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Mass in Washington honors Brazil's Our Lady of Aparecida

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville preaches during an Oct. 11 Mass at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart honoring Mary as Brazil's patroness, Our Lady of Aparecida. (CS photo/Andrew Biraj)

Dozens of individuals and families gathered at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 11 for a multilingual Mass honoring Mary as Brazil's patroness, Our Lady of Aparecida. On the eve of her feast day, the faithful were reminded of Mary's constant role as their greatest advocate in heaven and as an example of charity and faith.

The Mass was concelebrated in Portuguese, English and Spanish by Washington Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville and Franciscan Father Diogo Escudero, who serves as a parochial vicar at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart.  

In his homily, Bishop Dorsonville said that Mary, in her multiple apparitions, reminds people that she is with the faithful in the middle of their struggles, joys and pain.

“There is a common denominator in the apparitions. Mary always says to us, ‘Pray. Consecrate yourselves to my immaculate heart and the immaculate heart of my son,’” the bishop said.

The wedding at Cana also shows that Mary’s role is not of one who gives, but as the perfect intercessor; taking our needs and presenting them to her Son, as she did in Cana, Bishop Dorsonville added.

“Mary says what the perfect intercessor can say to each of us, ‘Do whatever He wants you to do,’” the bishop said. “In other words, ‘I cannot do it, but if you have the patience to follow what Jesus is going to say to you in His divine will, things are going to be fine.’”

Family members attend an Oct. 11, 2020 Mass at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C., honoring Our Lady of Aparecida, the patroness of Brazil. (CS photos/Andrew Biraj)

Our Lady Aparecida (Our Lady Revealed) is the principal patroness of Brazil. According to tradition, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary bearing that title was found by three fishermen who miraculously caught many fish after invoking Our Lady. The statue is venerated in a basilica dedicated to Our Lady under that title in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her feast day is Oct. 12.

During the Oct. 11 Mass, Bishop Dorsonville mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic and reminded people not to view it as a punishment.

“Never would God punish humanity by sending a pandemic; that would be unthinkable.  God always loves us and takes care of us,” he said.

He also invited the faithful to take this difficult time to do some insightful learning and deepening of their spirituality and to recognize the important things in life, while at the same time, genuinely caring for others.

The bishop encouraged them to discern and follow God’s will, adding that Mary was open to God’s will during the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel told her she would be the mother of Jesus. He added that seminarians, priests, and deacons are other examples of people who give up their will to follow God’s will in fidelity, holiness, and generosity.

“Most of the time, the more you give up, the more you see that your Christian faith is taking you to the point where there is the real finding of happiness,” he said.

Bishop Dorsonville also encouraged the faithful to move from the culture of indifference to a culture of solidarity and encouraged people to show Mary’s love by praying, not just for themselves but for others, and those suffering around the world.

An example of that suffering, the bishop said, is the suffering of migrants and refugees around the world.   Their numbers have doubled in 20 years to 80 million people displaced because of wars, natural disasters, persecution, or lack of opportunities.

“There is no better way to help people going through difficult times, those who have lost their beloved ones, those who have lost their jobs, those who don’t even know where they’re going to live and are at risk of homelessness. How are we going to do our Christian presence in this human drama? By praying for them,” he added.

Reminding the faithful that Brazil has some of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases in the world, the bishop asked for intercessory prayers for those affected by the pandemic. He also asked them to remember the poor, the needy, and those in the front lines of the pandemic.

“This pandemic is not about one country, this disaster is about humanity,” Bishop Dorsonville said. “As Pope Francis says in his new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, it is about getting together, working together, walking together that we may be getting some light in this darkness.”

Brazil’s ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Fernando Simas Magalhães, also addressed the crowd after the Mass and thanked the parish community, Bishop Dorsonville, and Father Escudero for welcoming the Portuguese-speaking community at the shrine and for the Sunday Masses celebrated there in Portuguese.   

A woman prays during an Oct. 11, 2020 Mass at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C., honoring Our Lady of Aparecida, the patroness of Brazil. (CS photos/Andrew Biraj)
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