A Mother Who Consoles

A Mother Who Consoles - A Timeline of Devotion to Our Lady of Luxembourg in the Grand Duchy and the United States - Volume 1 (1600s - 1800s)

Devotion to Our Lady of Luxembourg (Maria, Mater Jesus, Consolatrix Afflictorum – Mary, Mother of Jesus, Consoler of the Afflicted) has been a hallmark of spirituality in Luxembourg since 1624. At that time, the faithful came to the Consoler seeking healing and strength as they faced the threat of war, famine, poverty, illness and the plague. The devotion quickly grew with the Consoler being elected patroness of Luxembourg City in 1666 and patroness of the Duchy of Luxembourg in 1678.

In the mid-19th century, a significant percentage of Luxembourg’s population immigrated to America in hopes of a better life. The faith-filled Luxembourg immigrants brought their devotion to Our Lady of Luxembourg to their settlements in the United States. Public images of her were enshrined in churches in Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska and Kentucky.

Carey, Ohio became the epicenter of devotion to the Consoler in the US when Fr. Joseph Gloden, a Luxembourg immigrant, organized a parish and shrine in her honor in 1875. A statue of the Consoler was secured from Luxembourg and placed in what became the first Marian shrine in the US. The shrine drew pilgrims seeking healing and solace and today is known as the Basilica & National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation.

In Volume One of this book, Kevin Wester and Mary Gellerup Bolich offer a narrative timeline of devotion to Our Lady of Luxembourg in the Grand Duchy and the US from the 1600s-1800s. The narrative is brought alive by hundreds of images showing the evolution of the devotion. The authors’ goal in writing this book is not only to educate readers in the history of the devotion to Our Lady, but also to help readers develop a personal friendship with her as A Mother Who Consoles.