This is another invocation to the Virgin Mary, who is venerated by the Catholic Church and is considered the patron saint of Brazil, where she has her shrine.
The story of Our Lady of Aparecida
In 1717, the village of Garatinguetá (Brazil) heard that the governor would be passing through on his way to Villa Rica, so the villagers decided to give a banquet in honour of the guest.
They asked three fishermen, Domingos Garcia, Filipe Pedroso and João Alves, to provide the best possible supply of fish. The three went out to the Paraiba River, casting their nets without success, instead of catching fish they found a terracotta figure that only had the body of the Virgin of the Conception, 36 cm long, they cast the net again and caught the head, after which their nets were so full of fish that they soon returned to the shore to unload their canoes.
Filipe Pedroso kept the image for 15 years and built a small altar to the Virgin of Aparecida, then so many people came to pray that they had to build a chapel to the Virgin of Aparecida, and a few years later, in 1743, they began to build a temple, which was inaugurated two years later, on 26 July 1745.
Thus was born the village of Our Lady of Aparecida, a few kilometres from Garatinguetá, a village in Sao Paulo. It is not known why the Virgin was in the river, it is only known that it was made by a monk from Sao Paulo, named Frei Agostino de Jesus, in the year 1650.
The Virgin of Aparecida is dressed in a thick embroidered cloak, is brown and has her hands on her chest as if praying.
In 1904 the bishop of Sao Paulo, José de Camargo Barros, solemnly crowned her with a crown donated by Princess Isabel and her mantle is embroidered with gold and precious stones, thus recognising her royalty.
Prayer to the Virgin Aparecida
Our Lady of the Apparition
You who watch over us and protect us,
Who guides us in this life, I ask you
Intercede before our Lord and
Grant me this request (make the request).
I know that he will listen to you, as he always does.
Because you are the Queen, the Protector, and
The purest of all, I trust in you, I know that you will never abandon me
You will never forsake me and will always take care of me. Amen
Miracles of the Virgin of Aparecida
Her first miracle was the great quantity of fish given to the fishermen who found her. After that, there were countless others, including the oldest, which made her the patron saint of Brazil.
It was a quiet night, they were all gathered to pray before the image, when the two candles that illuminated the Virgin of Aparecida were extinguished, there was a great commotion among the faithful, and a woman “Silvana de Rocha, got up to light them, but she did not do it because they lit themselves.
A gentleman on horseback passed in front of the church and began to mock the pilgrims who were entering, saying that faith was stupidity and that he wanted to enter the church on horseback, but he could not because the horse’s leg got stuck in the stairs.
A woman and her blind daughter were walking along the banks of the Paraíba River when the little girl suddenly exclaimed: “Mother, what a beautiful church!
The most surprising story from the time of the slaves is that of the slave Zacarias, in 1850, Zacarias in chains, passing in front of the Sanctuary, asked his master to let him pray to the Virgin of Aparecida, he gave his permission, when Zacarias knelt down the miracle happened, his chains were opened and he was free.
Sanctuary of the Virgin of Aparecida
On 29 April 1908, the church received the title of minor basilica, and on 5 September 1909 it was recognised as a holy minor basilica. The town of Aparecida grew so much that it became a municipality. Pope Pius XI proclaimed Our Lady of the Conception of Aparecida Queen and Patroness of Brazil on 16 July 1930.
The number of pilgrims arriving each year was so great that a new basilica was built in 1955. The title of Basilica was given by Pope John Paul II in 1980, declaring it the second largest basilica in the world, the first being St Peter’s in Rome.
Every year on 12 October, Brazil is filled with joy as it celebrates the Patronal Feast of Our Lady of the Apparition.
Virgin of Aparecida in the sea
In the Philippines, divers found an image of the Virgin Mary under the sea on the beach of Bien Unido, in the province of Bohol, which has become a meeting place for pilgrim divers. Before entering the sea, they pray a rosary entrusted to the Blessed Virgin.
It was not known how the image came to be there until the authorities issued a statement explaining that the image was placed on Danajon Reef in 2010 to deter those who practise illegal fishing, using dynamite and cyanide to damage the ecosystem.
The community of Bien Unido issued a statement allowing divers to pray underwater as it gives them a moment of peace and allows them to thank God for their creations.
Listen to a beautiful hymn to Our Lady of Aparecida.
