Danilo Perez Ngo
The CFC Global Macau hosted a virtual Marian Echo Conference for North Asia on October 4, 2020 at the SVD headquarter in Macau SAR. CFC North Asia comprises China, HK, Macau, South Korea and Japan.
The conference was participated by CFC HK, CFC Shanghai and CFC Mongolia. It has become a tradition for CFC Global to have the annual Marian conference to honor Our Mother Mary. The theme for this year’s Marian Conference is “To the light with Mary.”
The opening session talked about the Lady of Light. We all know that our Blessed Mother has many titles to her name. However, not all of us are familiar with the title Our Lady of Light.
At the turn of the 18th century, a Jesuit priest Fr. Giovanni Antonio Genovesi (1681-1757) went around Sicily preaching to bring people to Jesus. He always prayed to Mother Mary for guidance and as a reminder that Our Lady accompanied him in his missions throughout Sicily, he wanted to bring with him the image of Mother Mary every time he goes around Sicily. He asked a pious lady visionary to ask the guidance of Mother Mary herself in having a painting made. The Virgin Mary granted the request and she described exactly how she wanted the painting to look like. Fr Genovesi commissioned a painter. He gave him instructions but while the painter was doing the picture of Mother Mary, Fr Genovesi and the pious lady were not around to give him instruction. It was recorded that the Virgin Mary did not approve of the first painting that is why a new painting was requested and that time the lady visionary was present while the painting was doing the work. Instructions were given to the painter and the Virgin Mary guided the painter’s brush until the work was completed to her satisfaction.
The description of the painting – the Virgin Mary appearing in a glorious light surrounded by a host of seraphim – was extremely beautiful. She had a girdle adorned with jewels that surpassed the beauty of the stars. On her shoulders was a blue mantle, on her left arm the child Jesus and with her right hand she lifted a sinful soul from the terrible throat of hell, keeping it from falling back in. On the other side, a kneeling angel held up a basket filled with hearts, which he presented to the Divine Child in His Mother’s arms. He took the hearts one at a time and inflamed them with His love. The Virgin Mary said she wished to be called Maria Madre Santissima del Lume (Mary Most Holy Mother of Light), and repeated it three times and said not to forget it. Looking back at the painting, we can see the angels supporting her feet and holding a crown above her head.
When Fr Genovese came to Mexico in 1715, he brought the painting with him which can now be seen in the Church of Leon or the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Light in Mexico. (Photo: Our Lady of Light)
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