On September 7, the Holy Father will lead Mass in Genazzano, a place with which he shares a deep personal devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel, rooted in his student days.
Pope Leo XIV will once again visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano, a town about forty kilometers from Rome. The Mass on the eve of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be led on September 7 at 6:00 PM, as confirmed by the Vatican.
The Pope's connection to this Marian shrine spans decades. He first visited it as a young student in Rome in the early 1980s, and later returned regularly as Prior General of the Augustinians, Bishop of Chiclayo, and Cardinal.
His last visit before his election as Pope took place on April 25, 2024, on the very feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel. In his homily, he urged the faithful to look to Mary as a model for spreading peace and reconciliation. Just two weeks later, on May 8, 2025, he was elected as Peter's successor. Before appearing on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, he paused in prayer before the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Just two days after his election, on May 10, 2025, Pope Leo made a private visit to Genazzano. On that occasion, he explained his motives to his Augustinian confreres and the gathered faithful.
"I very much wanted to come here in these first days of the new ministry that the Church has entrusted to me, to continue my mission as Peter's successor,"
he said at the time. He then wrote in the book of thanks words that reveal the depth of his personal devotion.
"Throughout my entire life, she has accompanied me with her maternal presence, her wisdom, and the example of her love for her Son, who is always at the center of my faith. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. Thank you, Mother, for your help; accompany me in this new mission,"
added the Bishop of Rome, who entered the Order of Saint Augustine in the Augustinian Province of Chicago, dedicated precisely to Our Lady of Good Counsel.
The shrine in Genazzano has a rich history. As early as the 13th century, a small church dedicated to Saint Mary stood on this site, and in 1356, the Colonna family, owners of the land, entrusted pastoral care to the Augustinians. At the beginning of the 15th century, they decided to renovate and expand the church and convent.
Also involved in the restoration was Petruccia, a widow and Augustinian tertiary, who sold all her property. Although she was mocked for not having enough money to complete the work, she always insisted that the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Augustine would finish it. Miraculously, on April 25, 1467, an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared on the wall of the church under construction. Two pilgrims from Albania recognized it as the Madonna venerated in Shkodër, which had been separated from that place of worship.
The event attracted thousands of faithful, and numerous miracles and answered prayers were recorded. Thanks to the donations that poured in, the work was eventually completed. Over the centuries, the shrine was visited by Pope Urban VIII, Pius IX, John XXIII, and John Paul II.
As Father Ludovico Centra told Vatican media, on the occasion of the Mass on September 7, a painting will be unveiled depicting Pope Leo in prayer before the image of the Madonna, thus joining his predecessors whose visits are immortalized on the walls of the small chapel in the shrine.
