant, Netherlands. (Sint-Elizabethkerk, Grave) Grave is just 30 miles from Kevelaer, Germany, where we find Our Lady of Consolation in 1641. Sint-Elizabethkerk was built in 1240, just 9 years after her death and just 5 years after she was declared a saint. 

Vincent de Groot - http://www.videgro.net, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Belgium remains Catholic Chapter 34

 In 1714, Austria acquired the former Spanish Netherlands. The region then became known as the Austrian Netherlands. Austria then ruled over the region that would eventually become Belgium until the French took over. The French revolution led to the French invading and controlling the region from 1794 to 1814. Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815. Waterloo is in Belgium, just 10 miles south of Brussels and just 36 miles from Scherpenheuvel. During the French occupation, Catholics and the Catholic Church were targeted for persecution. Even priests and nuns were targeted. However, the revolutionaries were not able to stomp out Catholicism in the region. Recall that in the last chapter we saw that the nation of Belgium was formed because the Catholics in the region wanted out from under the control of Protestants in the northern Netherlands who held most of the political power in the region. The country of Belgium came into existence in 1830. This is just 15 years after the defeat of Napoleon. 

We also saw, in the last chapter, that over half of Luxembourg became part of the new country of Belgium. Recall that my story of Our Lady of Consolation started with a visit to St. Augustine parish in Leopold, Indiana, where a statue of Our Lady of Consolation was brought from Luxembourg in 1868. This is just 38 years after Belgium became a country. St. Augustine parish was founded in 1837 by Belgian immigrants. Just 7 years after Belgium became a country. 

see   https://www.archindy.org/parishes/listings/089.html

The Belgian immigrants to Leopold brought with them a strong Catholic faith and a devotion to Our Lady of Consolation. This devotion was strong enough to have survived the years of French occupation and persecution. These immigrants would have known very well the history of Belgium and the connection to Luxembourg because they lived through it. This is why, when men from Leopold found themselves in a notorious prison were many died, they turned to Our Lady of Consolation. 

Our Lady of Consolation helped the Catholics in Belgium to remain faithful through both the Protestant Reformation and the French Revolution. 

Consolatrix Afflictorum, ora pro nobis. 

Onze Lieve Vrouw van Troost, bid voor ons. 

Belgium created, Luxembourg divided Chapter 33

 After the Belgian Revolution of 1830, the country of Belgium was created. The country of Luxembourg was partitioned and part of it became a province of Belgium. Belgium had been a part of the Netherlands. The northern part of the Netherlands was Protestant. The southern part was Catholic. The politics is another story. Language and political representation and economics were some of the issues. To make a long story short, Belgium became a separate country independent of the Netherlands. Belgium consists of ten provinces. The southernmost province of Belgium is called Luxemburg, Belgium. It had been a part of Luxembourg. Luxembourg was partitioned. The Luxemburg Province of Belgium is larger than what remained of the country of Luxembourg. The southernmost part of Luxemburg, Belgium, is called Belgian Lorraine. It borders the Lorraine region of France. 

Recall that the Cardinal of Lorraine had promoted devotion to Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel. Also recall that Luxembourg had a strong devotion to Our Lady of Consolation beginning in the 17th century. When the border changed in 1831 and over half of Luxembourg became Belgium, the devotion remained. 

Technically, devotion to Our Lady of Consolation didn't develop in Belgium. It was already present since the 13th century at Vilvoorde where the Carmelites later came. It was already present at the numerous Augustinian monasteries. It was already present in the 17th century in Luxembourg, over half of which would become Belgium's southernmost province. Devotion to Our Lady of Consolation was well established in Belgium the day that Belgium first appeared on a map. 

An Ancient Dominican Litany Chapter 32

Back in Chapter 7 of this blog, we saw that the title Consolatrix Aflictorum is found in the Litany of Loreto. We also learned that the Litany of Loreto dates to before 1558. 

The Dominicans have an even more ancient Marian litany that was known in the mid 13th century. It is rarely used today. It contains many pious titles, a few of which might sound unusual to modern ears. One title that could be of interest to readers of this blog is here given first in Latin, and then in English:

℣: Sáncta María consolátrix ad te confugiéntium,

℟: ora pro nobis.

℣: Holy Mary, consoler of all who fly to thee,

℟: pray for us.

To see the entire litany, visit one of these sites:

https://www.holyrosary.com.au/ancient-dominican-litany.htm

http://dominican-liturgy.blogspot.com/2020/06/beware-litaniies-of-friars-preachers.html

There you will also find some interesting history. Here is a very brief version of that history.

The Dominicans were founded in 1216. In 1254, some groups who opposed the Dominicans had told the pope some troubling things about the new Order. In response, the pope had severely limited the Order. Had this been maintained, the Order would have probably disappeared. The Dominicans responded by praying, and in particular by praying for Mary's intercession. This litany was part of their prayers. Soon, the restrictions were lifted, allowing the Dominicans to continue growing and preaching. 

Our Lady of Consolation in the Philippines Chapter 30

San Augustin Church, in Manila, the Philippines, is also known as the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture. The Augustinians started construction on the stone church in 1586. This church, along with a monastery, was completed in 1607. It was the headquarters of the Augustinian Province in the Philippines beginning in 1575. A wooden structure had been built on the same site in 1571 but was destroyed by fire. 

Our Lady of Consolation, with cincture, in Manila

By Judgefloro - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31545362

resized for blog

The Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR) was founded in 1588. They are a reformed group of Augustinians who also followed the rule of St. Augustine. They arrived in the Philippines in 1606. Thus, we find two groups of Augustinians in the Philippines. The OAR are contemplatives, but still found themselves interacting with lay people who wanted to attend church with them. 

So, we find that the Augustinians were introducing devotion to Our Lady of Consolation in the Philippines at the same time that devotion to Our Lady of Consolation was becoming well known in the Spanish Netherlands (Scherpenheuvel, Luxembourg, and Kevelaer in particular). Since Augustinians were also active in the Spanish Netherlands at the same time, it could be that the friars in the Spanish Netherlands were also teaching devotion to Our Lady of Consolation. Earlier we learned that Augustinians were at over 80 locations in what would become Germany and Belgium, but then were reduced to one location because of the Reformation and the wars.

In Quezon City, the Philippines, is Our Lady of Consolation Church. It was founded by and is served by Augustinian Recollects. 

La Consolacion College in Manila is an Augustinian Catholic school. They have a statue of Our Lady of Consolation outdoors at their campus.

Three Mendicant Orders in the 13th Century Chapter 25

 In the first half of the 13th century, three mendicant orders were founded. The Franciscans in 1209. The Dominicans in 1216. The Augustinians in 1244. The Dominicans and the Augustinians used the Rule of Saint Augustine. The Franciscans used the rule of Saint Francis. 

The Dominicans promote devotion to the rosary and to Our Lady of the Rosary. The Augustinians promote devotion to Our Lady of Consolation. In future posts, the Good Lord willing, I want to write about how the Augustinians brought Our Lady of Consolation to the Philippines in the 1600s. This is the same time that Our Lady of Consolation was becoming well known in the Spanish Netherlands. It would be reasonable to assume that if the Augustinians were teaching devotion to Our Lady of Consolation in the Philippines at that time, then they were probably also teaching it in Belgium. We have that history from the Philippines. Sadly, much of the history of Belgium was destroyed by reformers, iconoclasts, or revolutionaries. 

St. Philip Neri was educated early on by Dominicans. Later, in Rome, he studied with Augustinians for three years. Recall that St. Neri founded the Oratorians and that the Oratorians ministered at both Scherpenheuvel and Kevelaer at the request of the local bishop. 

One of the patron saints of the Franciscans is Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. Remember, St. Elizabeth of Hungary gave the statue of Our Lady of Consolation to her daughter Sophia who gave it to the beguines in Vilvoorde, Belgium in the middle of the 13th century. St. Elizabeth is also known as St. Elizabeth of Thuringia. Thuringia is in Germany. Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia became associated with the Franciscans and may have been a member of the Third Order of Franciscans.  She supported the Franciscans in Thuringia and was known for taking care of the poor. 

Franciscans are in charge of the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio. That may be a coincidence, but it is still interesting to note. 

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Holding bread for the poor

and a rose. 

Statue at St. Elizabeth

Hospital, O'Fallon

Illinois

photo by blog author

Titles are not images. Chapter 24

 Titles are not images.

If you Google "Our Lady of the Rosary" you will find many different images. Our Lady of the Rosary, or Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, are titles. Various images are associated with the titles. 

The title Our Lady of the Rosary has helped me to better understand the title Our Lady of Consolation. Some titles, such as Our Lady of Lourdes or Our Lady of Guadalupe, are normally associated with one image. However, some titles are not associated with just one image. Such is the case with Our Lady of Consolation. The statue at Luxembourg is today the most common representation of Our Lady of Consolation that I am aware of, however, there are others. And some of those are quite old. 

Of course, we should not get too worried about images. One day we will see that Mary is much more beautiful than any work of art here on Earth. 

Augustinians in Belgium Chapter 25

Augustinians propagated devotion to Our Lady of Consolation dating back to at least 1436. It is likely they had something to do with Our Lady of Consolation becoming so popular in the Spanish Netherlands, part of which would eventually become Belgium.

St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, was very troubled by the direction her son was going. She prayed for the conversion of her son. Augustine did convert to Christianity. Eventually, he became a bishop and a great theologian. Monica found consolation and help by praying to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pious legend tells us that, to console Monica, Mary gave her a black belt, called a cincture. Mary promised Monica that whoever wore this cincture would be under her protection. The Augustinians wear a black cincture to this day. Our Lady of Consolation and St. Augustine and St. Monica are the three patron saints of the Augustinian order. 

Before the reformation, the Augustinians were active and well represented in the region that would become Germany and Belgium. Augustinian monasteries are grouped together in provinces. At one time, in the 14th century, there were over 80 Augustinian monasteries in the German province. Flemish Belgium was at that time a part of the German province. The rest of what would become Belgium was part of the French province.

After the Reformation, the Augustinian Order in Belgium went into decline. Eventually, only one monastery remained. That was in Leuven. Leuven is only 18 miles from Scherpenheuvel (see earlier posts about Scherpenheuvel). Martin Luther, a key figure of the Reformation, was once an Augustinian friar. Some Augustinians followed Luther out of the Catholic Church. Others left the region due to persecution from reformers and the difficulties caused by the reformation and the wars. After leaving the Church, Luther lived in what had been his old monastery with his family. 

After the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the Augustinians saw a revival in Belgium. Monasteries were opened in at least 16 locations. After the French Revolution the monasteries were again closed. Eventually they were rebuilt or reopened after the French left. There is a church and monastery named for Our Lady of Consolation in Heverlee, Belgium. 

Heverlee Belgium

See these links for more history:

http://augnet.org/en/history/regional-history/4807-belgium/

https://www.midwestaugustinians.org/our-mother-of-consolation