Madonna di San Polo Shrine Lonato: History of Grace and Marian Devotion

Madonna di San Polo Shrine Capitello Lonato del Garda — The Marian Shrine (Capitello) dedicated to Maria Mediatrice e Dispensatrice di Grazia in San Polo, Lonato del Garda.

Madonna di San Polo Shrine Lonato: History of Grace and Marian Devotion

The Madonna di San Polo Shrine Lonato Foundation (‘Maria Mediatrice e Dispensatrice di Grazie’) was established in 2010 in Lonato del Garda, Brescia, founded by Mr. Luigi Mangiarini. It all began when Mr. Luigi Mangiarini was seventeen and a half years old. He was in France with the Brothers of the Holy Family, where two anticipatory events occurred that would foreshadow what was to follow.

The event that turned his life around, however, took place on May 19, 1987, at the age of 45, through the message the Virgin Mary gave him: ‘Do you see my hands filled with every divine grace? They fall to the ground because no man asks for them. Tell men that I am here to mediate before God; let them only ask with faith and love.’ These words are carved into marble alongside the Marian Shrine (Capitello) dedicated to Mary, Mediator and Dispenser of Graces. From that day on, Mr. Luigi receives people who wish to speak with him and who turn to Our Lady through him. He himself clarifies: ‘I am a man like you; do not come here for me, but for Her. I am merely a mediator between you and Our Lady. It is She who helps you.’

Following this first message, five subsequent visions followed. In the sixth and final vision, on October 18, 1999, Our Lady explicitly asked Mr. Luigi to spread the devotion to Mary, Mediator and Dispenser of Graces across the five continents. This mandate is depicted in the bas-relief that visitors can admire upon entering through the gate on the hill.

With immense faith, courage, and determination, Mr. Luigi embarked for Africa to a small village in Burkina Faso, Sakou, delivering humanitarian aid as evidenced by the photographs displayed in the showcase near the Marian Shrine. In Sakou, in addition to a church, a Marian Shrine identical to the one in Lonato was erected, along with three major projects: an orchard plantation of fruit trees, a drinking water well, and the construction of a Reception Center complete with a pharmacy and infirmary—achieved thanks to the contributions of those who, helped by Our Lady, wished to give back for what they received.

In the year 2020, the devotion to Mary, Mediator and Dispenser of Graces was brought to Brazil, to Rio Grande do Sul, in the city of Nova Pádua, where on December 20 of that year, the Shrine with the statue of Our Lady was inaugurated.

On May 22, 2021, Our Lady appeared to three children aged 6, 7, and 8—the grace received after 35 years! The founder, Luigi Mangiarini, the first to whom She had appeared, had always asked and desired that this sacred site become known through others. He wrote: ‘May the unworthy vessel of the events that happened to me be purified by the innocent for the merit of this place.’ All of this is portrayed in the large bas-relief to the left of the Marian Shrine.

Many testimonies have been gathered, some of which, written by those who received help from Our Lady, can be read in a booklet available to anyone interested. Many more remain to be written. The intention behind documenting them is that others, upon reading them, may open their hearts to Our Lady. Luigi is not a religious cleric but a layman: Our Lady and God need laypeople as well. What emerges from the various testimonies is a rediscovered hope. Mr. Luigi encourages, assists, and guides people in their daily life choices. No problem is underestimated; no one is judged. Indeed, he often thanks those who turn to Our Lady through him, because it gives him the opportunity to help them.

Visiting this sacred site, pilgrims can admire the magnificent Marian Shrine, the Via Crucis with its fifteen stations—which Mons. Andrea Veggio, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Verona, wished to sacralize through his blessing with indulgence (walking the Via Crucis here or in a church is equivalent)—the grotto with the spring of blessed water, the obelisk praising charity, a basin, and a bas-relief depicting the Risen Christ. These stand as tangible, palpable signs of God and Our Lady’s massive intervention in that extraordinary earthly journey that is human life. A Holy Place of Prayer that has continuously welcomed all who decide with trust to surrender into Mary’s hands—a place where believers and non-believers gather today to recite the Holy Rosary, attend Holy Mass, and retreat into deep meditation, immersed in a sanctuary willed by Our Lady.

Anyone entering for the first time cannot help but breathe an atmosphere of serenity and peace, feeling welcomed and awaited, as if the splendid statue of Our Lady Mediator and Dispenser of Graces spoke to each pilgrim, saying: ‘Behold, I was waiting for you; ask me without fear, ask me with faith and love, for I am here to mediate before God for you.’