Saint of the Day: Our Lady of Aparecida

By Vatican News

FEAST DAY
October 12

PATRON OF
Brazil

STORY OF OUR LADY OF APARECIDA

Three hundred years ago, October 12

Early on the morning of October 12, 1717, three Brazilian fishermen set out on the waters of the Paraiba River, which ran through their village. They were charged with providing the fish for the banquet that would be held a few days later in the village of Guarantinguetá on the occasion of the visit of the Count of Assumar, Don Pedro de Almeida, Governor of the Province of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, as he travelled to the town of Vila Rica. The three fishermen – Domingos Garcia, Filipe Pedroso, and João Alves – had had no luck that morning; they had been fishing for hours without catching anything. They had almost given up, when João Alves decided to give it one more try. He cast his net into the river and slowly began to draw it in. There was something there, but it wasn’t a fish… it seemed to be a piece of wood. When they pulled it out of the net, they saw that it was a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the head missing.

The miraculous catch

João cast his net into the waters once more, and pulling it in, he found another piece of wood which proved to be the statue’s head. As if in response to strange instinct, he cast his net a third time into the river. When he tried to pull it in, he found it was full of fish. Now his companions cast their nets as well, and likewise found themselves overwhelmed with an abundance of fish.

Popular veneration

Over the course of the next few days, the three fishermen cleaned and re-assembled the statue, and Filipe Pedroso placed it in his humble abode. Soon after, news of the miraculous catch spread to the neighbouring villages, and day-by-day more of their countrymen came to honour the Blessed Virgin and pray the Rosary. They gave her the name “Nossa Senhora da Conceição Aparecida,” that is, Our Lady of the Appeared Conception. As time went on, the crowds became so large that there was no longer room in the little hut. A small chapel was built, and later, in 1737, a larger one. Soon witnesses began to tell of many graces that were received from Our Lady, and of the many miracles that took place at the sanctuary.

The new church

In 1846 work began on a new church, which was completed in 1888. In 1904, the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida was crowned by order of Pope St Pius X. In 1930, Pope Pius XI declared Our Lady of Aparecida to be the Patroness of Brazil.

The first Pope to visit the Sanctuary

Pope St John Paul II became the first Pope to visit the Sanctuary of Aparecida, during his Apostolic Visit to Brazil in 1980. During his visit, he said, “What were the ancient pilgrims seeking? What are the pilgrims of today seeking? Precisely what they were seeking on the day, more or less distant, of Baptism: faith and the means of nourishing it. They seek the Sacraments of the Church, particularly Reconciliation with God and Eucharistic nourishment. And they set off again strengthened, and grateful to Our Lady the Mother of God and ours.”

HOW CAN YOU RECOGNIZE AND CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF APARECIDA IN YOUR HOME?
By The New Outlook
Does the story of Our Lady of Aparecida remind you of any of the Gospel stories? Perhaps you recalled the story of the apostles fishing in Luke 5 - they fished all night and hadn't caught anything, but then Jesus told them to cast their nets into the deep, and when they did, they could not pull in their nets, for they were so heavy with fish.

Or maybe you remembered a similar story from John 21. Again, the apostles were fishing, but this time it was after the cucifixion of the Lord. Again, they fished all night and they caught nothing. A stranger, standing on the shore, called out to them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. When they did this and found that their nets were overflowing, they knew it was Jesus standing on the shore.

In an almost identical way, Our Lady of Aparecida points us to her Son, our Lord, Jesus.

In honor of Our Lady of Aparecida and of this the month of the Rosary, consider doing one or more of these activities with your family or loved ones:

• Pray the Rosary together! Reflect on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary: how does Mary bring us to Jesus in these mysteries?
• This story demonstrates that Our Blessed Mother cares deeply about the things that are important to us, and she will use those things to direct us toward her Son, Jesus. What is something in your life that you are passionate about or dedicate much of your time to? Can you invite Mary into that part of your life, and ask her to use it to bring you closer to Jesus?