Advent: Time of Mercy
Holy Mary Mother of Mercy
The lights of the great opportunities that the church proposes to Christians, such as the Advent season, are always bright and attainable, but the comet star that will always guide us brightly is that of Mary Mother of Mercy because it is fueled by her great maternal love that will never be extinguished.
“O PASSENGER GREET MARY WHO GRACE DOES NOT DENY TO THOSE WHO HEARTILY PRAY TO HER.” It is the most well-known and popular invitation carved on the facade of Vedano’s Sanctuary of Mercy, which arose after the local population, in order to eradicate the plague that was claiming many victims, made a vow to the Virgin, who appeared right there among the branches of a tree. In 1896 the episode of the miracle was entrusted to the pictorial narration of Luigi Tagliaferri, while in 1913 the entire shrine, the bell tower and the misericordia bells were completed.
In the Brescian territory, 1527 marked the resumption of hostilities between faction and lineage. At that time famine, hunger and disease were also joined by the Lutheran heresy, which helped undermine the faith. Into this particular historical context came the intervention of Our Lady, who was always ready to help the wretched and strengthen the faith, even with extraordinary manifestations.
At 750 meters above sea level, in the small hamlet of Predondo, on the road leading to Bovegno, a miraculous episode occurred, the story of which, variously expanded and enriched by popular tradition, shows us Our Lady’s solicitous mercy and her intent to revive the hearts of Christians.
On May 14/15, 1527 Maria Amadini, a twenty-two-year-old girl, orphaned and bearing the burden of two small brothers, one of whom was seriously ill, went into the woods to gather wood. She prayed and trusted in the divine help of Our Lady whose name she bore. Having taken herself to the place called Meola, where a small stream of clear water flowed, she dug in the ground to find roots to collect in her bundle of wood to take to the village innkeeper in exchange for some bread for her own. And lo and behold, among the loose earth, Mary saw the glint of some silver coins. Frightened and thinking of the work of the evil one, she turned away, invoking the help of She Who is never short of graces. Immediately recovering, she looked at the coins and saw that they had only a cross imprinted on them. She was so consoled by this that she esteemed those coins as a gift given to her by the Virgin, as a grace from God. Having collected the coins, she took them to the village, recounting everything with simplicity. Obviously this generated a frantic search for the coins by her villagers, who went to the place indicated by Mary, digging, but finding nothing.
About eight days after the incident, on May 22, Maria went to that hill again, with one of her peers, a certain Catherine, to pray the rosary and thank the Mother of God for the gift she had received, when she heard a voice calling her name. Frightened, she tried to flee, but the voice was heard again, and Maria replied in Brescian dialect, “Ben?” As she looked up, fearful and curious, she saw a Lady with a sky-colored mantle of such great beauty and splendor that she said to her, “Well you have answered, well you have received and well you shall have. Do not be afraid, I am the Mother of Mercy to whom you are so devoted. The coins are a gift for your family, persevere in the good as you have done so far, do not fail in your devotion, for thus you will be saved.” The joy was such that it caused her to weep with emotion. Among other phrases said to Mary and variously reported in some documents, Our Lady speaks of her intercession with her Son to avert a great chastisement from men and to implore divine mercy for all. She entrusted Mary with the task of going to the town square telling everyone about the apparition so that a chapel dedicated to the Mother of Mercy would be built and that all the sick who contributed to the construction would be healed.
Mary naturally went determinedly to the Vicariate and to the people of the village where, initially skeptical, everyone, following a miracle performed by the Virgin on Mary, decided to build a church in her honor.
In the place where the Mother of Jesus had set her holy feet, the foundation stone was laid, and the entire construction was entrusted to architect Agostino Castelli. The building, with its large dome crowned by a polygonal lantern, became a centerpiece of faith that transcended local boundaries in the 1700s. The need to huddle in prayer with the Virgin to ward off war and disease, until World War II, caused the building to be remodeled by also providing for the construction of a large portico flanking the shrine. <<<The interior was soon enriched with a beautiful carved wooden canopy as was the large sacristy counter, and the covering of the roof of the restored bell tower was arranged with copper sheets. Artistically enriching the shrine are both the large statue of Our Lady of Mercy, a work by sculptor Antonio Carra executed in 1617, and the paintings of the 1500s,’600s,’700s of exquisite value>>.
The road leading to the shrine is lined with signs of popular devotion dedicated to the apparition and the many miracles and healings, as evidenced by the many jealously guarded documents and votive offerings. Maria Amadini died the year after the apparition, on July 15, 1528, and is buried in this shrine, which is still visited today by many notable personalities, but especially by many people who seek comfort and strength in our great Mother of God, sweet and vigorous helper of the wretched.