Two days after he was elected, Pope Leo XIV made his first trip outside Rome -- it was the afternoon of May 10, 2025. He traveled to Genazzano, a small town of just over 5,000 inhabitants located 30 kilometers southeast of the Italian capital (about 19 miles), to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Our Lady of Good Counsel is celebrated each April 26.
The Augustinians were influential in spreading devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel worldwide.
This shrine in Genazzano was founded in the 15th century by an Augustinian nun, Blessed Petruccia, and is cared for by an Augustinian community.
According to tradition, the fresco venerated in this place comes from a basilica in Albania destroyed by the Turks. But two angels are said to have carried away a piece of the wall depicting the Virgin and Child. They then transported it to Genazzano, entrusting it to Blessed Petruccia, an Augustinian nun who had set out to rebuild a church entrusted to the Order of St. Augustine half a century earlier.
News of the miracle led to the construction of a Marian shrine, and the fresco was quickly associated with numerous miracles of healing.
Companion of light and wisdom
When Pope Leo came to visit the shrine, he said that after choosing to “offer his life to the Church,” he wanted to reiterate his “trust in the Mother of Good Counsel,” describing her as a companion “of light and wisdom.”
He recalled the words of the Virgin Mary during the episode of the Wedding at Cana in the Gospel of St. John: "Do whatever he tells you."
The Pontiff then retired to an adjoining room to spend time in private with members of the Augustinian community.
Later, Leo XIV appeared before the crowd in front of the basilica and expressed his joy at being able to come to Genazzano to pray to Our Lady of Good Counsel, describing her as “a great gift” for the people of this small town.
“As the Mother never abandons her children, you must always be faithful to the Mother,” he urged them.
