Nuestra Madre y Señora, La Virgen Santisima de la Consolacion y Correa

This site is dedicated for the greater glory of the Most Holy Trinity, God the Father: The Supreme source of love and compassion for mankind, God the Son: Jesus Christ, the Saviour and God the Holy Spirit: the Paraclete and to the Queen of Heaven and Earth, Our Lady and Mother, The Queen Most Pure of Consolation and Cincture.
 

The brief history of the apparition of our Beloved Patroness, Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture.

Our Lady of Consolation evolved from an apparition of Mary when she appeared before Saint Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine, in the fourth century A.D. Augustine in his youth caused Monica untold misery and frustration. Augustine was mean, incorrigible and brought great dishonor to his family. Devastated, Monica prayed nightly to God through the Blessed Virgin Mary for divine intervention that would effect a positive change in her son. One evening, as Monica wept, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her "in mourning clothes" to comfort her. As a token of her compassion, she took off a black cloth cincture from her waist and handed it to Monica. Monica accepted it and later pleaded with her son to mend his ways. Then the miracle happened. Augustine began to reform, and behaved in a way that was pleasing to his family, friends and neighbors. He laid the seeds of the monastic order of the Augustinians, who wear a black band around their waist as a pledge of fealty to Our Lady of Consolation. Saint Augustine became one of the greatest saints of the Roman Catholic Church. Augustinian priests, brothers and sisters became active evangelists. All over the world, their priories, formation houses and educational institutions flourished.



 

Devotion to Nuestra Senora de Consolacion y Correa or Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church through the Second Vatican Council because first, it is deeply rooted in the Holy Scripture; second, it wells up from the compassionate nature of triune God as the author of creation; and third, it is driven by the people’s own need for peace and justice in this world. Holy Scripture set tone for this devotion with Mary’s appointment as surrogate Mother at the foot of the Cross. When the apostles went hiding after Christ’s crucifixion, Mary joined and comforted them, in spite of her own personal grief. In the Old testaments, the Triune God’s compassion for the human race was repeatedly shown. Two specific instances, where when the Israelites were delivered from Egypt and when Mary was found to be with Child by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of actualizing the gift of deliverance of humanity from the bandage of sin. Moreover, Mary is regarded by generations of Catholics as the Supreme Consoler because of the efficacy of her power of intervention as the Mother of God, and the urge of the human race to turn to her comfort from all kinds of physical and spiritual affliction. The image of Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture wears a cloth band (correa in Spanish), around her waist. A similar article is worn by the Augustinians as part of their monastic habit. The belt is a “symbol of chastity” representing Mary’s attribute as the Immaculate Conception, whereby she delivered her Son into the world but remained pure and inviolate. The habit is carried to the normative level by religious men and women whenever they take the vow of celibacy. The belt likewise symbolizes Mary’s reservoir of compassion and the bond between herself and the children entrusted to her care by her own Son.