Embedded Files
Our Lady of Aparecida, Marian Postcard collection, ML.006 Box 3, circa 1900-2018. Marian Library, University of Dayton Libraries, Dayton, Ohio.
Country
Brazil
Description
One day in 1717, in the small city Guarantinqueta on the Paraiba River, a fisherman cast his net near the Port of Itaguaçu. Of late, the fishermen of the region were having bad luck with their fishing, so they had been praying to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in hopes God would grant a good catch. To his surprise, the fisherman pulled up a headless statue. When two other fishermen cast their nets beside him, they brought up the statue’s head and, finally, some fish.
It so happened that these fishermen had gone fishing to find food for a feast in honour of Dom Pedro de Almeida, Count of Assumar and Governor of the Province of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais, who was passing by the small town of Guarantinqueta on a trip to the site of a gold mine. After cleaning the sculpture, it was discovered that it was an image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
Legend has it that when the body of the Blessed Mother appeared along with its head, the statue became so heavy that the fishermen could not lift it from the water. However, future casts produced full nets of fish, hence the fisherman decided to name the statue Nossa Senhora da Conceição Aparecida (lit. Our Lady of the Conception who Appeared).
People soon caught wind of this great news, and the followers of Our Lady of Aparecida began to grow, with many beginning to visit the small city to venerate the statue. As devotion for the image grew, its first chapel was built in 1737. This statue began receiving more attention not only because of the miracles people were attributing to the image, but because of the Brazilian community's identification with the black-skinned Madonna. As followers of Our Lady of Aparecida kept dramatically increasing, a bigger chapel, named the New Basilica, began construction in 1834. Prior to the inauguration of the New Basilica in 1955, Pope Pius XII proclaimed Nossa Senhora da Conceição Aparecida the principal patroness of Brazil and approved the devotion of her image.
Her image has famously been a source of religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants, especially Pentecostals. On May 16,1978 a Protestant stole the statue from its niche in the Basilica after the last Mass of the day. He was chased down, and when caught the statue fell and broke into pieces. However, a group of artisans and artists were able to piece the image back together. On October 12, 1995, on her feast day, Sergio Von Helder, a televangelist from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), kicked a replica of Our Lady of the Appeared Conception on a late-night broadcast on UCKG television. He said something to the effect of “Your Blessed Mother can do nothing for you.” The following day the incident was denounced nationwide. This event was seen as major act of religious intolerance and Von Helder was transferred to South Africa bringing an end to the controversy.
References:
Oleszkiewicz-Peralba, Małgorzata. The Black Madonna in Latin America and Europe. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2007.
Santoro, Nicholas Joseph. Mary in Our Life: Atlas of the Names and Titles of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Bloomington: iUniverse, 2011.
Researched by Luis F. Russe Gonzalez
Popular Devotions
Her feast day is October 12th, but is also seen celebrated on September 8, May 11 and December. Another popular devotion is reciting this hail Mary 3 consecutive days; if it’s about a dire situation, recite this hail Mary for 3 hours:
Querida Madre Nuestra Señora Aparecida, tú que nos amas y nos guías todos los días Tu que eres la mas bella de las Madres a quien amo con todo mi corazón, te pido una vez más que me ayudes a alcanzar una gracia. Sé que me ayudarás y sé que siempre me acompañarás hasta la hora de mi muerte.
Hail Mary
Ave-Maria, cheia de graça, o Senhor é convosco, bendita sois
vós entre as mulheres a bendito é o fruto do vosso ventre, Jesus.
Santa Maria, Mãe de Deus, rogai por nós, pecadores,
agora e na hora da nossa morte.
Amen.
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