Notes from Rome By Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC In 1776, during a General Chapter in Mariampole, Lithuania, the Marian Congregation decided to send two Marians to Rome to begin the beatification process of our Founder, St. Stanislaus Papczynski, and the Venerable Servant of God Casimir Wyszynski. In 1779, they were able to purchase the eight-century Church of St. Vito and the adjoining monastery from the Cistercian Order, which had been there for 100 years. The church stands next to an arch that dates back 2,000 years. It was a gateway in the city wall of Rome. The Marians began working in the Church of St. Vito and commissioned a Polish artist who was living in Rome at that time, Francis Smuglewicz, to do the above- mentioned painting. He created the painting in a classical style: one canvas depicting Our Lady Immaculately Conceived, and another smaller canvas above depicting the Holy Spirit and some cherubim, all enclosed in an ornate gold frame. It was placed above the main altar of the church in 1782. In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Rome and ordered all foreigners, including the foreign religious communities, to leave the city. The Marians had to abandon the Church of St. Vito, and we never recovered it. We had worked there for about 20 years, and three Marians were buried in the crypt of the church. Today, it is the parish church of the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Through the years, the church has undergone some renovations, while the canvas of the painting was badly damaged. It had been repaired, but poorly. In the 1990s the Marians took some pictures of the image and began promoting a Photoshopped restoration of the image (shown above). This year, Fr. Pasquale Magagnini, the pastor, found some donors within his parish who paid to have the painting and the frame restored. Father Pasquale came to our Marian Archives at the General House to do some research so he could publish the true history of the image and the church. I was privileged to attend the Mass there on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception during which Bishop Daniele Libanori, one of the auxiliary bishops of the Diocese of Rome, blessed the restored image. It was a very moving experience to participate in the Mass as a Marian. I thought of the Marians who had faithfully served in that Church more than 200 years before. As I looked at the beautiful painting of Our Lady, I thought of the Marians who had commissioned it and offered Mass under the watchful eye of Our Lady. No doubt they would not have wanted to abandon the church, but they had no choice because of the orders of Napoleon. During his homily that day, the Bishop contemplated the experiences of Joseph and Mary at the time of the Annunciation and the birth of Jesus. They were very probably both frightened and confused at the unfolding of events. They were called to respond to the plan of God with a profound faith. God did not explain everything to them in advance. They both opened themselves to God’s plan in heroic ways and, thus, participated in the work of our redemption. We are called to do the same! Look for the full story of the restoration of Our Lady Immaculately Conceived in the next edition of Marian Helper. ‘OUR LADY’ RESTORED There is an image in Rome of “Our Lady Immaculately Conceived,” which is especially near and dear to the hearts of all Marians. What is the story of this image? “Our Lady Immaculately Conceived.” Father Joe Roesch, MIC, is the vicar general of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. He lives in Rome. Marian Helper • Spring 2022 • marian.org 7 Fr. Joe talks explains the history of the image of Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception.
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