Sydney Catholics will honour Our Lady with an evening Mass and candlelight procession beginning at 7pm on Sunday 2 February at St Joachim’s parish in Lidcombe.
Bridget Sakr, founder of the HeartFelt grief support community, revived a devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Good Success in Sydney for the first time in 2024, with support from the Archdiocese of Sydney and St Joachim’s parish priest Fr Epeli Qimaqima.
She set a challenge to pray a Rosary novena before joining the celebration of Mass and a candlelight procession on the feast day of the Presentation of the Lord which is also the feast of Our Lady of Good Success.
Last year 6000 people from around the world joined in the novena, and many attended on the day itself. This time Bridget is hoping to pledge 10,000 participants, via an online form, to pray the Rosary each day for nine days.
“We had so many people tell us they felt consolation and healing from Our Lady’s messages, which talk about the struggles the church will face in our times,” she said.
“It’s difficult for believers to share their faith in the secular world we live in, and Our Lady of Good Success gives us assurance that although we will struggle, we are not alone.”
Our Lady of Good Success refers to Marian apparitions in the late 16th century to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres in Quito, Ecuador.
The messages emphasised preserving the Catholic faith and foretold challenges facing the church.
Approved by the church, the devotion to Our Lady of Good Success centres on seeking her intercession for protection and the preservation of the Catholic faith. It is particularly cherished in Ecuador.
St Joachim’s assistant priest Fr Bijoy Joseph said the procession through the streets of Lidcombe was a “great success” last year.
“It was a very powerful witness to Our Lady and her importance to us, and to our faith,” he said.
“Personally I was very interested last year to visit the church in Quito, as part of Sydney’s delegation to the International Eucharistic Congress, where the apparitions occurred and read about the prophecies of a coming ‘spiritual catastrophe.’
“I think part of the reason this devotion is emerging in the archdiocese is that we see these Our Lady talked about have come to be.
“We need her help more than ever to recover or restore what has been lost.”
The Novena to Our Lady of Good Success commences on 24 January and concludes on 1 February. Click here for the online pledge form.
The procession will follow the 7pm Mass on Sunday 2 February at St Joachim’s Church at 2 Mills Street in Lidcombe.
Story updated 16 January with details of the Mass time and novena.
