November 20th, as a Congregation, we celebrate today our
principal Patron, the feast of our Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Divine
Providence. Find here a brief history of this celebration.
Devotion to Our Lady under the title of Mother of Divine
Providence seems to have originated in the year 1732 when in the Church of SS.
Blaise and Charles in Rome the picture of the Virgin with the Child in her arms
was exposed and presented under that name.
In 1744 Benedict XIV granted the concession of an annual
celebration of a feast in honour of Our Lady, Mother of Divine Providence, on
the Saturday preceding the third Sunday in November. A confraternity under the same name then
started, having been authorised by the same Pope. It was then raised to the status of archconfraternity
by Gregory XVI. The Barnabite Fathers
honoured Our Lady, Mother of Divine Providence, naming altars, chapels,
churches and colleges everywhere after her.
Blessed Luigi Orione took on this devotion as
one suitable for the purpose and name of his Congregation. By a decree of 13th December 1948, the Holy
See allowed the Sons of Divine Providence to include this celebration in their
own calendar. It was then granted with
the title of Principal Patron by a decree of 29th September 1961. The Mass was approved on 2nd February 1972
and appointed for 20th November. The
approval of the Divine Office was granted by a decree of 27th January 1977.
Happy feast to all the Sons of Divine Providence (SDP) and the Little Missionary Sisters of the Charity (LMSC). May our Heavenly Mother intercede for us all.
O God, in Your Providence, You always work according to a plan of love; through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Divine Providence, remove from us all that is evil, and give us all that is good. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ.... Amen.
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