Editing Our Lady of Aparecida

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2016}}

{{Infobox saint

|feast_day = October 12<ref name="patron" />

|image = Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida 2019 21.jpg

|imagesize = 250px

|caption = <small>The original image enshrined in the central high altar.<ref name="patron">[http://saints.sqpn.com/mary0005.htm Our Lady of Aparecida profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102221041/http://saints.sqpn.com/mary0005.htm |date=January 2, 2011 }} at Patron Saints Index.</ref></small>

|death_place =

|beatified_date =

|canonized_place =

|canonized_by =

|patronage = [[Brazil]] and [[Brazilian people]],<ref name="patron" /> [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Aparecida]], [[World Youth Day 2013]], expectant mothers, newborn children, rivers and the sea, gold, honey, beauty<ref name="naza">[http://www.mariedenazareth.com/3011.0.html?&L=1 Our Lady of Aparecida profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731003148/http://www.mariedenazareth.com/3011.0.html?&L=1 |date=July 31, 2013 }} at the Mary of Nazareth Project.</ref>

|suppressed_date =

|issues = (1978) Theft and vandalism by [[Protestantism|Protestant]] intruder<br />(1995); [[Chute na santa incident|Public insults and televised vandalism]] by a [[UCKG]] minister

}}

Her image, a clay statue, is widely venerated by [[Brazil]]ian [[Catholics]], who consider her as the principal [[patroness]] of Brazil.<ref name="patron" /> Historical accounts state that the statue was originally found by three fishermen who miraculously caught many fish after invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary. The statue is currently housed in the [[Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida|Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida]] in [[Aparecida]], [[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo]], Brazil.

The following papal documents concern the famed statue:

* [[Pope John Paul II]] consecrated her new shrine and on the same date raised it to the rank of [[minor basilica]] on 4 July 1980<ref name="thomas">{{cite news| title=Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil| url=http://www.catholicvoice.ie/features/2009/07/19/our_lady_of_aparecida_brazil| work=Catholic Voice| author=William Thomas| date=July 19, 2009| publisher=CatholicVoice.ie| access-date=February 22, 2013| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323012623/http://www.catholicvoice.ie/features/2009/07/19/our_lady_of_aparecida_brazil| archive-date=March 23, 2013| df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="vatican.va">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/1980/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19800704_aparecida-brazil_en.html|title = 4 July 1980, Mass in the Basilica of Aparecida &#124; John Paul II}}</ref>

==History==

Twenty years later, the village that had grown around the church on Coqueiros hill became a municipality, named after the saint.

On 16 July 1930, [[Pope Pius XI]] declared the Immaculate Conception under the title of ''Our Lady Aparecida'' to be the principal patroness of Brazil, namely widespread in the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro|Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro]].

The pontifical decree indicated that [[Pope Leo XIII]] granted the approval on the devotion of the image under the title ''"Nossa Senhora da Conceição Apparecida''". In addition, Saint [[Pope Pius X]] established the Office of the Mass under this honor and allowing this devotion to spread due to the widespread piety of the Brazilian people. The Papal decree mentions the 1904 solid gold crown given to the image (assumingly from [[Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil]]). It does not however, mention the shrine being elevated to a [[minor basilica]].

In the wake of the papal decree naming Our Lady Aparecida Patroness of Brazil, on July 16, 1930, Cardinal [[Sebastião da Silveira Cintra|Sebastião Leme da Silveira Cintra]], the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro (then the Capital of Brazil), rededicated Brazil to the Virgin under this Marian title.

==Later years==

Contrary to popular belief, [[John Paul II]] was the first Pope to consecrate the shrine with the title of [[Basilica]] on July 4, 1980. In his Apostolic message, the Pontiff mentioned the coronation of 1904, the Patronage granted in 1930, and his culminating purpose of consecration of the shrine as a Basilica during that time. By research in Vatican documents, there is no mention of 1908 proclamations of the shrine as a Basilica by the Pope or any Vatican prelate.<ref name="vatican.va" />

On May 16, 1978, a person identified as a member of a Protestant sect took the statue from its niche on the basilica after the last [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] of the day. He was chased by guards and some of the church goers.<ref name="Pli">[[Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira|Oliveira, Plinio Corrêa]]. [http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j227sd_OLAparecida_10-12.html "Feast Days of Our Lady: Our Lady Aparecida – October 12"]. Tradition in Action, Inc.</ref> As he was caught, the statue fell to the ground breaking to pieces;<ref name="Pli" /> a group of artists and artisans pieced it together again.<ref name="Pli" />

==<nowiki/>The New Basilica==

As the National Shrine, dedicated to the patroness of Brazil, one of the functions of the basilica is to function as a site of pilgrimage for laborers. The traditional pilgrimage of the laborers takes place each year on [[Independence Day (Brazil)|Brazil's independence holiday]], September 7.<ref name="naza" /> According to recent estimates, the basilica attracts about 8 million pilgrims a year.<ref name="NCR" /><ref>Lugo, Luis. [http://pewforum.org/Christian/Catholic/Pope-to-Visit-Pentecostalized-Brazil.aspx "Pope to Visit 'Pentecostalized' Brazil"]. [[Pew Research Center|Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life]]. April 19, 2007.</ref>

In 2004, to commemorate the centennial of the pontifical coronation commanded by Pope Pius X and the 150th anniversary of the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the statue of Our Lady Aparecida was granted a renewed canonical coronation by the Holy See. The renewed coronation was presided by the Archbishop emeritus of Rio de Janeiro, [[Eugênio de Araújo Sales|Cardinal Eugênio Sales]], in the capacity of [[Papal legate|special papal envoy]] of Pope John Paul II.

==Feast day==

The feast day of Our Lady Aparecida has been a National Holiday in Brazil since 1980. The federal statute declaring October 12 a national holiday in honour of "Our Lady Aparecida", Patroness of Brazil, was passed by Congress and signed into law on June 30, 1980, during [[Pope John Paul II]]'s first visit to the country; that was also the first visit by a Pope to Brazil, and during that visit the "New Basilica" of Aparecida was consecrated.