The Lady Who Defeats the Serpent

	Quito: The Lady Who Defeats the Serpent In 1566, at the request of the most influential families and a large part of the population of the city of Quito, the King of Spain, Philip II, issued a decree for the foundation of the Royal Convent of the Immaculate Conception, which was subsequently erected in a corner of the main square of Quito. The King sent the first group of founding Mothers of the Convent from Spain and placed at their head Mother Maria de Jesus Taboada, one of his relatives as well as the aunt of Mariana Francisca de Jesus Torres. In 1576, Mother Maria, five other founding Mothers and Mariana set sail for Ecuador, but during the ocean crossing the sky suddenly darkened and a hurricane unleashed its fury with such unprecedented violence and terror that the sailors themselves, seeing that there was nothing they could do to prevent the ship from sinking, believed that the situation was hopeless. Mariana thought that she was the cause of this violent hurricane, so she prayed with her aunt and fervently invoked God's mercy. At that moment, they saw a gigantic seven-headed serpent in the crashing waves trying to attack and sink their ship. Mariana lost her senses and fainted. Daylight unexpectedly pierced through the terrible darkness and the storm subsided. When Mariana regained consciousness, she told her aunt that she had seen a serpent larger than the raging sea and a dazzlingly beautiful Lady, clothed with the sun, crowned with stars, holding a wonderful Child in her arms whose heart was covered with an image of the Most Blessed Sacrament. With one hand, the Lady brandished a large golden cross ending in the shape of a lance. With the help of the Blessed Sacrament and the Child’s hand, the Lady struck the serpent with such force that the beast was smashed into pieces. Two years later, Mother Maria had a medallion struck depicting the scene Mariana saw in her vision, and from that day on, the medal has been worn by all the Sisters of the Convent of the Immaculate Conception of Quito. Franco Adessa Our Lady of Good Success of Quito In Chiesa Viva, February 2009