Have You Heard of Our Lady of Good Success?

Our Blessed Mother is often referred to by the name of the location where she appeared or by the title she gives herself in apparitions. One of the least known titles and Church-approved apparitions is the Blessed Mother as Our Lady of Good Success.

Mariana Francisca, known as Mother Mariana, received apparitions starting on the day of her First Communion.  She was told then that she would become a nun with the order, Her Immaculate Conception, which she did.  In 1577, when Marianna was just 13 years old, she left Spain with her aunt, Mother Maria de Jesus Taboada, and four other sisters, to found a branch of the Order of the Immaculate Conception in San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador.

Years later in 1610, the Blessed Virgin appeared again and asked that a statue be made of Her under the title of Good Success. Mariana was told to have the statue in the likeness of the apparition, with the Child Jesus in her right arm, and the abbess’ crozier and the keys of the convent in her right hand. She warned of a coming lack of faith and vocations in the 20th century.

The man who sculpted the statue was chosen by Our Lady, Francisco del Castillo.  After making the statue, he planned to paint it.  He was actually on his way to purchase the paint he needed, when a miraculous incident occurred.   At 3:00 am, Our Lady of Good Success appeared in the church choir loft with the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, along with St. Francis, to finish the statue themselves!

The archangels bowed before Mary and sang:
“Hail to Thee, Mary Most Holy Daughter of God the Father” (St. Michael)
“Hail to Thee, Mary Most Holy Mother of God the Son” (St. Gabriel)
”Hail to Thee, Mary Most Holy, Most Pure Spouse of the Holy Ghost” (St. Raphael)
“Hail to Thee, Mary Most Holy Temple and Sacrarium of the Most Holy Trinity” (All three Archangels)

The statue became animated as the apparition of Our Lady walked into the statue itself. Then the statue began to sing the “Magnifica,” followed by a choir of heavenly spirits singing “Salve Sancta Parens.”  By then the entire convent was awake and the sisters came to the choir loft, where they found the statue completed and glowing with a heavenly light.

The body of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres is preserved in the cloistered convent to this day. In 1906 when the convent underwent renovations, the sarcophagus in which she had been buried in 1635 was opened and her body was discovered to be incorrupt. For three centuries her body and the miraculous statue have been venerated by the devout.

Here is the novena to Our Lady of Good Success:

Hail Mary Most Holy, Beloved Daughter of God the Father
Through the intercession of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres,
grant thy good success to this request…