The shrine of Aparecida has become more well known globally in the last several years due to a document that was signed there. It sprung from the 2007 meeting of Latin American bishops. One of the key players in the creation of the document was the future Pope Francis, and he has made many references to the document during his papacy.
Our Lady of Aparecida is a tiny clay image, some 15 inches tall.
She stands over a crescent moon with her hands lifted in prayer, and gazes upward, smiling. She is an image of the Immaculate Conception.
The image was found in 1717, by some fishermen who discovered her in their nets. And like the Gospel story, after a night of no fish, they hauled in a great catch.
Soon, miracles began to be attributed to her. Pilgrims began to visit the little image. Many miracles were attributed to “Our Lady of the Conception Who Appeared.”
The first chapel housing the image was built in 1745. Today the statue is housed in the Minor Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, which is the largest Marian shrine in the world, accommodating up to 45,000 worshippers.
She is the patroness of Brazil.
