Our Lady Aparecida
- Nossa Senhora Aparecida
- Our Lady Revealed
- Our Lady Who Appeared
Profile
In October 1717, Dom Pedro de Almedida, Count of Assumar passed through the area of Guarantinqueta, a small city in the Paraiba river valley. The people there decided to hold a feast in his honour, and though it was not fishing season, the men went to the waters to fish for the feast. Three of the fishermen, Domingos Garcia, Joco Alves, and Felipe Pedroso, prayed to the Immaculate Conception, and asked God‘s help. However, after several hours they were ready to give up. Joco cast his net once more near the Port of Itaguagu, but instead of fish, he hauled in the body of a statue. The three cast their net again, and brought up the statue’s head. After cleaning the statue they found that it was Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Naming their find Our Lady Aparecida, they wrapped it in cloth and continued to fish; now their nets were full.
While we do not know why the statue was at the bottom of the river, we do know who made it. Frei Agostino de Jesus, a carioca monk from Sao Paulo known for his sculpture. The image was less than three feet tall, was made around 1650, and must have been underwater for years. It is a dark brown color, is covered by a stiff robe of richly embroidered thick cloth, and wears an imperial crown which was added in 1904. Only her face and hands can be seen. Pope Pius XII proclaimed her principal patroness of Brazil in 1930. The statue was recently vandalized by being broken into several pieces just prior to a visit by Pope John Paul II, but a group of dedicated artists and artisans carefully pieced it together again.
- Aparecida, Brazil, diocese of
- Brazil (given by Pope Pius XI on 9 April and 16 July 1930, and by Pope John XXIII on 12 December 1962)
- Kuwait (given by Pope Pius XII on 25 January 1957)
- World Youth Day 2013
- in Brazil
- Aguanil
- Alto Xingu–Tucumã, Brazil, territorial prelature of
- Antônio Prado de Minas
- Arantina
- Arinos
- Bandeira do Sul
- Brasilândia de Minas
- Brasília (proclaimed on 12 December 1962 by Pope John XXIII)
- Campo do Meio
- Carneirinho
- Conceição da Aparecida
- Dom Cavati
- Estiva
- Frei Inocêncio
- Glaucilândia
- Ilicínia
- Ipiaçu
- José Gonçalves de Minas
- Manga
- Montes Claros
- Ninheira
- Riachinho
- Serrania
- Tocos do Moji
- União de Minas
MLA Citation
- “Our Lady Aparecida“. CatholicSaints.Info. 31 October 2023. Web. 27 April 2024. <>