The Story of Our Lady of Good Success and Novena

Book excerpt: On January 16, 1599, the Most Holy Mother of God appeared to Mother Marianna of Jesus Torres in the convent of the Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Quito, Ecuador, asking her to have a statue made of herself as she appeared, with the Child Jesus in her left arm and a crosier and the keys of the cloister in her right hand. Our Lady holds the crosier as a sign that she herself governs the convent and likewise asked that that her statue be placed in the throne of the abbess, where this statue is still kept to this day. The statue was consecrated by the bishop of Quito on February 2, 1611 with title, "Mary of Good Success of the Purification or Candlemas." During the various apparitions granted to Mother Marianna until her death on January 16, 1635, Our Lady of Good Success foretold the evils of our times in great detail. She was told that her visions and life would only be known beginning from the twentieth century, and was asked to help by her prayers and penances the souls of that time in which there would be an enormous decadence of the faith. It was God's will to reserve these revelations and the story of the life of Mother Mariana for our time, when the corruption of behavior is universal and the precious light of the faith is almost extinct, fulfilling the prophecies of Our Lady. The Mother of God also foretold that this devotion would obtain mercy and pardon for all sinners who have recourse to her with a contrite heart since she is the Mother of Mercy. Likewise she said, "The consoling title of Good Success... will be the support and safeguard of the faith in the presence of the complete corruption of the twentieth century." The novena presented here was written by Fr. Jose Urrate which has an imprimatur by the Archbishop of Quito, Carlos Maria de la Torre, on July 31, 1941.