The October 12, 2016 opened the Jubilee Year for the 300 years of devotion to Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil.
The miraculous image of Our Lady of Aparecida was found in the River Paraiba do Sul, in the year 1717. Therefore, in 2017 will be 300 years of its presence in Brazil.
To commemorate this date, the National Shrine of Aparecida promotes the jubilee “300 years of blessings” with a program of events and religious celebrations to prepare the faithful for the tercentenary.
Many pilgrim images of Our Lady are sent to different dioceses and archdioceses, and the Redemptorists Missionaries will also send a copy of the image of Our Lady of Aparecida to every principal town in the country.
In 1717, three fishermen went to fish in the Paraíba River. After several unsuccessful attempts, they cast their nets in an area called Porto Itaguaçu.
According to tradition, one of them got into his net a statue of the Madonna, but without the head. He casts his net again and this time he found the statue’s head. Following the three fishermen still cast their nets, and these would be filled with fish.
This was regarded as miraculous. The devotion began to spread: some faithful who prayed before the statue, claimed to have received graces. The cult spread throughout the country of Brazil.
In 1930 Our Lady of Aparecida was proclaimed Patroness of Brazil. The National Shrine of Aparecida is under the guidance of the Redemptorists Missionaries.
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