On September 14, 2024, five thousand Brazilians converged in Washington, D.C., to enthrone a statue of Our Lady of Aparecida at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Members of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) and students of the St. Louis de Montfort Academy also gathered to pay tribute to the Patroness of Brazil.
Miraculous Image
The story of Our Lady of Aparecida is spectacular. Over 300 years ago, three fishermen pulled in their nets to find a headless statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. After another cast, they pulled in the head. When they put the head with the body, they miraculously fused.
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The next cast brought in a bountiful catch of fish after a barren day. However, the greatest catch was that of souls conquered by Brazil’s Patroness: Our Lady of Aparecida.
To this day, millions of pilgrims visit Our Lady in Aparecida, Brazil. It is one of the most visited shrines in the world, and many miracles are attributed to her intercession.
Enthusiasm for Our Lady
Washington’s Shrine of the Immaculate Conception has many altars dedicated to Our Lady under various titles reflecting the national devotions of ethnic groups. When Brazilian visitors looked for an altar dedicated to their patroness, they did not find one. Brazilian residents soon petitioned the Shrine to include Our Lady of Aparecida.
The Shrine agreed to the enthronement. Thus, Brazilians from all over the United States came to the event. Groups attended from Massachusetts, Florida, Michigan and even California. The American TFP also came because it has strong ties to Brazil, where the first TFP was founded by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira.
Before the solemn enthronement, several thousand devotees walked on pilgrimage from the nearby Shrine of the Sacred Heart, carrying the statue of Our Lady to the Basilica. Each group held banners and standards bedecked with their parish symbols. The atmosphere was pious and enthusiastic.
A Musical Tribute
When the pilgrims arrived at the Basilica steps, the marching band of the TFP and the St. Louis de Montfort Academy met them with stirring hymns. Trumpeters, drummers, fifers and even bagpipers in full Scottish regalia honored Our Lady in this special way.
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The crowd’s favorite song was “Viva Mãe de Deus e Nossa.” Thousands of voices joined the brass and bagpipes in this distinctly Brazilian Marian hymn.
At the end of this song, a Brazilian man exclaimed in Portuguese, “Viva Nossa Senhora de Aparecida!”(Long Live Our Lady of Aparecida!) A thousand voices proclaimed a resounding “Viva!”
The TFP members then proclaimed, “O Brasil é a Terra de Sancta Cruz!”(Brazil is the land of the Holy Cross!)
Patroness of Two Countries
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of Brazil and the United States. Thus, it was fitting that Our Lady of Aparecida of the Immaculate Conception was enthroned in the Basilica dedicated to her.
The Immaculate Conception is perhaps the most Counter-revolutionary title of Our Lady because she represents virtues especially needed today. It proclaims her absolute virginity in the face of the world’s sensuality and her predilection at the pinnacle of creation in a culture steeped in radical egalitarianism.
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The enthronement of Our Lady of Aparecida in the capital of the United States will undoubtedly bring down graces for both America and Brazil to be the nations God has called them to be.