Local News
Brazilian Catholics Honor Their Country’s Patroness
Published: October 27, 2011
SANDY SPRINGS—Members of the local Brazilian Catholic community gathered at St. Jude the Apostle Church for a Mass commemorating the feast day of Brazil’s Our Lady of Aparecida (“Our Lady Who Appeared”) Oct. 12.
Waving blue and white handkerchiefs to match the colors of Our Lady’s mantle, (r-l) Bete Costa, Patrycia Decamargo, her son Victor, and Mara Xavier sing the processional hymn, “Viva A Mae (Long Live Our Mother),” with the rest of the congregation during the Oct. 12 Mass celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Aparecida. (Photos by Michael Alexander)
Her feast day has been observed as a public holiday in Brazil since the late Pope John Paul II consecrated the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in 1980.
Like a number of Brazilian cities that have taken the name “Aparecida” before the name of their respective towns, the basilica resides in Aparecida, São Paulo, where it is one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world.
An uncrowned image of Our Lady of Aparecida rests on the altar during the Mass celebrated in her honor at St. Jude the Apostle Church. Depicted as a dark-skinned image of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Aparecida is known as the patron saint of Brazil. The Mass brought Brazilian Catholics together from the Sandy Springs parish and Holy Family Church, Marietta.
The original apparition dates to 1717 when three fishermen recovered the statue, the body and later the head, of the Aparecida Virgin while fishing. Even after the statue was cleaned off, the face retained its dark-skinned appearance.
Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory was the main celebrant and homilist for the festive Mass at St. Jude. He concelebrated with a diverse group of priests that included two American priests, two Latino priests, one African priest, one Brazilian priest, one Irish priest and one Polish priest.
Nine-year-old Isabela Rocha of Holy Family Church, Marietta, crowns the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida as the clergy and congregation look on.
The is the fourth year the Brazilian Catholic commmunity in the Atlanta Archdiocese has gathered to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Aparecida. The annual liturgy alternates between St. Jude the Apostle Church and Holy Family Church, Marietta. Father Rosenilton “Roger” do Carmo Araujo serves as parochial vicar for the Brazilian community in both parishes.
