Miguel Augusto
On Tuesday, October 12th, the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Aparecida, the Solemnity of the Queen and Patron of Brazil.
To recall the brief history of the miraculous image and devotion, we rely on the notes of Professor Felipe Aquino, a member of “Canção Nova.” The narrative of Fr José Alves Vilela, Vicar of Guaratinguetá from 1725 to 1745, tells us about the ‘miraculous fishing’: “In the second half of October 1717, (…) among many, Domingos M. Garcia, João Alves and Filipe Pedroso, went fishing in their canoes. (…) Casting their nets at the port of José Correa Leite, they continued until the Port of Itaguaçu, quite a distance, without taking any fish. And when João Alves launched his trawl in this port, he took out the body of the Lady, headless; and having cast the net lower again, he took the head of the same Lady, never knowing who cast it there. The inventor kept this image in a piece of cloth and continued fishing, not having taken any fish so far; from then on, fishing was so copious in a few hauls that, fearful of their shipwrecks because of the many fish they had in their canoes, they withdrew in awe of this success.
Filipe Pedroso kept this image for six years, a little more or less, in his house, near Lourenço de Sá; and having passed to Ponte Alta, he kept it there in his house, nine years, a little more or less.
From here he moved to Itaguaçu, where he gave the image to his son Atanásio Pedroso, who made an oratory; and on a wooden altar where he placed the Lady, where every Saturday the neighbourhood gathered to sing the rosary and more devotions.
On one of these occasions two wax lights of the earth suddenly went out, which illuminated the Lady, the night being serene; and Silvana da Rocha immediately wanted to turn the lights, they also found themselves on, without any action being taken; this was the first prodigy.”
After this divine sign, similar ones followed. A little chapel was built and then a bigger one. On June 24, 1888, the so-called “old basilica” was solemnly blessed.
On September 8, 1904, in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio, 12 bishops and a large crowd of pilgrims, the Bishop of São Paulo, D. José Camargo Barros, solemnly crowned the venerable Image with the precious crown offered by Princess Isabel in 1868.
Pope Pius XI declared Our Lady of Aparecida Patroness of Brazil in 1930.
In 1967, the image of the Blessed Mother received the “Golden Rose” sent by Pope Paul VI.
In 1980, the altar of the current monumental basilica of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Appeared Conception was consecrated by Pope John Paul II, on his apostolic pilgrimage to Brazil. The Pontiff concluded his homily at Aparecida (4 July) by saying: “Devotion to Mary is a source of deep Christian life, it is a source of commitment to God and to brothers. Remain in the school of Mary, listen to her voice, follow her example. As we heard in the Gospel, she guides us to Jesus: ‘Do whatever he tells you’ (Jn 2:5). As once at Cana in Galilee, she points out to her Son the difficulties of men, obtaining from him the graces desired. Let us pray with Mary and through Mary: She is always the ‘Mother of God and ours’.”
The Shrine is a great center of evangelization, entrusted to the apostolic zeal of Redemptorist Missionaries since 1894, responsible for pastoral care and administration, and for attending pilgrims who arrive from all parts of the country and abroad. It’s considered the largest Marian Sanctuary in the world. There are numerous reports of miracles attributed to the interception of the Virgin of Aparecida.
Our Lady of Aparecida, pray for us!
Image: Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Appeared Conception. Paraíba valley (Rio de Janeiro – São Paulo).
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