Our Lady of Good Help: Prayer Book for Pilgrims

by Edward Looney

In 1859, the Virgin Mary appeared as the Queen of Heaven to Adele Brise, a 28-year-old Belgian immigrant living in Northeast Wisconsin. Today, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help commemorates this Marian apparition—the only approved apparition to have taken place on United States soil.

One need not visit Lourdes or Fatima to pray at the site of a Marian apparition. The Mother of God has blessed our own country with her presence. More Catholics, especially American Catholics, need to know what happened in Wisconsin, to learn its message, and to enter into a time of prayer.

This Pilgrim’s Prayer Manual will Through the rosary, the stations, novenas, and other prayers, Pilgrim’s Prayer Manual serves not only as a beautiful memento for pilgrims, but it will also help those unable to go to Champion, to foster their own devotion to the Blessed Mother from the comfort of their own home as a pilgrim from afar.

Genres: Catholic

300 pages, Hardcover

Published July 22, 2019

About the author

Fr. Edward Looney was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Green Bay June 6, 2015, and currently serves as Administrator of St. Francis and St. Mary Parish, Brussels and St. Peter/St. Hubert Parish, Lincoln/Rosiere.

At a young age, Fr. Looney fostered a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which has remained with him to this day. As a young boy, he joined the parish community for the Rosary after daily Mass. While growing up, he regularly watched The Song of Bernadette and became mesmerized by the story of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Marian pilgrimage has been central to Fr. Looney’s life. During the summer of 2005 Fr. Looney, as a high school sophomore, made a Marian pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help (Champion, WI). This pilgrimage opened the door of his heart to discern more seriously a priestly vocation. He has visited Marian shrines all across the world, including Lourdes, Fatima, Knock, Beauraing, Banneux, Pontmain, and Rue du Bac.

Fr. Looney began writing books while still in seminary, first penning a children’s book called The Story of Sister of Adele. He published other books including Breakfast in Bethlehem, Praying the Rosary with Sister Adele, and A Novena to the Queen of Heaven. His more recent books have reached the status as Catholic best sellers: A Rosary Litany and A Heart Like Mary’s.

Fr. Looney’s writings have been featured in the pages of Catholic Digest and Missio Immaculatae, in addition to the web on Catholic Exchange, Aleteia, Church Pop, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. Fr. Looney can be heard regularly on EWTN Radio’s Morning Glory program wherein he serves as Godly Counsel. Further, he has traveled across the country delivering various Marian presentations at conferences and parishes.

A member of the Mariological Society of America, Fr. Looney has published in theological journals on topics related to Mariology including the Marian Spirituality of Thomas Merton (The Merton Seasonal, 2013) and Chiara Lubich (Marian Studies 2015), Fr. Daniel Lord, SJ (Marian Studies 2017) and on the Wisconsin Apparition (Marian Studies, 2011 and Chicago Studies, (2016). Fr. Looney has other research projects in the works and other articles pending publication.

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I must categorically state this is a wonderful prayer book! I typically prefer eBooks. But have read this as a physical volume and will likely keep it on my bedside table for years to come. And even if the eBook edition eventually comes, I will keep both. This is only the second book by Father Looney I have read, but after finishing this one I know I need to pick up the rest of the ones that are available. This volume has both a Nihil Obstat and an Imprimatur. So many prayer books are just thrown together and skip those two important steps. This one does not. It is noted at the beginning of the volume that all the prayers in this book are either in the public domain or were written specifically for this manual by Fr. Edward Looney himself. His piety, his sincere faith, and his devotion tour lady clearly come through in this manual of prayer. The first and second part of this book are about equal length, and the final section is about half the length of the preceding two.

The sections in the book are:

Part I
Introductory Essays Concerning Marian Apparitions
and the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help

Private Revelation, Biblical and Historical
Mary Visits Wisconsin
Analyzing the Apparition
Method of Approval for Marian Apparitions
Understanding Champion in Light of Approved Marian Apparitions
Graces of Champion
What to Do When Visiting the Shrine

Part II
Prayers and Devotions

Preparation for Receiving the Sacraments
Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Celebrating the Eucharist
Celebrating the Anointing of the Sick
Praying the Rosary With Sister Adele
The Stations of the Cross
Novenas to the Queen of Heaven, Our Lady of Good Help
Additional Prayers and Litanies
Praying at the National Shrine

Appendix

The Original Devotion to Notre Dame de Bon Secours
Timeline of the Historical Devotion to Our Lady of Good Help
Prayers to Our Lady of Good Help
Hymns to Our Lady of Good Help
Acknowledgments

The prayers in this volume are wonderful. And though many are written to be prayed at the shrine. You can pray most of the prayers almost anywhere. The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in the United States that is in Wisconsin. But this book is so much more than just a prayer book. It is history, it is church teaching. It is the representation of faith lived out. Lived out by those near and who journey to the shrine, and those with a devotion to the shrine from afar.

This is an excellent volume that I treasure, and I am sure you will also. It is a great prayer book. I strongly recommend that you pick it up, read the history and begin praying the prayers. Another great read from Father Looney, and excellent resource from TAN Books.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Father Looney.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!