Under the Protection of a Heavenly Mother

She fell asleep in the Lord on the morning of April 21, 1968, while making a serene and majestic Sign of the Cross. Now her mission in eternal life is to make the goodness of the Sacred Heart of Jesus more tangible to men.

The help that this noble and generous lady offered to people in dire straits during her life on earth has increased since she entered eternity. The kindliness shown to her neighbour in need has become more supernatural and intense.

We are able to verify this in the countless reports received from her devotees who, having received favours from her, wish to propagate the power of her maternal and efficacious intercession.

Truck detained, and a client waiting

Having consecrated his transport company to the protection of Dona Lucilia by using her initials, “LCO”, as its name, Jorge Zaghi became accustomed to having recourse to her in all his needs. One day, after having one of his vehicles impounded while transporting urgent goods for one of his main customers, another unforeseen event occurred which greatly increased his anxiety:

“As the driver was operating carelessly, without one of the permit plates, the vehicle was detained in the police station compound. We went there to try to get it released, but it was a very complicated day, being the Friday afternoon before a long weekend…

“Time was running out, the customer was demanding the goods and there was no solution in sight. Leaving the vehicle in the yard for the whole weekend and not making the delivery was simply not an option. It would have been a disaster. However, things were heading in that direction.”

As it was practically impossible to get a new plate at that moment, Jorge decided to put the matter in the hands of his patroness:

“Amidst this tense, disturbing and already disheartening scenario, I remembered to turn to Dona Lucilia, asking her to intervene somehow and find a way out, to provide a solution.”

To his amazement, it did not take long for this kind lady to solve the problem: “As I paced aimlessly up and down the compound, I happened to see, at the foot of a tree, an orange plate with exactly the numbers for the product that was in the truck. It was the plate I needed!”

Thus, much sooner than he imagined, the problem was solved and they were soon able to make the delivery: “We nailed the plate to the vehicle, called the police officer, we were inspected and released! This happened in the late afternoon, but we were still able to complete the delivery in time and bring the situation to a successful conclusion.”

A month’s salary literally thrown away…

Rosangela Felde, from Curitiba (Brazil), after hearing that Dona Lucilia “assisted with ineffable motherly care those who prayed to her asking for her intercession before God,” also decided to have recourse to her, and today she writes to us to tell us about the grace she obtained.

Since she was responsible for looking after the household expenses, she would receive from her husband – who held down three jobs in order to provide for the family’s needs – his income at the beginning of each month. However, one day, when she left the money wrapped in some paper on the ironing board, her husband, thinking it was just some garbage, threw the paper away…

When she realized that the money had disappeared, Rosangela began to search for it all over the house. At night, when her husband came home from work, she asked him about the money, but at first he had no recollection of having seeing it.

It was only after speaking for a while that the couple realized what had happened: all the money for the month had literally been thrown into the garbage… And to make matters worse, it had had been picked up that same day. This was not only a serious financial blow to the family, but it also created an unpleasant atmosphere of tension between the two spouses.

It was at this juncture that Rosangela remembered having heard about the virtue of Dona Lucilia, whose loving kindness gave her much compassion for the afflicted and needy. So she prayed to her and promised that, if she was heeded, she would perform some pious work as a token of gratitude.

A small bundle found amidst the chaos

Early the next morning, she looked up the company responsible for the garbage collection to inquire about the truck that had passed by her street. She was told that the collected material had already been sent to the landfill, so it would be impossible to find her money again… Even so, she drove to the site, certain that Dona Lucilia would solve the case.

There, she talked to the person in charge, and he regretted that he could not help her, saying that it was in fact impossible to find a small package in the midst of the refuse of the entire metropolitan region. In addition, for safety and sanitary reasons, no one was allowed to enter that huge garbage dump. He only took her to see the arrival station and the place where the waste was processed, in order to convince her to give up her search.

But, to everyone’s amazement, while she was still talking to the attendant, Rosangela suddenly saw the little bundle containing all the family’s money pass right before her eyes on a huge conveyor that carried the material to be processed. Without further ado, she went and retrieved the object of her search.

All the employees were amazed, as they had never seen anything like it. It was inconceivable to find such a small package amidst the chaos of that disposal facility!

The episode made a big impact on the entire family, who saw it as proof of how much Dona Lucilia was willing to help them, solving a seemingly hopeless case.

Closing an impossible sale 

Maysa Monteiro, from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, also sends us the account of a grace received during the difficult period she lived through immediately after her father’s death:

At that time, “a great change and concern arose in my life. My mother was left alone without the presence of her husband, who was her great companion and friend, and I was left responsible for managing the clothing business that my father had owned for about forty years.”

Being unable to give the enterprise adequate attention, she decided to sell it. However, despite all her efforts, she could not find a buyer for the business, which for several years already had not been profitable for the family, but only a source of concern.

Since Maysa lived far from her mother and could not devote herself entirely to the case, she decided to confide and pray, imploring supernatural help:

“My mother, feeling the weight of my father’s absence, and very tired both physically and mentally, became more and more discouraged and saddened. I didn’t know what to do. Being far from her and seeing the situation worsen every day, I began to pray and ask Our Lady and Dona Lucilia to do what was best for us.”

An appeal made to Dona Lucilia

Time went by and the shop remained without any prospective buyer… Maysa decided to intensify her prayers, making an appeal to Dona Lucilia:

“I took some time off work, hoping to resolve the situation as soon as possible, I published some advertisements and posted more ‘For Sale’ posters on the shop door. But nothing was resolved. With three days left before my vacation ended, I fell into a state of anxiety and frustration at not having solved the problem that was making my mother so sad.

“It was then that I placed, under the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida that I had in the shop, the photograph of Dona Lucilia Corrêa de Oliveira, to whom, with great and fervent faith, I made my appeal as a daughter who wanted so much to see her mother happy. With deep faith, I implored: ‘Dona Lucilia, you who are beside Our Lady, our Mother, grant me the grace to make this sale and to relieve my mother of this shop, which now, without the presence of my father, only brings her grief and affliction. I ask you, Dona Lucilia, with a lot of confidence and devotion, help me and intercede for me to obtain this great grace. Amen!’”

“I was blessed and attended in a request made with faith to Dona Lucilia”

The days passed and Maysa’s vacation time was over. Everything seemed to indicate that her request had not been heard, but inside, something told her that the worries would soon come to an end:

“Even in the midst of my affliction and anguish, I felt a peace and tranquillity within me, as if someone were telling me that soon everything would be settled.”

And, in fact, the confirmation of this inspiration that filled her with confidence was not long in coming:

“It was then that we received a visit at our house from a young man, together with his father-in-law, who was interested in buying our business. He said that he had happened to pass in front of the shop, saw the ‘For Sale’ sign and was immediately interested. By the grace of God, Our Lady and Dona Lucilia, we took them to see the place and the deal was closed on the spot.

“The young man did not even want to know about the profitability of the company or do any market research to find out about its financial prospects. This demonstrates, once again, the power of the miracle. How can a person buy a company, almost bankrupt, without at least researching its financial prospects? The sale was so blessed that not even the name of the business was changed.”

Expressing joy and gratitude for being the object of such kindness from her heavenly intercessor, Maysa concludes:

“Finally, with this brief testimony I can say that I was blessed and attended in a request made with faith to Dona Lucilia. I am certain that this was a miracle, and that those who believe and who have great devotion to her in their hearts will obtain graces and more graces at every moment. Thank you, Dona Lucilia, once again, for this great gift that you granted to my mother, my brother and me!”

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As the number of reports of graces obtained grows, the heavenly mission of this kind lady becomes more and more evident. During the fifty-two years that have elapsed since her departure for eternity, Dona Lucilia has enhanced what she accomplished in her earthly life, pouring out countless graces to all those who have recourse to her kind and unfailing intercession. ◊

Gentle Manners, Filled with Kindness

Anyone who had the pleasure of visiting that apartment and spending time in the company of Dona Lucilia during the final months of her earthly existence was in a good position to evaluate the high degree of consideration, gentleness and esteem inherent to her noble manners, even in their simplest expressions. Endowed with a respectful and affectionate character, she was a master in the difficult art of treating others with affable dignity, in a way which always made them feel at home.

Because of her supernatural sense of compassion, it caused her acute suffering to see someone – even a stranger – saddened or slighted. The skill with which she immediately sought to apply the balm of the right word, the fitting expression, a good counsel in a difficult situation, solace in sorrow, and alms for those in need, was admirable.

Dona Lucilia’s own happiness depended on that of her neighbour… Her soul was moved by the desire to make each person happy, which explains her deep regret when she could not do so. It was the affection of a totally and essentially Catholic heart. Her soul’s joy consisted in loving others for the love of God, and being loved by them. However, when her goodwill was not reciprocated, she never succumbed to sentiments of bitterness, for she did not pursue personal benefit or advantage in these relationships.

Excerpt from:
CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio.
Dona Lucilia. Città del Vaticano-Nobleton:
LEV; Heralds of the Gospel, 2013, p.623-624