An official website of the United States government Watch Live at 11:30 a.m. ET: Results of Nationwide Law Enforcement Effort Press Conference View the latest ICE guidance on COVID-19 Get information about how to check in with your local ICE Office here Reportándose con ICE: Obtenga información sobre cómo reportarse a su oficina local de ICE aquí View in other languages Call 1-866-DHS-2-ICE to report suspicious activityReport Crime Learn More About ICE ICE's ERO officers uphold United States immigration laws by focusing on individuals who present the greatest risk to national security View the annual report Media Inquiries Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed a Brazilian fugitive convicted in her native country for aggravated first-degree murder desecration of a corpse and theft of motor vehicle Officers with ICE Boston removed Lenaria Aparecida Pereira Sandoval from the United States to Brazil and turned her over to Brazilian authorities “Lenaria Aparecida Pereira Sandoval committed some horrifying crimes in her native country and then attempted to evade justice by hiding out in our Massachusetts community,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H “Now she will be forced to face justice for the crimes she committed We will not allow New England to become a refuge for the world’s bad actors ICE Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing criminal alien offenders from our neighborhoods.” Sandoval lawfully entered the United States Dec she violated the terms of her lawful admission a Brazilian court convicted Sandoval in absentia for aggravated first-degree murder desecration of a corpse and theft of a motor vehicle The court then sentenced Sandoval to 17 years in prison Brazilian authorities issued a warrant for Sandoval’s arrest Officers with ICE Boston arrested Sandoval Feb and served her with an arrest warrant and a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge an immigration Judge ordered Sandoval removed Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our communities on X: @EROBoston For media inquiries about ICE activities, operations, or policies, contact the ICE Office of Public Affairs at ICEMedia@ice.dhs.gov 12 October marks the feast day of Our Lady of Aparecida Pope Francis has greeted the Brazilian people with a video message sending his blessings recorded by Brazilian Cardinal elect Jaime Spengler of Porto Alegre on the sidelines of the ongoing 16th  assembly of of the Synod on Synodality,   the Pope encouraged the faithful “to go forward” with the Virgin’s message which “is all about harmony: harmony among all Christians and harmony with the climate.” “We must take care of each other and take care of the climate,” he added Pope Francis asked for Our Lady of Aparecida to bless them "May she help you move forward and make you very joyful Pope Francis has visited the Marian shrine of Aparecida several times he said “I had the joy and the grace of entrusting my pontificate to her." Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor Pope Francis’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m and a viewing of his body will begin on Wednesday in St days after the popular pontiff died at age 88 Pope Francis ’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, and a viewing of his body will begin on Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, days after the popular pontiff died of a stroke at age 88 He is currently lying in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household Pope Francis and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “shared a lot of commonalities Francis showed the first signs of illness at around 5:30 a.m on Easter Monday and fell into a coma an hour later “after making a gesture of farewell with his hand” to his personal health care assistant The people who were with Francis at the time say he didn't appear to have suffered the official Vatican news agency reported Tuesday Pope Francis had doubts about the Easter Sunday popemobile ride through St the first among the throngs of faithful since surviving near-fatal pneumonia “Do you think I can manage it?’’ the pontiff asked Massimiliano Strappetti The pope was reassured and he stopped to embrace people as he was driven through the crowd of 50,000 “Thank you for bringing me back to the square,” Vatican News reported the pope was pushed in a wheelchair to the altar from the basilica who is a Silesian nun at a Catholic school in northeastern Thailand says learning of his death affected her deeply and I never expected such news so suddenly.” and from heaven he will bless us,” Sister Ana Rosa Sivori told journalists Tuesday in the capital Bangkok ahead of a memorial church service She came to Thailand in 1966 as a young sister from Argentina and was at the Pope’s side as a translator during his 2019 trip to Bangkok She is due to fly to Italy Wednesday for his funeral she recalled Francis as strong in speaking his mind even if it were something the listener rather not hear Even though cardinals don’t campaign for the job there are always front-runners going into a conclave to choose the next pope known as “papabile,” have what are regarded to be the qualities to be pope While any baptized Roman Catholic male is eligible only cardinals have been selected since 1378 The winner must receive at least two-thirds of the vote from those cardinals who are under age 80 and thus eligible to participate The sacred and secretive process is no popularity contest but rather considered to be the divinely inspired election of Christ’s Vicar on Earth by the princes of the church ▶ Read more about who could be the next pope And Pope Francis probably expected that he would face opposition to his reform agenda after Catholics for two generations grew used to more conservative But his critics were unique in that for the first years of his pontificate they had a living alternate as a point of reference: Pope Benedict XVI Among those who made their mark during Francis’ pontificate were Benedict’s longtime secretary as well as a former Vatican ambassador to the U.S Also included were four conservative cardinals who asked questions about Francis’ decision to open the door to letting divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion ▶ Read more about Francis’ many critics stunned the world when he announced his resignation in 2013 — the first in 600 years That led some to wonder as Francis grew increasingly frail and sick if he would follow in his predecessor’s footsteps and even had a resignation letter prepared he said more recently that he believed that the papacy was for life and pointed out the risks that papal resignations might become a “fashion” or the norm “I believe that the pope’s ministry is ad vitam (for life) I see no reason why it shouldn’t be so," he said according to closed-door comments reported by the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica ▶ Read more about two popes living side-by-side Pope Francis’ body will lay in state on the main altar of the 16th century basilica built over the traditional tomb of the apostle St The Renaissance masterpiece is one of the largest Catholic basilicas in the world and is the centerpiece of Vatican City Its grottoes contain the remains of popes past and its vast marbled interior is home to some of the Vatican’s greatest treasures -- including Michelangelo’s “Pieta” sculpture and Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s baldacchinio Pope Julius II laid the first stone of the building on the site of a previous church on April 18 But it took over a century for work to be completed Bernini designed the great colonnade that encircles the piazza in front of the basilica The next pope will be introduced to the world from the loggia over the basilica entrance with the words “Habemus Papam” or “We have a pope.” The period of national mourning will run from Tuesday to Saturday Ceremonies on Friday marking Italy's World War II Liberation Day will be held with “due sobriety,” said Italy’s Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci Bethlehem is home to the Church of the Nativity he told us that you are not alone,” said Rony Tabash The Catholic hung photos of Pope Francis outside his souvenir shop that’s been in his family for three generations Manger Square and Tuesday’s mass were mostly empty. The Palestinian city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is dependent on tourism, but visitors and pilgrims have largely stayed away in recent years — first during the pandemic and then during the 18-month war in Gaza A wooden barrier on Tuesday covered the niche where Pope Francis will be buried in the Saint Mary Major Basilica Peter’s Cathedral or its crypt alongside previous popes Francis called for his tomb to be “in the ground; simple and with the sole inscription: Franciscus,’’ or Latin for Francis he would stop to pray before the image of Mary draped in a blue robe Francis last went to pray at the icon before Holy Week Francis is currently lying in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household The Vatican says his body will be transferred Wednesday morning to St his casket will not be put on an elevated bier — as was the case with past popes — but will just be placed simply facing the pews Italian police patrolled St Peter’s Square and the surrounding streets on foot and horseback Tuesday as security in Rome was tightened ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral Officers in boats controlled the nearby Tiber River Tens of thousands of mourners are expected to pay their respects to Francis as he lies in state in St The funeral on Saturday will be attended by many heads of state A Jubilee Mass for adolescents on Sunday is expected to bring thousands of youths to the city Poland has declared a day of national mourning on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis and President Andrzej Duda plans to attend the ceremony Poland was the homeland of Pope John Paul II whose death in 2005 prompted a national outpouring of grief But the response has been more muted this time in a country that has become noticeably more secular The cardinals planning the next steps for the Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis have decided to suspend all upcoming beatifications The decision was taken during the first meeting of the College of Cardinals on Tuesday The Vatican had already announced that Sunday’s planned canonization of the first millennial saint But the decision from the cardinals means all other celebrations are on hold until a new pope is elected The decision is in keeping with Vatican norms governing the “interregnum” period between the death of one pope and the election of another those norms call for most top Vatican officials to officially lose their jobs until they are reconfirmed or replaced by a new pope A somber atmosphere filled Jakarta’s Apostolic Nunciature the official diplomatic mission of the Holy See in Indonesia as crowds of Catholics quietly recited prayers and waited in line despite the rain to write their condolence messages and meet the Vatican’s permanent diplomatic representative a Catholic priest from the Archdiocese of Jakarta remembered Pope Francis as a humble figure a quality the pontiff exemplified during his visit in September 2024 to Indonesia home to the world’s largest Muslim population who attended the Nunciature with her relatives said Pope Francis was a father who offered inspiration “I am honestly very surprised since he still gave blessings on Easter to us When I heard the news (of his death) I felt very sad,” she said The Vatican says around 60 cardinals participated in the first meeting to decide next steps They decided that the public can pay their respects once the casket is moved into St and set Saturday for the funeral and burial The cardinals haven’t set a date for the conclave to elect Francis’ successor but the current norms suggest it cannot begin before May 5 Three cardinals were chosen to help the camerlengo administer the Vatican during the “interregnum” period before the election of a new pope Those cardinals are the secretary of state archpriest of the Saint Mary Major Basilica where Francis will be buried a top official in the Vatican’s development and migrants office They will be replaced after three days with another three cardinals to help the interim Vatican administrator Pope Francis had reached out to Beijing in an effort to mend a seven-decade rift between a state-recognized Catholic church and an underground church loyal to Rome Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said: “China is ready to work with the Vatican side to continue the improvement of China-Vatican ties.” The country’s Catholic community was divided when the Communist Party came to power and claimed the right to name bishops without consulting the Vatican Francis's Vatican brokered a deal with China that granted Rome's approval to the bishops Beijing had picked The provisional agreement was renewed in October 2024 to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals The cardinals have also decided that the public viewing of Pope Francis will begin Wednesday in St after his casket is taken by procession from the Vatican hotel where he lived The master of liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, issued the rubrics for the procession by mandate of the College of Cardinals, which met Tuesday to take the first decisions following Francis’ death. Presiding over the procession and the ritual transfer will be the camerlengo gathered for a mass at the Manila Cathedral on Tuesday remembering the pope's outreach to poor people and survivors of natural disasters who took up a lot of causes and showed a deep concern for the poor,” said Cynthia Esquilona a 50-year-old mother of two who lit a candle and prayed before a portrait of Francis quietly wept as she sat in a pew and thanked Francis for dedicating his papacy to the needy and the sick in early 2015 to console survivors of Typhoon Haiyan He left a lasting impression as pictures showed him rain-soaked in stormy weather but constantly waving and blowing kisses to crowds of typhoon survivors with the Vatican secretary of state praying over him in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where he lived The images were taken during a ritual to confirm the death, presided over by the camerlengo Two Swiss Guards stood at attention as Farrell blessed Francis with holy water Both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton canceled campaign events planned for Tuesday out of respect for the late pontiff as early voting began for a May 3 general election Flags were flown at half-staff from government buildings across the country where a 2021 census found 20% of the population were Catholics Albanese attended a Mass in honor of the pope in Melbourne’s St Dutton said he planned to go to a church service in Sydney Members of Taiwan's Catholic community gathered at a church in the capital Taipei for a somber mass as believers prayed and reflected on Francis’ spiritual legacy a devout Catholic who visited the Vatican multiple times at the invitation of Francis and previous popes spoke of the deep loss felt by the faithful Chen said “Pope Francis has led all of our churches to thrive over the past 12 years making significant contributions to world peace and environmental sustainability,” Chen added “We will remember the teachings he gave us: that we are all brothers and that loving one another makes the world a more peaceful place.” former president of Fu Jen Catholic University highlighted the pope’s compassion and dedication to humanitarian causes “He was a compassionate pope who has consistently advocated for world peace and racial equality,” Li said President Lai Ching-te ordered flags to fly at half-staff on Tuesday in a show of mourning and respect Augustine Church in Vineyard Haven traveled to Washington last weekend for a celebration of Nossa Senhora Conceição Aparecida The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the capital set up a special monument on Sept 14 for the thousands of Brazilians who live in the U.S The image of Our Lady of Aparecida was placed at the entrance of the upper church of the national shrine was one of the Islanders who went to the ceremony She said there were roughly 6,000 Brazilians from all over the country in attendance The ceremony was presided over by Edgar Moreira da Cunha The mass was in Portuguese and a representative from the Pope came from the Vatican to witness the enthronement The statue of Our Lady of Aparedica has a long history in Brazil The story goes that three Brazilian fishermen found a clay statue of the Virgin Mary in 1717 and then later caught netfulls of fish for a feast there weren’t many Brazilians on the Island and no masses to attend going to mass feels like going home for immigrants it’s a big part of what keeps us connected to Brazil and having that being recognized [in Washington D.C.] was really special for us,” Ms Subscribe or become a Friend of the Vineyard Gazette and receive our free newsletters and free and discounted tickets to Gazette events along with our award-winning news and photography The Brazilian community in Waterford (Católicos de Waterford) gathered for a Triduum and a procession for Our Lady from December 5-8 a version of the Our Lady Aparecida procession which happens in Dublin annually brought prayer and hymns to the streets of Waterford came from the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore Alphonsus (Phonsie) Cullinan He heard about the Dublin procession and thought the growing Brazilian community in Waterford should have a similar celebration but with help from Brazilian religious sisters living in the area he said Mass in Portuguese during the event but he added a few sentences in Portuguese throughout it,” Ms Tavares said “all Brazilians and the Irish bishop.” Ms Tavares said that “during the procession the number of attendees was slightly lower which is the same number of a regular Sunday Mass attendance The Triduum Masses were led by two Brazilian priests who live in Ireland Fr Ademir Marques and Fr Severino Pinheiro da Silva Neto the Chaplain to the Brazilian Community in Dublin and one Irish priest who lived in Brazil for a few years and speaks Portuguese Having an active community who speaks your native language “is a way of welcoming families who have been living here for years and get far from the Church because of language barrier.” one of the priests who says Mass in Portuguese three times a month in Waterford said this was “an experience of joined evangelisation The community had the opportunity to witness their Catholic faith publicly as the procession went trough the central roads of Waterford It’s gratifying to feel welcome by the diocese Renata is a Brazilian journalist who holds a Master’s degree in Journalism with first-class honours She joined The Irish Catholic in April 2024 as a multimedia journalist international perspective to storytelling through a range of digital platforms The Irish Catholic is Ireland’s biggest and best-selling religious newspaper analysis and informed commentary about the Church and social issues as they affect Ireland and the wider-world Those who have followed Pope Francis’s papacy closely have likely heard many references to his role in creating what is known as the “Aparecida document.” Released in 2007 by the Episcopal Council of Latin American Bishops (CELAM) then-Cardinal Bergoglio was the head of the commission that drafted the document which encapsulates a vision for the future of the Church in Latin America The Aparecida document was published with the authorization of Pope Benedict XVI on the Solemnity of Saints Peter And Paul “This document contains an abundance of timely pastoral guidelines explained in a wealth of reflections in the light of faith and of the contemporary social context.” “The pastoral focus I want to give the Church today is the Joy of the Gospel an implementation of Pope Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi … He sowed the seeds history would go on to harvest Evangelii Gaudium is a mixture of Evangelii Nuntiandi and the Aparecida Document Evangelii Nuntiandi is the best post-conciliar pastoral document and it has lost none of its freshness.” In our recent podcast with Rodrigo Guerra (who was also involved in the drafting of the document) Dan Amiri asked him for some insights into Aparecida and how it might shed some light on the papacy of Pope Francis he encouraged us to read paragraphs 11 and 12 of the Aparecida document to understand the core of its message: to selective and partial adherence to the truths of the faith to occasional participation in some sacraments that does not convert the life of the baptized would not withstand the trials of time the gray pragmatism of the daily life of the church in which everything apparently continues normally but in reality the faith is being consumed and falling into meanness We must all start again from Christ,[9] recognizing that being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.[10] at a time when many of our peoples are preparing to celebrate the bicentenary of their independence we find ourselves facing the challenge of revitalizing our way of being Catholic and our personal options for the Lord so that Christian faith may become more deeply rooted in the heart of Latin American individuals and peoples as founding event and living encounter with Christ He reveals himself as newness of life and mission in all dimensions of personal and social existence our faith cannot be reduced to a list of rules and morals or it becomes nothing but a system of ethics This is similar to how Francis reminds us that if our work of justice and charity aren’t rooted in Christ the Church becomes nothing more than an NGO This is the heart of Pope Francis’s vision: all things must be rooted in Christ Read the entire document in English here 9) Cf. NMI (Novo millennio ineunte) 28-29 10) DCE (Deus Caritas Est) 1 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37371021 Keep the conversation going in our SmartCatholics Group! You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter Mike Lewis is the founding managing editor of Where Peter Is. He and Jeannie Gaffigan co-host Field Hospital Tags: Our Lady of Aparecida’s Day is usually observed on October 12th It is known as ‘Nossa Senhora de Aparecida’ and is dedicated to Brazil’s patron saint A ten-day celebration honors Mary in the city near So Paulo that takes her name Aparecida (appearing) is her name since there are multiple tales of apparitions of Our Lady of the Conception during difficult times as well as her first miracle for the fisherman it is highly common for Brazilians from all across the nation to flock to the city of Aparecida in So Paulo fishermen cast their nets into the Paraiba River and picked out a little brown statue of the Virgin Mary The three fishermen fished for hours and didn’t catch a single fish They were ready to give up and depart when they decided to give it one more go Do you know what they found when they cast the net for the last time A fragment of Our Lady of Aparecida’s idol They threw their nets again after bringing in the little idol of the saint and caught many fish This was the first of many miracles performed by Our Lady of Aparecida She later became a Catholic emblem and the Saint of Miracles The place where the miracle occurred evolved into the city of Aparecida (meaning “she who has appeared”) and a cathedral was erected to house the statue The figure is constructed of clay and is around 15.7 inches tall The statue was discovered in a brighter shade of brown but it has since darkened owing to years of exposure to candles and lighting around the altar Because of its color and the fact that the miracle occurred to a young slave child Many churches in Brazil have been dedicated to her the most notable of which being the Cathedral of Brasilia and the National Basilica The latter is the world’s second-largest basilica with a capacity of more than 45,000 people Pope Pius XI designated Our Lady of Aparecida as the patron saint of Brazil the feast day of Our Lady of Aparecida has been declared a national holiday in Brazil The Virgin Mary statue is allegedly found in the Paraiba River by fishermen who cast their nets there following a fruitless day of fishing The Catholic church canonically crowns the statue and proclaims her the patroness It is now the world's second-largest basilica with a capacity of 30,000 guests at any given time The feast day of Our Lady of Aparecida is declared a national holiday in Brazil has various functions: she is a religious entity discovered in 1717 at the bottom of a river with dirt on her face immediately established a powerful image of the Black Madonna for Brazilians Brazilians take it upon themselves to honor and worship Our Lady of Aparecida This is a significant religious holiday for Catholics who frequently visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida on this day There is the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida Brazil's largest Catholic church and the world's second-largest Brazilians usually go there to fulfill vows made during the year Brazilians frequently tie ribbons in the chapel to make requests for miracles they want her to perform travel to Brazil on your next vacation and tie your own ribbon Share your Lady of Aparecida celebration tale on social media with the hashtag #LadyofAparecida Three fishermen set off on their regular fishing expedition on the Paraiba River in the 18th century a little church was erected for the monument in 1735 The statue presently seen in the shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida was originally stored in Felipe Pedroso's residence The Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida is one of Latin America's biggest structures and is ranked second only to St An intruder attempted to take the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida Lady of Aparecida Day is a significant date in Brazilian history It is especially noteworthy for African Brazilians who were most taken by the statue's black appearance Feasts and wishes are held in honor of the Lady of Aparecida This makes it an excellent day for gathering and praying This is also an excellent day to honor Brazilian culture We keep track of fun holidays and special moments on the cultural calendar — giving you exciting activities ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception will soon install a statue of Our Lady of Aparecida widely regarded as the patroness of Brazil thanks in part to the persistence of University Vice Provost of Global Strategies and Physics Professor Duilia de Mello.  Native Brazilian de Mello has wanted an image of Our Lady of Aparecida in the National Shrine for years and began personally campaigning for the image installation in November 2021 The enthronement is planned for next summer.  The devotion to Our Lady of Aparecida began in Brazil in 1717 when three fishermen pulled a statue of the Blessed Mother from the water Veneration of the image spread among Brazilians and she was declared the patroness of Brazil in 1930.  she’s a cultural icon,” said de Mello “The Basilica has a lot of meaning for the Brazilian community not only the Catholic community but also the entire immigrant community.” Cardinal Seán O’ Malley, OFM Cap., archbishop of Boston, offered to be the ecclesiastical sponsor of the installation and will donate his statue of Our Lady of Aparecida to the Basilica. Cardinal O’ Malley earned his doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese literature from the University He taught at the University from 1969 to 1973 and is now a member of the Board of Trustees.  Cardinal O’ Malley celebrated a Mass in Portuguese in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in the Basilica in support of the cause Brazilians from the region and out of state representatives from the Brazilian and Portuguese embassies and University faculty attended The Mass was con-celebrated by Most Reverend Adilson Busin auxiliary bishop of Porto Alegre in Brazil “(The Mass) marked the beginning of a project that has been the dream of the community for a long time,” said de Mello.  which is adjacent to the University but is unaffiliated has over 80 different Marian chapels and images representing the unique devotions of Catholics from all over the world When de Mello first approached Monsignor Rossi about installing the Aparecida image he said that there was no available space since the Basilica is no longer building chapels they found a space in the Our Lady of Fatima Oratory at the entrance to the Upper Church Most of the chapels and oratories in the Basilica are owned by religious orders but the small chapel dedicated to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Fátima is one of the few that belongs to the Basilica outright which allows for more flexibility for a new installation.  The statues will face each other from opposite sides of the oratory which de Mello said is especially fitting because of the centuries-long bond between Portugal and Brazil “They’ll be speaking Portuguese all day long,” she said The next step is raising $85,000 to construct a pedestal for the statue that meets the architectural standards of the Basilica. De Mello wrote the proposal and donations can be made through the National Shrine website “We still have a long way to go but we are a very resilient community,” said de Mello 620 Michigan Ave., N.E. Washington, DC 20064 Contact Us Pope Francis worked on it as a cardinal and says there’s richness there yet to be exploited.In the four years since he was elected Pope Francis has visited Latin America five times His affinity for the region goes beyond his national loyalties Instead it reflects the fact that Latin America can offer the rest of Church important lessons on how to keep faith alive and relevant in the face of changing social realities Some of those lessons are easy to find, already spelled out in what is known as the Aparecida Document. An English translation is available here Pope Francis just spoke about the document saying that “Aparecida is a treasure yet to be fully exploited.” Pope Pius XII approved the creation of the Episcopal Council of Latin American Bishops (known by its Spanish acronym CELAM) in 1955 and three years later established the Pontifical Commission for Latin America Pope Paul VI became the first pope ever to visit Latin America in 1968 During his visit he officially opened CELAM’s second general conference CELAM has a permanent secretariat located in Bogota and an executive body elected by and among the Latin American bishops The elected executives meet annually to reflect on issues facing the continent and discern how to face those challenges as a united Church General Conferences, which include all of the continent’s bishops, have been held five times. The most recent was in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007. It was opened by Pope Benedict XVI in a visit to that country and has come to be seen as a “coming of age” moment for the Church in Latin America The 5th CELAM general conference was characterized by open conversation and honest reflection based on issues and needs that truly reflected the reality of life in Latin America Then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio took part in the Aparecida conference and was chosen by his peers to lead the committee that would draft the concluding document for the conference has come to be seen as a road map the entire Church can use One of its main tenets is the call for a continental mission a Church that goes out in search of ways to proclaim the Gospel to all In that document the Latin American bishops expressed what they believed to be keys to keeping the Gospel message alive and relevant in Latin America: -helping each Christian have a personal encounter with Christ -living with the simplicity and humility taught in the Gospel -a preferential option for the poor and marginalized The bishops also recognized that Marian devotion played a key role in uniting Latin Americans from north to south Every country on the continent has a national devotion to Mary though in each country the faithful refer to her by a different title as a result of a different miracle or apparition attributed to her in Argentina Catholics have a devotion to Our Lady of Lujan Catholics are devoted to Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.) But the true beauty of the Aparecida document lies in the fact that it can easily be applied to the whole Church Since his election in 2013 Pope Francis has quoted or borrowed from the Aparecida Document so many times it is hard to keep track Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you Please make a tax-deductible donation today Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news (ANS – Aparecida) – The Continental Meeting of Salesian Works and Social Services of America began on Monday 9 September in Aparecida do Norte The event is organised by the Salesian Social America Network (RASS) and the Salesian Network of Brazil (RSB) with the central objective of promoting the networking of Salesian works and social services for young people and communities in situations of vulnerability and exclusion in America addressing youth realities and the charismatic sustainability of processes in response to their needs the event also allows celebration of 25 years of RASS activity The participants in the meeting arrived in São Paulo on Sunday the morning began with a moment of prayer that put the topic of Networking on the table and continued with the welcome addresses of Fr Rafael Bejarano and the opening greetings of various personalities such as the Councillor for the Interamerica Region Fr Hugo Orozco; the Councillor for the America South Cone Region Fr Héctor Gabriel Romero; the General Councillor for Youth Ministry Fr Miguel Ángel García Morcuende; the Daughter of Mary Help of Christians Delegate to the Human Rights Office in Geneva Sarah Garcia; and the Representatives of Salesian Social Action in Brazil Adriana Gomes and Fr Felipe Bauziére The two RASS and RSB networks were then presented by their respective Directors Sister Silvia Aparecida da Silva (RSB) and Fr Sérgio Augusto Baldin Júnior (RSB); and the Turin agreements that emerged from the International Congress of Salesian Works and Social Services held in October 2022 in Turin-Rome were then re-read and recalled Fr García Morcuende led the first conference of the day bringing reflections on the theme "Youth reality - What does the Congregation say?" the General Councillor shared his wishes for the actions of Salesian Social Works on the continent: "First that the Provinces are able to communicate the importance of working with the poorest young people [...] a greater sense of belonging to the network of the awareness that we are all in the same boat similar difficulties and a global context that we all have to listen to because it is very challenging The second conference was a continuation of the first and brought to the centre of the debate the contributions of Professor Maurício Perondi from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul on the theme "America's youth realities - What does the academy say?" In this way a more academic look was taken at the realities of youth compared to the more Salesian vision tackled by Fr García Morcuende which allowed the participants to broaden their perceptions of the current challenges of children adolescents and young people in situations of social vulnerability in the American continent The closing Mass of the day was celebrated by Fr Juan Linares with the Salesian Province of Ecuador (ECU) in charge of the liturgy The evening of the first day also involved a moment of celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Salesian Network America Sociale (RASS) rich in cultural exchanges and Salesian joy The continental meeting of Salesian Works and Social Services of America takes place from 9 to 13 September at the "Father Vitor Coelho" Centre for Events in Aparecida do Norte Communication,Analyst of the Salesian Network Brazil ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007 This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements May the “small and humble” Virgin of Aparecida" continue to accompany the people of Brazil This prayer was at the heart of a video-message in which Pope Francis celebrated the feast day of Our Lady of Aparecida The Pope said that he hopes that the "Mother of every Brazilian" - as he called her when he visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in 2013 - will accompany her children on their journey to “peace He prayed that she may also be at their side in their times of suffering Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass in the Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida On that occasion he pronounced an Act of Consecration in which he asked the Virgin “to spread infinite favours over all Brazil” Pope Francis, then as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, speaks in 2008. Credit: ECDQ/wikimedia. CC BY SA 2.0Share The Pillar bishops from across South and Latin America gathered in Aparecida Brazil for a meeting of the Episcopal Council of Latin American Bishops – CELAM CELAM is a kind of confederation of bishops’ conferences from 22 countries stretching from Mexico to the tip of South America The organization was founded in 1955 to promote collaboration among bishops in South and Central America and is similar to other confederations of bishops’ conferences in Asia The Aparecida meeting was called the Fifth General Conference of CELAM Bishops talked together for 20 days about the Church’s mission and identity in a rapidly changing part of the world was elected to head the drafting committee for the meeting’s final document Papal biographer Austen Ivereigh said in 2015 the document “underlies the Francis program,” and in 2018 that the pope has drawn from the document a “vision...of how you evangelize a world in flux.” Diego Fares, a board member of the semi-official Vatican journal La Civilta Cattolica, wrote in 2017 that Aparecida is the foundation for the approach and perspectives of the Francis pontificate. As the bishops of the United States debate the question of Eucharistic coherence, there is often an unspoken implication, sometimes even said explicitly, that Pope Francis would oppose an admonishment on the subject, or a prohibition of Holy Communion for Catholic politicians supporting expanded legal protection or federal funding for abortion.  If Aperecida really captures the vision of the pontiff, then its text would seem to rebut that notion. The document is direct: Of course, the bishops and pundits who oppose such a vision are likely to say that section of Aparecida doesn’t really reflect the vision of Pope Francis. But given the frequency with which those same voices have touted the text as the blueprint of his papacy, the burden of proof for an exception to that claim would seem to lie with those who are making it. Eager to express unity with Pope Francis, and to heed the counsel of Cardinal Luis Ladaria to the USCCB —  namely that the bishops look to other episcopal conferences while working on Eucharistic coherence — it is worth considering that at the June USCCB meeting, some bishops might propose that rather than develop their own text, the USCCB could simply formally adopt the statement of Aparecida — the statement from Francis’ own text — as their own.  Others might suggest that it be quoted in full in the relevant section of a USCCB text. That move would be unlikely to play well among the bishops who have argued that such an exhortation would “weaponize the Eucharist” — especially since some of them have seemed to claim in the past the mantle of interpreting for their brothers Pope Francis’ vision for the Church.   But if the bishops will really engage in a substantive discussion in June about the notion of Eucharistic coherence for all Catholics — including Catholic politicians in public life — it seems unlikely that anyone wanting to uphold the magisterium of Pope Francis will let Aparecida be omitted from the conversation. Since his 2013 election as Supreme Pontiff, papal biographers and experts have said that the key to understanding Pope Francis is a text produced by Latin American bishops in 2007, a pastoral vision and framework called the \u201CAparecida Document.\u201D Pope Francis, then as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, speaks in 2008. Credit: ECDQ/wikimedia. CC BY SA 2.0Share The Pillar Brazil for a meeting of the Episcopal Council of Latin American Bishops \u2013 CELAM.  CELAM is a kind of confederation of bishops\u2019 conferences from 22 countries and is similar to other confederations of bishops\u2019 conferences in Asia Bishops talked together for 20 days about the Church\u2019s mission and identity in a rapidly changing part of the world was elected to head the drafting committee for the meeting\u2019s final document He became the text\u2019s principal author Papal biographer Austen Ivereigh said in 2015 the document \u201Cunderlies the Francis program,\u201D and in 2018 that the pope has drawn from the document a \u201Cvision...of how you evangelize a world in flux.\u201D Diego Fares, a board member of the semi-official Vatican journal La Civilta Cattolica, wrote in 2017 that Aparecida is the foundation for the approach and perspectives of the Francis pontificate. As the bishops of the United States debate the question of Eucharistic coherence that Pope Francis would oppose an admonishment on the subject or a prohibition of Holy Communion for Catholic politicians supporting expanded legal protection or federal funding for abortion.  If Aperecida really captures the vision of the pontiff then its text would seem to rebut that notion conscious of the dignity of human life and of the rootedness of the family in our peoples will defend and protect it from the abominable crimes of abortion and euthanasia; that is their responsibility in response to government laws and provisions that are unjust in the light of faith and reason conscientious objection should be encouraged We must adhere to \u2018eucharistic coherence,\u2019 that is be conscious that they cannot receive holy communion and at the same time act with deeds or words against the commandments and other grave crimes against life and family are encouraged This responsibility weighs particularly over legislators the bishops and pundits who oppose such a vision are likely to say that section of Aparecida doesn\u2019t really reflect the vision of Pope Francis But given the frequency with which those same voices have touted the text as the blueprint of his papacy the burden of proof for an exception to that claim would seem to lie with those who are making it and to heed the counsel of Cardinal Luis Ladaria to the USCCB \u2014  namely that the bishops look to other episcopal conferences while working on Eucharistic coherence \u2014 it is worth considering that at the June USCCB meeting some bishops might propose that rather than develop their own text the USCCB could simply formally adopt the statement of Aparecida \u2014 the statement from Francis\u2019 own text \u2014 as their own.  Others might suggest that it be quoted in full in the relevant section of a USCCB text That move would be unlikely to play well among the bishops who have argued that such an exhortation would \u201Cweaponize the Eucharist\u201D \u2014 especially since some of them have seemed to claim in the past the mantle of interpreting for their brothers Pope Francis\u2019 vision for the Church.   But if the bishops will really engage in a substantive discussion in June about the notion of Eucharistic coherence for all Catholics \u2014 including Catholic politicians in public life \u2014 it seems unlikely that anyone wanting to uphold the magisterium of Pope Francis will let Aparecida be omitted from the conversation Subscribe now What happened in the beginning of 2013 will make this one of the most important years in the church’s already long history The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio—the first Latin American pope—will shape the church for many years to come Believers and nonbelievers have been surprised and filled with expectations in the first days of Francis’ pontificate no important statements have been issued regarding various items on the church’s agenda there is no doubt that the way Francis conducts himself in the many forums he has attended as well as his personal style and gestures Many aspects of Pope Francis have already been highlighted: his familiar style; that he is closer to pastoral work than to doctrine; his connection to religious life (a former Salesian student that became a Jesuit priest and took the name Francis in memory of St Francis of Assisi); his Latin American origin (Argentinean archbishop of Buenos Aires and former president of the Episcopal Conference of Argentina); his modesty and kindness as well as his clear-headedness when dealing with the media Here I want to explore one particular aspect of Pope Francis’ biography: his relationship with the Fifth Latin American Episcopal Conference held in May 2007 in Aparecida and its possible consequences for this pontificate Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected by his brother bishops to chair the important committee charged with drafting the final document This was not an incidental fact but a token of his leadership in such events One detail confirms his popularity: on the day he celebrated Mass in the Sanctuary of Aparecida the people applauded at the end of his homily the only time that something like that ever happened Fifteen years after the last episcopal conference in Santo Domingo the Latin American church was called upon to reflect once again about its role in the evangelizing of a continent that is changing significantly Yet there was no clear intention to organize a new general conference; it was more like a continental synod just like the one that wrote the post-synod article “Ecclesia in America” in 1999 Ultimately the Fifth Conference of the Latin American Episcopal Conference (CELAM) was an achievement of the group’s board headed by the Chilean Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz An important member of the conference’s drafting committee was the Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga It is not a coincidence that both Errázuriz and Rodríguez Maradiaga were appointed by Pope Francis to be part of the eight-member committee that will advise the pope on running the universal church In their new assignment the cardinals will review the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus about the Roman Curia This committee will propose the necessary reforms of the Roman Curia and Rodríguez Maradiaga will also be the coordinator of the new committee Thus two of the most significant members of the Aparecida conference will make up this important advisory body To these must be added the pontiff himself The election of Francis to the church’s highest ecclesiastical position should be placed in a larger context as a recognition of the maturation of the church in Latin America after the Second Vatican Council Aparecida repeated a style and highlighted some issues that have been part of the church’s identity since the first CELAM meeting in Medellin in 1968 I will review three of these issues that are present in the messages of Pope Francis at the beginning of his pontificate: We know the story told by the pope about his election: “During the election I was sitting next to the archbishop emeritus of São Paulo and prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy When things started to move in a dangerous direction And then he hugged and kissed me and told me: ‘Do not forget the poor.’ And that word made an impact on me: the poor I thought of Francis of Assisi in relation to the poor.” We have all witnessed how Pope Francis is trying to apply this message to daily practice in his new position as he did when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires his desire to stay in his home at Santa Marta his mode of transportation—these are signs of the humble and austere church he wishes to lead This is not only a personal practice of austerity It is comforting to know that in this key moment of his life of the men and women who suffer because of them From his heart there has emerged a plan associated with Francis of Assisi: peace care for creation and concern for the poor “Do not forget the poor.” Aparecida did not forget them The conference used a typical expression of the theological and pastoral tradition of Latin America: “the preferential option for the poor and the marginalized.” Chapter 8 of Aparecida’s final document is precisely devoted to a reflection on the relationship between God’s kingdom and the dignity of human beings The document says: “We pledge to work harder so our Latin American and Caribbean Church may continue to accompany our poorest brothers on their journey we want to confirm and promote the option of preferential love for the poor which was expressed in previous conferences,” with a footnote reference to Medellin The document states that “being preferential implies that it should permeate all our structures and guide our pastoral priorities” (No There is no doubt about what “preferential” means: it is not only an option for the social outreach of the church; it should also imbue all our priorities and structures That is why the pope says that he wants a poor church not only the local churches of the Third World or among the poor in the cities and rural areas It is a “non-optional option” for the entire church This paragraph ends stating: “the Latin American Church is called to be a sacrament of love solidarity and justice in our countries.” There is no option for the poor without being concerned about better justice The church is a sign and sacrament of that preference of Christ for the poor Pope Benedict XVI’s inaugural speech at Aparecida was significant for the future of the conference Pope Benedict summarizes in one phrase what has been a constant in Latin American theological reflection: “the preferential option for the poor is implicit in the Christological faith in the God who became poor for us 9).” The preferential option for a poor church for the poor is not only ethical or pastoral It is theological: it has its first origin in God’s faith expressed in Jesus Christ The preferential option for the poor is only understood in the context of the following of Jesus Benedict confirmed the best expressions of the Latin American church the martyrtdom suffered by many Christians as a proof of love given “to the limit,” like Jesus Pope Francis arrives at his pontificate representing a church that wishes to be close to the poor and those whom society has excluded He has kept them in mind and for them he has assumed this mission The cardinals who chose him as pope must have been aware of his special concern for the poor Latin America is not only the “continent of hope,” with the greatest number of Catholics sometimes going forward and sometimes backward has been remembering essential aspects of the message of Jesus The preferential option for the poor is at the core of this tradition On several occasions Francis has referred to the main experience of Jesus for Christians In his homily on April 17 focusing on the story of the Ascension we are sure to be in safe hands.” In his speech to the Biblical Committee (April 12) he reminded the exegetes that “our faith does not have at its center only a book but a story of salvation surrounding a Person the Word of God made flesh.” Christianity is more than a religion contained in a book; it is an event that has as its center a person: Jesus In the meeting with reporters after his election Francis told them: “Christ is the Shepherd of the church but his presence in history is manifested in the freedom of men who choose one of them to serve as his vicar the successor of the Apostle Peter; but Christ is the center Francis emphasizes an essential truth: that it is not him but Christ who is the center of attention Francis offered a hermeneutical perspective to the media professionals so that they could understand the peculiar nature of what had happened He described himself as the successor of Peter in the mission commended by Christ Aparecida’s spirit can be noticed in this affirmation As is the custom in Latin American theological reflection the document of the Fifth Conference begins by calling for the “missionary disciples’ outlook on reality.” In the sequence of see-judge-act the conference returned to the tradition of “seeing,” that is learning from the practice of the Christian communities In this process of “looking” the assembly perceived that the continent is going through a considerable socio-cultural transformation that also includes “religious sensibility” (No expressed in the different cultural traditions “Our cultural traditions are no longer transmitted from one generation to another with the same fluency as in the past This affects even the deepest core of each culture In the light of this erosion of religious traditions Aparecida calls for a personal encounter with Jesus Christ in recognizing the presence of Jesus Christ and following him” (No The Christ event will give birth “to this new man that appears in history and which we call a disciple” (No Restating the beginning of Benedict’s encyclical “Deus Caritas Est,” Aparecida recognizes that “you do not begin to be a Christian as a result of an ethical decision or a great idea but rather because of an encounter with an event that gives a new perspective to life and with that Aparecida concludes: “Knowing Jesus Christ by faith is our joy following Him is our grace and transmitting this treasure to others is a mission that the Lord At a time when religious traditions have become diluted Aparecida proposes a different experience: an encounter with Jesus that transforms a Christianity based on tradition to a Christianity based on conviction The first pronouncements of Pope Francis are centered on this message: Jesus is the best news that could have happened to us revealed to the public the words of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio during his participation in the general congregation before the conclave the church’s mission should be: “The Church is called upon to go out of itself and go to the periphery What happens when the church becomes self-referential “When the Church does not go out of itself to evangelize it becomes self-referential and then gets sick the harm that happens in the ecclesiastical institutions has its roots in being self-referential When the Church without realizing becomes self-referential and believes that it has its own light it is no longer the mysterium lunae and gives way to spiritual worldliness there are two images of the church: the evangelizing one that goes out of itself—Dei Verbum religiose audiens et fidenter proclamans—or the worldly one that lives in itself This should enlighten us as to the possible changes and reforms that should be done to save souls.” Cardinal Bergoglio’s reflection concludes with a description that foreshadowed the next pope’s profile: “a man who moved by his contemplation and adoration of Jesus Christ can help the Church get out of itself to the existential peripheries and help her to be the fruitful mother that lives from the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing.” On other occasions similar expressions have been repeated by Pope Francis who wants shepherds who “smell like sheep,” he said to 1,600 priests at the Chrism mass celebrated at the Basilica of St He asked the priests to wear their chasubles humbly to “go out of themselves,” to become “fishers of men” and to serve the “poor,” the “captives” and the “oppressed.” the pope continued: “Our people are thankful when the Gospel is preached with unction; they are thankful when the Gospel which is preached touches their daily lives when it comes down like the oil of gladness of Aaron touching the very edges of reality the ‘peripheries’ where the faithful are more exposed to the intrusions of those who want to undermine their faith They are thankful because they feel that we are in prayful union with the things of their daily lives with their worries and hopes.” It is impossible here not to hear the echo of “Gaudium et Spes.” Pope Francis is calling all Christians to go to the existential peripheries: “We have to go out to experience the oil of gladness and its power and salvific efficacy in the ‘peripheries’ where there is suffering where there are captives of dehumanizing cultural standards.” Aparecida mentions some of the captives of these "dehumanizing cultural standards” in the “suffering faces that bring us sorrow”: the people that live in the streets of the big cities The whole Aparecida document is a proclamation of the “joy of being missionary disciples called to announce the Good News of Jesus Christ,” as mentioned in the title of Chapter 3 this mission calls us to announce the good news of human dignity the good news that proclaims the universal character of all goods and ecological concern everything that has to do with a person’s life “The mission is not limited to a program or project,” even though programs are necessary for serious and responsible pastoral planning The mission is much more: “it consists in sharing the experience of encountering Christ in testifying to Him and announcing Him from person to person and from the church to the ends of the Earth” (No the document ends with a compromise: “We have to begin a new stage of our pastoral journey by declaring that we are in permanent mission” (italics in the original) This task is for all Christians: “no one can stand on the sidelines Being a missionary consists in announcing Jesus Christ with creativity and audacity in all places where the Gospel has not been announced sufficiently or received especially in difficult and forgotten environments Let us be missionaries of the Gospel not only in our words but also with our own lives Christ and the church are the main themes in these first days of Pope Francis’ pontificate and they were central ideas in Aparecida It is time to review that document and re-read it in the light of these new ecclesial events Some experts from the Vatican are rummaging around in the documents written by Jorge Mario Bergoglio to try to find in them “Francis’ thinking,” in order to detect the guidelines of the program of his pontificate By doing so they lose sight of the fact that behind the testimony and the words of the new pope there is not only an undeniable personal style but also an ecclesial tradition is a Peruvian theology professor and director of the research and advocacy office at Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University in Lima He participated as a guest at the Fifth Conference of Latin America and Caribbean Bishops (CELAM) at Aparecida This article originally appeared in Spanish in the journal Páginas (June 2013 Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important America’s voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. We can't do it without you—America Media relies on generous support from our readers. Please visit our membership page to learn how you can invest in our work by subscribing to the magazine or making a donation If you’re already a subscriber or donor, thank you! If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, you’ll have unlimited access to the website. Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions as the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Aparecida Pope Francis took a break from the ongoing Synod General Assembly to pray for the people of Brazil I fondly recall this city and the Virgin," Pope Francis said In a video message recorded in the Paul VI Hall and may she watch over you and all the people of Brazil.” The Holy Father also invited Brazilians to pray for him Pope Francis went on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Aparecida in July 2013 during World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro the famous depiction of Our Lady of Aparecida was found by three poor Brazilian fishermen on 12 October 1717 near a river about 170 kilometres from Sao Paulo they mysteriously started to catch large quantities of fish Many other miracles have since been attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Aparecida the community lit candles around the image but they spontaneously went out during prayers and rekindled themselves as the community approached A blind girl from the city of Jaboticabal visited Our Lady of Aparecida with her mother and regained her sight the moment she set foot on the Sanctuary he pronounced an Act of Consecration in which he asked the Virgin “to spread infinite favours over all Brazil” Pope Francis sent a video message to all Brazilians The Successor of Peter recalled having entrusted his pontificate to the Virgin in 2013 Pope Francis went on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Aparecida “I had the joy and the grace,” he remembered The Bishop of Rome added that he would have loved to go back to Brazil for this jubilee “the life of a pope isn’t simple,” he explained and he encouraged Brazilians to continue being joyful In “compensation” for the pope’s absence at the celebrations the retired prefect of the Congregation for Bishops was designated as special envoy of the pope to represent him at Aparecida The celebrations of the 3rd centennial of Our Lady of Aparecida took place from from October 10-12 at the National Shrine of Aparecida in the southern Brazilian state of São Paulo This title of Our Lady goes back to an occurrence in 1717 when fishermen cast their nets into a river and pulled out a dark-colored statue of Mary The shrine of Aparecida is the largest Marian shrine in the world It is visited each year by more than 7 million pilgrims The liturgical feast of Our Lady of Aparecida is October 12 The pope has a special link to Aparecida because 10 years ago the bishops of all Latin America gathered in the city for their fifth continent-wide conference The future Pope Francis took part in the Aparecida Conference and was chosen by his peers to lead the committee that would draft the concluding document for the conference Learn more with this backgrounder: The Aparecida Document: What you need to know The statue of Our Lady of Aparecida was found by poor workers — Pope Francis (@Pontifex) October 13, 2017 In the lead-up to October 12, the day the Church celebrates the patron saint of Brazil, devotees received a treat. The first phase of a giant monument in honor of Our Lady of Aparecida was inaugurated in the city of Aparecida in the southern Brazilian state of São Paulo The sculpture is made of steel, weighs 400 tons, and is 164 ft (50 m) high. This size puts the monument on the list of the largest religious images in Brazil and the world The statue cost an estimated 10 million Brazilian reais (nearly two million US dollars). It’s located in the Itaguaçu neighborhood, two miles from the National Shrine of Aparecida It will certainly become another tourist attraction in the city which receives millions of pilgrims and tourists every year Sculptor Gilmar Pinna designed the monument "We're still going to add a giant map of Brazil Each arm will be 19 meters (62 ft) long and the sculpture will be a total of 50 meters high and it will weigh 60 tons," said the sculptor Work on this second phase of the project is expected to take another year View on Instagram The statue in honor of Our Lady of Aparecida An association of atheists and agnostics succeeded in having work on the monument temporarily suspended The association claimed that the municipality could not invest public money to benefit just one religion the municipality was granted permission to resume work on the giant statue in 2022 View on Instagram Pope Francis has been handing out the concluding document from the 5th General Conference of Latin American Bishops, a.k.a. \”Aparecida\” to many diplomats and leaders from Latin America and the National Catholic Reporter have already covered Pope Francis\’ \”Magna Carta\” back in July but I think studying Aparecida has many benefits especially since Pope Benedict XVI wrote several letters and talks leading up to and following the Fifth General Conference of Catholic Bishops of Latin America the location of this highlighting key points for those who work with Latino populations and for those who are engaged in intentional discipleship He and his Encyclicals are cited throughout the document I have a personal testimony about Aparecida as well which perhaps bends my favoritism toward championing it I was waiting in an interminable line at World Youth Day when I began a conversation with the pilgrims behind me and I am still overwhelmed with gratitude by that fact that Bishop Taylor of the Diocese of Little Rock mandates his priests to study Spanish Not only did it help to pass the time \”conviviendo\” laughing with Padre Juan and two lay youth leaders but I also got a first-hand testimony on Aparecida the 2007 Document published by CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Conference analogous to our USCCB in the United States) Padre Juan and his faithful had been passionately studying and implementing Aparecida for the past 6 years The idea of a \”Missionary Disciple\” was imprinted on my heart at that moment Apart from hearing Pope Francis speak in his native language during his audiences at World Youth Day (Gracias the candid chat with these Argentines was the hallmark of my trip to Rio The theme of World Youth Day was \”Go and make disciples of all nations… (Mt 28:19) and I run a program called Evangelical Catholic at my two parishes with the goal of forming intentional disciples I form \”Missionary Disciples.\” When both of my parishes are 80% Latino or more I find Aparecida a helpful light that aids this mandate from Jesus Christ to make disciples Aparecida also adds emphasis on Lectio Divina (see 446) and reading the Bible in the same Spirit with which it was written Hispanics for the most part are more biblically-based What can be difficult in Hispanic Ministry is to teach and explain the Church\’s rich traditions including general pious prayers like the rosary and Mass as well as particular cultural celebrations imported from various Latin American countries Anyone interested in making disciples would benefit from reading Aparecida Discipleship requires a regular life of prayer Being a missionary involves the working out of our faith through the Corporal and Spiritual works of mercy and Evangelizing those who are not yet Catholic says Pope Benedict in his address at the Inaugural Session of Aparecida to the Bishops of CELAM \”Discipleship and mission are like the two sides of a single coin: when the disciple is in love with Christ he cannot stop proclaiming to the world that only in him to we find salvation…\” I believe the enrichment of studying what it means to be a true disciple and a true missionary in the 21st Century has a lot of value in and of itself The fact that by reading Aparecida with the Pope didactically illustrates Pope Francis\’ ecclesiology for me is exciting I think it is reflected in recent books such as Sherry Weddell\’s Forming Intentional Disciples and George Weigel\’s Evangelical Catholicism I also would like to reference Aparecida\’s call to the Catholic Church to do more to empower the youth It calls for a \”Preferential Option for the Youth\” (446) and reminds us that the most effective evangelizers for the youth are the youth themselves: the new generations are called to transmit to their fellow young people without distinction the current of life that comes from Christ and to share it in community Time Magazine earlier this year, in a front-cover article called \”The Latino Reformation,\” has already pointed out the number of 2nd and 3rd generation American Hispanics who are leaving the Catholic Church because they are failing to find a place Perhaps this is a danger for all ethnicities in the US and around the world will lead them to make a firmer commitment to Christ and his Church and will bring many more to follow in their footsteps Bishop Taylor of Little Rock has virtually turned the diocese of Little Rock into a “homeland” for illegal Mexican immigrants Hence the requirement that all of the priests learn Spanish Masses are widely celebrated in Spanish to pander to the illegals Probably the last straw was the use diocesan money to hold workshops for young Catholics that involved their writing their own version of the “Dream Act” and preparing to carry the final copies up the steps of the Arkansas State Capital Someone needs to provide a clear distinction between discipleship and POLITICAL MISSION Pingback: Confession - BigPulpit.com Pingback: Making the Most of Aparecida - CATHOLIC FEAST - Every day is a Celebration Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. SÃO PAULO (Crux) — After being closed for four months the National Sanctuary of Aparecida in Brazil partially resumed public Masses at the end of July The strict health and safety protocols that limits the access to celebrations have impeded most pilgrims from visiting the country’s most popular shrine the sanctuary houses the image of Our Lady of Aparecida a clay statue found in a nearby river by local fishermen in the eighteenth century the image became a national object of devotion and a city was created around the ancient church of Aparecida The modern basilica began to be built in the 1950s devotees of Aparecida visit the sanctuary every year to fulfil a vow made to the Virgin Mary or to thank her for a much-needed grace Packed buses and thousands of cars fill up the parking lots Visitors usually congregate in large numbers in order to see the statue The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything this year Our city depends a hundred percent of the religious tourists and 2,400 street vendors’ stands need them to make a living,” lamented Angelo Leite president of the city’s commerce association Leite explained that the revenues usually double during the second half of the year But now all shop owners seem to be “lethargic,” he said With the partial reopening of the sanctuary The problem is that the safety measures established by the administration of the sanctuary along with the government decreed that only a thousand visitors can attend each celebration The church can hold 30,000; other churches in the state can operate at 30 percent capacity “But we decided to adhere to an extensive set of measures including the permission for only two persons per pew,” explained Father José Ulysses Da Silva one of the 30 Redemptorist priests that work at the sanctuary Workers and volunteers take the temperature of every person that gets into the basilica; people then have to clean their hands with sanitizers; after that they’re taken in line to a specific pew the priest goes to each person to give communion Everybody is then conducted to the same exit door “The same measures are applied for the other areas and the zone where people can see the image of Our Lady,” explained Fr Everything was planned to avoid an agglomeration of people The administrators of the sanctuary have been asking through their TV and radio stations for people in high risk groups for COVID-19 to abstain from visiting during the crisis the local businessmen still wait for an actual reopening 80 percent of the economy is somehow connected to the sanctuary Aparecida would become a vector of contagion with people bringing and taking the virus with them a resident of Limeira – a city 175 miles west of Aparecida – is also disappointed with the impossibility of visiting the sanctuary this year he has organized an annual pilgrimage to the basilica he and other 250 men walk several miles a day carrying their supplies on their backs and sleeping in churches and public buildings “It’s a kind of spiritual retreat,” he told Crux The event grew so much over the years that now Vieira and his colleagues run a non-governmental organization dedicated to its management and to social services directed to elderly people some of us thought we should keep the pilgrimage despite the pandemic One of our longtime colleagues was infected and died Everybody realized that we would be forced to postpone it for the next year,” Vieira said Some of the pilgrims of Vieira’s group – now there’s also a separate women’s pilgrimage – wait the whole year for the walk which they dedicate to thank Our Lady of Aparecida for favors they attribute to her “Some people are coming to thank her for being cured of COVID-19 But many are begging for an economic relief,” said Da Silva normally attracts up to 300,000 people to the basilica all celebrations will be carried out on-line,” Fr Your email will be used to send you The Tablet newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy. More info Create your free account or log in to continue reading The Tablet is the newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn, serving Brooklyn and Queens since 1908.© 2025 DeSales Media Group, Inc. Website by 345 Design Dabas claims nation's first ever gold medal Uzbekistan top medals table at the Rookie & Next Gen Worlds on Tuesday Lady of Aparecida takes place on October 12 every year It honors the Mother of Brazil and the country’s patron saint thousands of believers congregate in a city that bears her name to pray Her first-known appearance stunned many — a black statue caught in a fisherman’s net after they asked the heavens above for a good catch She appears quietly in unlikely places to lend a helping hand to those in need The story begins in 1717 with a group of fishermen in Guaratinguetá The legendary Dom Pedro de Almeida was passing by Although it wasn’t an ideal time for fishing the city’s fishermen cast their nets in the Paraiba River the weary fishermen asked Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception to intervene Legend has it that a statue of the Virgin got caught in the net but its appearance was not the one commonly associated with her since it had no head and was dark-skinned most likely because it was made from terracotta and was blackened by the river they caught so much fish that their boats almost sank The encounter with the fishermen is the first-known miracle attributed to Our Lady of Aparecida She performed another miracle for a defenseless A man named Zacarias fled the cruelty of his landowners but authorities quickly found and arrested him the group passed by a chapel built in honor of Nossa Senhora Aparecida the guards had no choice but to set him free Nossa Senhora Aparecida is also known as the Black Mother As stories of the Virgin traveled far and wide the number of people asking to visit and pray to her grew by the thousands It was imperative to move her to a private chapel By 1888 she found a new home in the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida Our Lady of Aparecida first appears to fishermen in their time of need The Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida finishes its construction Pope Pius XI proclaims her Patroness of Brazil on July 16 The church begins constructing a new basilica to accommodate the staggering number of pilgrims The Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida is the world’s second-largest church The Black Madonna refers to paintings or sculptures that depict an infant Jesus and the Virgin Mary as black and not Caucasian They can be found both in Catholic and Orthodox nations Join hundreds of believers at the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida Many people in Brazil go for a religious pilgrimage during this time Pray to Nossa Senhora Aparecida and let them know what you need Brazilians usually tie ribbons in the church to symbolize wishes or miracles they hope she will perform Brazil remains the largest Roman Catholic country in the world The Society of Jesus founded the first schools in the country There are a total of 275 particular churches throughout Brazil There are more than 30 Catholic universities within the national territory Brazil has more than a million Latter-day Saints Miracles remind us of something bigger than ourselves Our Lady of Aparecida instills a lost sense of wonder in a fast-changing world Nossa Senhora Aparecida is the Black Mother She redefines traditional depictions of Mary in western art and shows that there is space for everyone in the world of faith She speaks to the core of what religion should be – inclusion and solace Brazilians consider her “The Mother Of All,” who looks after her children equally Last year about 13 million people visited the Marian shrine near Sao Paulo but this year pilgrimages were not possible due to contagion and the fear of crowds have to do without the grand celebration to honor the nation's patron saint took place for the first time without the popular Marian pilgrimages.  dedicated to the patron saint of the country is one of the most famous pilgrimage sites visited by many across Brazil and the world.  Last year about 13 million people from five continents visited with more than 200,000 visiting over one weekend to catch a glimpse of the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida.  But this year, the pilgrimages were not possible due to contagion and the fear of crowds.  "We can no longer allow the arrival of organized pilgrimages we can only welcome a maximum of 1,000 pilgrims a day" the priest told FIDES In order to allow as many people to participate the sanctuary celebrates numerous Masses.  A proper resumption of pilgrimages is planned only when an effective vaccine against COVID-19 is available.  The sanctuary relies on media to help believers meet their spiritual needs "During the lockdown the celebrations were broadcast on our television and radio stations and on social networks" Today's October 12 feast was mostly celebrated virtually although the physical presence of a limited number of believers is allowed in the sanctuary the willingness to pray has never decreased People feel the living presence of Our Lady The Virgin of Aparecida has always been seen as the Virgin of the poor Since Brazil was hard hit by the pandemic from March the country’s bishops conference has suspended in-person Masses and indoor celebrations Our Lady Aparecida is associated with the Immaculate Conception the statue was originally found by three fishermen in 1717 who miraculously caught many fish after invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The statue is widely venerated by Brazilian Catholics October 12, the feast day of Our Lady Aparecida, has since 1980 been a public holiday in Brazil. The shrine, granted the title of minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1980 being able to hold up to 45,000 worshippers Cancellation of national traditional religious festivities intrinsic to popular Catholic devotions have become commonplace in Latin America this year The festival of the Señor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles) the most important popular Catholic feast in Peru and South America's largest religious procession The Archdiocese of Managua in Nicaragua in August suspended the traditional ten-day public celebration for the country's most popular Santo Domingo de Guzmán feast due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic By Silvonei José Protz and Lisa Zengarini In the face of our human impotence to solve the many armed conflicts ravaging the world today we need to continue to invoke peace through prayer He was speaking on the sidelines of a two-day retreat he is leading for the Brazilian bishops as they open their 61st General Assembly at the Marian Shrine of Aparecida The meeting kicked off on 10 April with an opening Mass in which the president of the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference (CNBB) Archbishop Jaime Spengler of Porto Alegre recited a special prayer for peace and spoke about the main areas of conflict in the world today Speaking to Vatican News’ Silvonei José Protz Cardinal Parolin insisted on the importance of prayer at this trying time so that peace may prevail we need prayers because it seems we have come to a standstill that we cannot find paths to peace and think in terms of dialogue to solve the current conflicts,” he said “We can say that we are experiencing our impotence: therefore we really need to turn to the Lord and to His Mother” World peace was also one of the themes the Vatican Secretary of State discussed with Brazilian President Ignacio da Lula Silva in Brasilia in which the relations between Brazil and the Holy See and internal issues were also discussed said Cardinal Parolin “and we were able to talk about issues that concern specifically Brazil broadening our gaze to the major internal challenges  such as poverty and justice and the  problems of today's world and The 480 Brazilian bishops gathered in Aparecida will discuss the updating of their guidelines for evangelization in Brazil (Diretrizes Gerais Da Ação Evangelizadora – DGAE) in light of the changing reality of the Latin American nation with a focus on three axes: the 2021-2024 Synod of Bishops on synodality; the 2025 Jubilee of Hope; and young people During the discussions this year the bishops will experiment the “Conversations in the Spirit” method used for the first time during the Synod on synodality in October 2023 where delegates met at round tables Cardinal Parolin has been invited to lead the two-day retreat which traditionally opens the assembly to reflect on the three key words that define synodality: communion the Church must allow herself to be evangelized.” Commenting on his first impressions at meeting the Brazilian bishops all together in their country Cardinal Parolin said he was particularly struck by their huge number which reflects the size of the country but by their thorough commitment to evangelization and to building a better society in Brazil imbued with Christian values as the Church celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Aparecida In a video message recorded in the Paul vi Hall The Holy Father concluded his message to Brazilians with his usual request: “Please L'Osservatore Romano00120 Vatican City.All rights reserved A Catholic wedding should have elements that remind us of our faith Brazilian sales supervisor Leila Morais da Silveira took this very seriously As soon as she started planning her "big day" she already knew she wanted Our Lady to literally be part of the ceremony When she was selecting the style of the dress she would wear on her wedding day, she ordered an unusual accessory from the designer: a long veil with the image of Our Lady of Aparecida For her, the veil would be the coronation of a dream and a sign of her great devotion "I’m very devoted to Our Lady of Aparecida and feeling that she’s by our side is wonderful It's always been a dream of mine to get married.. And I know that my husband was a gift from her to me I wanted to somehow show the affection I feel for her at this special moment in my life," explains Leila The bride's dream was a challenge for the seamstress In her more than 30 years making wedding dresses Célia Martins had never embroidered the image of Our Lady on a veil who have a workshop in the south of Brazil were willing to make Leila's dream come true.  But the first thing was to define the size of the image and make the design in a pattern to apply the embroidery on the tulle of the veil," explains the stylist.  It took 36 hours to plan and make the veil The image of Our Lady of Aparecida stood out with its 6 feet of length and its details in silk threads Everything was handmade with great precision and attention. View on Instagram The finished work surprised even the bride "When the veil was ready I cried with emotion They made everything even more perfect with the care and attention that we see in their work The most exciting moment was when the bride entered the church escorted by Our Lady in her veil and the rosary she held in her hands "My family was amazed because they'd never seen anything so beautiful All the guests came to hug me and say that they felt Our Lady everywhere because this was exactly what I wanted," Leila recalls The veil with the image of Our Lady wasn’t a success only among the guests at Leila's wedding After the studio posted a video on Instagram showing a model with the veil requests for quotes began to pour in from other brides who also wanted to have the image of the Mother of God on their veil The video has already had almost half a million likes on Instagram View on Instagram we’ve already made at least 15 veils like this one There have even been requests from outside Brazil wanted a veil with the image of Our Lady," explains seamstress Cláudia Martins Braga.  Besides Our Lady of Aparecida, the studio also made a veil with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. these veils are an expression of faith and devotion that goes beyond the fashion barrier and is winning the heads and hearts of brides all over the world The shrine of Aparecida has become more well known globally in the last several years due to a document that was signed there It sprung from the 2007 meeting of Latin American bishops One of the key players in the creation of the document was the future Pope Francis and he has made many references to the document during his papacy Our Lady of Aparecida is a tiny clay image She stands over a crescent moon with her hands lifted in prayer She is an image of the Immaculate Conception by some fishermen who discovered her in their nets Many miracles were attributed to “Our Lady of the Conception Who Appeared.” The first chapel housing the image was built in 1745 Today the statue is housed in the Minor Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida which is the largest Marian shrine in the world As the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic shifts to Latin America Pope Francis made a personal phone call as a sign of his pastoral care for all Brazilians The Pope telephoned Archbishop Orlando Brandes of Aparecida on Wednesday the Pope asked him to assure everyone of his prayers as my heart reaches out to all Brazilians,” the Pope said Pope Francis also extended his affection and prayers to the nation as a whole The Pope’s call came at a difficult time for Brazil over 772,000 cases of Covid-19 had been confirmed in the Latin American nation Nearly 40,000 people have died with the novel coronavirus Those numbers put Brazil in second place regarding confirmed cases Pope Francis invited Brazilians to place themselves in the lap of Our Lady of Aparecida Her image was enthroned in the Vatican Gardens in September 2016 “I recall that I took the image of Our Lady of Aparecida in my lap – the Madonnina Pope Francis then blessed the people of Brazil and concluded the phone call with a word of encouragement This is the third call the Pope has made to Brazil since the pandemic began He spoke first with Archbishop Leonard Steiner of Manaus on 25 April Pope Francis made his first Apostolic Journey to Brazil for the 2013 World Youth Day he paid a special visit to the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida There he entrusted his pontificate to her maternal care the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated This information is archived and not reflective of current practice BOSTON — Fugitive Operations Team officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested Lenaria Aparecida Pereira Sandoval a Brazilian national convicted of first-degree murder and related offenses by a Brazilian criminal court Sandoval is the subject a criminal warrant issued by Brazilian authorities after she was convicted of murder and vehicle theft and sentenced to 17 years in prison by a criminal court in Brazil in September 2021 Although Sandoval sought and obtained a change in her immigration status from U.S immigration authorities discovered that she failed to disclose her criminal charges when she applied for that change By fraudulently failing to disclose those charges she violated the terms of the change to her immigration status In September 2021 Sandoval was convicted in absentia of the charges against her and sentenced to serve 17 years in prison in Brazil by a criminal court in the city of Campos Altos A criminal warrant for her arrest was subsequently issued by Brazilian law enforcement authorities When Brazilian law enforcement authorities issued the international criminal warrant for her arrest ERO Boston immigration enforcement officials began an investigation to find her and confirmed her presence in ERO Boston’s jurisdiction Officials took Sandoval into custody without incident Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody pending the outcome of an immigration court hearing In fiscal year 2022 ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses ERO operations target public safety threats such as convicted criminal noncitizens and gang members who have violated our nation's immigration laws including those who illegally re-enter the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges ERO deportation officers assigned to Interpol also assist in targeting foreign fugitives for crimes committed abroad at-large in the U.S ERO manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process ERO repatriates noncitizens ordered removed from the U.S Members of the public can report crimes or suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing ICE’s online tip form Learn more about ERO’s mission in your community on Twitter @EROBoston Burbidge celebrates Mass for the 300th anniversary of Our Lady of Aparecida at St Anthony of Padua Church in Falls Church Oct Burbidge accepts the offertory gifts for the 300th anniversary of Our Lady of Aparecida at St Arlington Catholic Herald200 N. Glebe Rd.Suite 615Arlington, VA 22203703-841-2590800-377-0511 Website Design and Development by New Target Brazil – About halfway between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo its green dome and clock tower and series of chapels three times as wide as a futbol pitch This church is the Cowboys Stadium of Latin American religious centers the soccer star Ronaldo and his mom included They call the complex the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida there is a room where actual religion and the sport that most elicits religious fervor – both here and throughout the world – intersect their shelves filled with motorcycle helmets and model planes and cowboy hats and elegant vases and toy horses and rusted knives and stethoscopes and As Sunday morning turns into Sunday afternoon a steady stream of Catholics fill those cards with wishes and deposit them into boxes there is an office area lined with still more shelves Another faction of the faithful leaves items with the workers there the cards and the shelves and the office area are tied together part of the same ritual performed even by soccer fans or a sixth World Cup championship for Brazil they promise saints that if their wish is granted they will make a pilgrimage to the church and offer a gift – called ex-votos – as a thank you The office area: where the church collects and stores the gifts a country where a religious figure named Father Santana served as the masseur for two World Cup teams (1962 ’66) and reportedly ended a curse by burying a wooden cross behind a goal it is at least part of established religions The Hall of Promises – Sala das Promessas – is proof Viagem Brazil: Snapshots of how life unfolds in Rio away from the games “Brazil is fútbol country.” Whether that makes God the manager of Brazil remains unsaid a lot of Catholics wished for soccer victories That’s evident in the display case near the back the one crammed full of soccer cleats and gloves and balls and jerseys of every size The top of the case is lined with trophies And while other sports are represented – by a boxing glove a deflated and worn-out basketball – soccer dominates the display made a lot of pilgrimages and gave a lot of gifts Jonatas Veloso is a coordinator for visitors at the museum as perhaps a dozen visitors clad in Neymar’s yellow No “I think we will get many Brazil jerseys next year,” he says the pilgrimage Sunday starts with a bus ride from Rio and Sao Paulo and all points in between and drives away from all the smog and sprawl and the poor camped out under highway overpasses the church visible from the highway and throughout town its own sprawl the size of a World Cup stadium The path there leads through a street market where venders sell various religious artifacts – crosses and statues and Jesus T-shirts those and Brazil national team soccer jerseys still more venders hawk ice cream and steamed corn and churros and beer There is an amusement park in the shadow of the chapels It costs 12 reais (about $5.40) for three rides Viagem Brazil: Inside the life of local soccer hopeful Lucas Rodrigues The ceiling is a mosaic of yellow and blue and designs of leaves The service streams on televisions across the grounds there is a signed Ronaldo jersey and an homage to Brazil’s national team Veloso says Ronaldo visited before and after the 2002 World Cup So Ronaldo left the signed jersey; which rests at the bottom of the shrine; a small The walls behind the jersey list the years of Brazil’s five titles and showcase paintings of players and of fans even if the home nation’s performance against Mexico had dented some of their fútbol faith One tourist heads inside through the garden clad in a shirt that announces his allegiance to England the long ones the size of walking sticks for sale at the church and while there is no way to know if he considers soccer at that moment if he prays for victory or a World Cup championship the odds seem at least tilted toward that scenario back to the bus and crowded Sao Paulo and a World Cup tournament now deep into its second week Maybe religion has nothing to do with sports I drop some money into the offering basket the United States is playing Portugal at 7 This is the fourteenth piece in a series throughout the opening weeks of the World Cup in which SI senior writer Greg Bishop and photographer Simon Bruty chronicle their travel to offer a taste of the cultural side of Brazil The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Brazil -- Pope Francis urged Catholics to resist the "ephemeral idols" of money power and pleasure during a pilgrimage today to one of the most important shrines in Latin America Francis celebrated the first public Mass of his trip to Brazil after praying before the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida His eyes welled up with emotion as he stood silently in deep prayer before the tiny dark-skinned statue Francis appealed for the faithful to not seek out false idols of money and success that he said take the place of God he called for Brazilians to keep Christian values of faith church bells rang out and a multitude of faithful waved in jubilation as the pope arrived in this small town where thousands packed into the cavernous Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida A powerful choir burst into song as Pope Francis arrived and tens of thousands of additional believers braved a cold rain outside Francis paused in deep prayer before the statue of the virgin his eyes tearing up as he breathed heavily He touched the frame holding the statue and made the sign of the cross as a small group of prelates behind him applauded It was a deeply personal moment for this pontiff who has entrusted his papacy to the Virgin Mary and places great importance in Marian devotion vibrated with energy as the pope passed a few meters from him "It was a once in a lifetime experience for us," said Cirto who was waving and snapping photos simultaneously as the pope's open-air vehicle glided by Unlike the scenes of chaos that greeted Francis upon his Monday arrival in Rio when a mob of faithful swarmed his motorcade from the airport the security situation in Aparecida was far more controlled Chest-high barriers kept the faithful far from his car emergency crews in raincoats and other uniformed security forces stood guard along his route while his bodyguards walked along the side of his car perched at the front of the crowd though she was barely tall enough to see over the metal barrier most of that time on my feet and in the rain and the cold it's the same thing as seeing Jesus pass by some pilgrims sought shelter from the Southern Hemisphere winter chill beneath tarps while others wrapped themselves in blankets and sleeping bags paused to add her offering to a cardboard box filled with stuffed animals She deposited an embossed invitation to her niece's December wedding which she was praying for the Virgin to bless "I have real faith in the powers of the Virgin of Aparecida," said Halfeld adding she had made the hours-long trip to the church once a week for a year during her husband's recent illness I can't think of a more wonderful setting to see the new pope." a church event that brings together young Catholics from around the world roughly every three years Approximately 350,000 young pilgrims signed up to officially take part in the Youth Day events a high school student from Sao Paulo state said the cold rain she endured to get to the basilica was a "test of faith." I'm soaked to the bone and freezing but I'm so excited that it's worth it," said Pereira who tried to huddle from the drizzle beneath a friend's large umbrella "This is my first time seeing a pope and this was an opportunity of a lifetime for me I wasn't about to let it go because of a little rain." Relatives mourn at the site of a mass burial at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery The cemetery is carrying out burials in common graves due to the large number of deaths from COVID-19 disease "I just wish a helicopter would come and fly me away from here," says Manuel Viana a Brazilian funeral director in the front line of the spiraling coronavirus crisis Viana is among the citizens and officials struggling to cope with a tragedy under way in Manaus a city of 2.2 million in the middle of the Amazon rainforest Cemeteries and hospitals have been overwhelmed by a surge in the number of deaths most of which are not registered in official COVID-19 statistics because of a lack of testing and bureaucratic delays fish and other products are shipped down the Amazon River notorious for daily homicides and prison massacres Yet the coronavirus has introduced a new kind of horror The Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery has begun using backhoes to dig mass graves This has become "the only option" because it is "humanly impossible" to dig the required number of graves who runs a funeral company and is president of the Syndicate of Funeral Businesses in Amazonas the city's daily average of deaths has risen from 30 to more than 100 The mayor's office confirmed to NPR that there have been 340 burials just in the past three days City authorities are in little doubt that COVID-19 victims account for most of the spike This means the virus is taking a far deadlier toll on Manaus than the official count of 172 virus-related deaths suggests The reported death toll throughout Brazil is 3,313 Video footage has appeared online showing the collapse of Manaus' burial services and public hospitals corpses lie on beds in a hospital alongside live patients undergoing treatment Another shows a line of vans waiting to deliver bodies for burial at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery Viana says that in some cases — perhaps through fear of infection — families are not coming forward to claim the bodies of their relatives "That is something I honestly have never seen in Manaus before those who do claim their dead are unable to mourn properly because of tight restrictions on the number of people at graveside gatherings "Seeing those families being unable to come to bid farewell or pray is heartbreaking," says Viana "I have been in this business for more than 30 years We never thought we would encounter a situation like this." says Manaus is experiencing "a calamity." He has appealed for help from Brazil's federal government and leaders of the G-20 nations Fears are growing that deaths will surge next month when coronavirus infections are predicted to peak The governor of Amazonas has warned that the state could face "a very serious problem in the next 10 to 15 days." Become an NPR sponsor also celebrate their infants’ month anniversaries It's usually a simple celebration, but some parents end up adopting a theme for the monthly parties. Most of the time, the inspiration has to do with kids motifs, movie characters, or superheroes. But one Brazilian couple decided to celebrate their little girl's two-month birthday with a very special tribute: the theme was inspired by Our Lady of Aparecida Thaymi Godoy, the mother, dressed little Esther in a replica of Our Lady's cloak that she bought near the national shrine of Our Lady in Aparecida in São Paulo The baby even got the crown of Brazil's patron saint whose image was also on the top of the cake And Esther seems to have been quite comfortable with all the to-do Thaymi says that she went to the National Sanctuary of Aparecida with her husband in 2022 to consecrate their marriage and family to Our Lady It was during her visit that she asked Our Lady for the grace of giving birth to a child And her prayer was swiftly answered: At the end of that year "We ended 2022 with the best news in the world: we became parents When I say that it was Our Lady of Aparecida who gave us Esther So it’s not surprising that she decided to make the theme of her daughter’s two-month anniversary inspired by the patron saint as a way of expressing her gratitude "I decided to make the month of October (the month of Our Lady of Aparecida) a tribute to our mother because through her intercession we have our long-dreamed-of daughter," explained the mother View on Instagram