On September 14th, Fr. Thiago will visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., for the dedication of the Oratory of Our Lady of Aparecida, which represents our Brazilian Community at Saint John’s.
Our Lady of Aparecida is the patroness of Brazil and is widely venerated by Brazilians. She will be enthroned at the Basilica. This event aims to bring together all Brazilian communities in the United States. It is a significant milestone for the more than 1,700,000 Brazilians who live in the USA, and those who visit the country every year will have a special monument of Brazil in Washington, D.C., the Capital of the United States.
The statue of Our Lady of Aparecida will be located across the image of Our Lady of Fatima at the entrance to the Upper Church of the National Shrine.
Called Brazil’s Lourdes or Fatima, Our Lady of Aparecida’s story begins more than 300 years ago in the waters of the Paraíba River. Three fishermen – Domingos Garcia, Filipe Pedroso, and João Alves – had little success bringing in fish. It was not a peak fishing season, so the trio prayed for the intercession of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
While pulling in their nets at the end of a long day, they realized they had “caught” a headless wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, which had somehow ended up in the river – and the fishermen’s nets.
Throwing the nets back in the water, they pulled in a wooden head that they quickly realized belonged to the body of the statue they had previously netted. Tossing their nets into the water once more, they suddenly had more fish than they could handle.
This deep devotion Brazilians hold for the Blessed Mother is testimony to our shared faith and an opportunity for all of us to appreciate the universality of the Church, as St. John said “That they all shall be one.” Our Lady of Aparecida, pray for us.