History

Devotions to Our Lady asking for a good birth and breastfeeding can be found under many titles: Our Lady de La Leche, Our Lady de Guadalupe, Our Lady of Oh, Our Lady of Good Deliverance. This novena is derived from a devotion well established in Brazil. The following story shows how the love of a layman for Our Lady ended up influencing a whole country hundreds of years later.

***

The inhabitants of the Latin Quarter in Paris could not have predicted that an upheaval was about to happen to their lives. Chants of "liberté, egalité, fraternité" could be heard throughout the streets, marking the beginning of something new, something fresh; they sang about that of which was taking over the air of the city – and changing the course of history.

On the way to Orleans, located at the Rue Saint-Jacques, there was a church called Saint-Étienne-des-Grès. Throughout the centuries, the church would have had some distinct visitors – Thomas Aquinas, Vincent de Paul and Frances de Sales, just to name a few. Frenchmen have been recoursing to the intercession of the Notre Dame de Bonne Délivrance – also known as the Black Madonna of Paris – since the 11th century. A particular statue, dated to the 14th century, was made of black limestone and shows Our Lady standing with a peaceful glance and with Her hips curved slightly to the left, as She holds Child Jesus on Her left arms, while humbly holding a lily-shaped, golden scepter on her right hand. Jesus has a golden cross over His chest, while His opened right hand stretches over Mary's chest.

Many miracles were attributed to the Black Madonna, especially difficulties during birth and breastfeeding. And there, in that church, almost ninety years before the Revolution, a young and pious man named Claude Poullart des Places, with the sincere desire to serve the poor, formed the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Alongside twelve students, Claude, who was still a layman, would consecrate the group to the Virgin and start a seminary. His efforts gradually attracted the poverty-stricken students who wanted to dedicate their lives to Christ by becoming priests.

Saint-Étienne-des-Grès was closed by the Revolutionary government. The Spiritans were persecuted – later, reduced to a single missionary priest. The Black Madonna found her way into the hands of Madame de Carignan, a devout countess who bought the statue and stored it in her lodging. The Countess was arrested for the crime of being catholic. She met the Sisters of St. Thomas of Villanova in prison and vowed to donate the statue to them in case they were spared. After her release, Madame de Carignan fulfilled her vow and, until today, the statue of Notre Dame de Bonne Délivrance is under care of Sisters in their motherhouse in the suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine.

The Spiritans spirituality started with the Virgin as their missionary goal spreaded this devotion throughout the whole world, but mainly in Africa. In 1885, the spiritan missionaries were finally sent to Brazil. For their surprise, the devotion to Our Lady for women finding recourse during their pregnancy was already present under the title of Our Lady of Oh – "Oh most wise, Oh root of Jesse, Oh key of David". That is how we trace the root of this devotion to Saint-Étienne-des-Grès.

In modern days the devotion to Our Lady of Good Birth is celebrated throughout Europe, Africa and South America.