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| Comforter of the Afflicted |
Our Lady of Consolation or Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in the Catholic Church.
The origin of this invocation is derived from the Augustinian friars who propagated this particular devotion. Along with Saints Augustine, and Monica, Our Lady of Consolation is one of the three patrons of the Augustinian orders. The title Consolatrix Afflictorum is part of the Litany of Loreto, and is Augustinian in origin. This devotion was propagated by the Augustinian monks. By the early 18th century the custom of asking for the final blessing before death in the name of Our Lady of Consolation was very popular.
In congregations of the Augustinian Order, the "Augustinian Rosary" is sometimes called the "Crown of Our Mother of Consolation". The traditional depiction in Augustinian houses show Mary holding the Child Jesus on her lap. They both hold the Augustinian cincture in their hands.
The confraternity of Our Lady of Consolation was founded in 1495 in Bologna, Italy. In 1575 both confraternities merged in a single Archconfraternity of Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture. Other similar confraternities were aggregated to the Archconfraternity in Bologna.
The annual feast of the Archconfraternity is 4 September. Members are obliged to wear a black leather belt, to fast on the vigil of the feast of Saint Augustine and to recite daily the "Little Rosary of Our Lady of Consolation" which is composed of thirteen couplets of beads. The essential prayers to be said are Our Father and Hail Mary repeated thirteen times after which is recited the Hail Holy Queen.
In Manila, the image of Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture in the San Agustin Church, Intramuros. Pious accounts claim that the image arrived sometime in the 17th century. Accordingly in 1607, the Confraternity of the Cofradia de la Nuestra Señora de la Consolacion y Correa was founded in Intramuros, Manila being one of the oldest Marian confraternities in the country. The image survived the Second World War being hidden for safekeeping.
Pope John Paul II issued a pontifical decree of canonical coronation towards the image on 12 June 1999. The rite of coronation was executed by the former Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Jaime Lachica Sin on 4 September 2000. The San Agustin Church was also designated as the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture.
On 13 February 2004, the original image of the Child Jesus attached to the Madonna was stolen, but was later replaced with a replica. On 15 August 2024, the Manila City Council passed an ordinance formally declaring the image as the patroness of Intramuros, Manila, bestowing her the title "Queen and Protectress of the Distinguished and Ever Loyal City." The proclamation rites took place on 8 September of the same year, the feast of Our Lady of Consolation.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Consolation
