Ave Maria!
I thought the title of this article was interesting “As Brazilians drift away from Catholicism, Virgin Mary procession as popular as ever“. It shows how Marian cultural devotions have a universal appeal that will remain as a good basis from which to build a renewal even when religious convictions are otherwise on an ebb. Mother Mary, pray for us. Lord Jesus, have mercy on us and strengthen our faith.
BELEM, Brazil — More than 2 million worshippers, pilgrims and onlookers poured around an 11-inch wooden figure of the Virgin Mary as it made its way through the streets. A crush of the faithful heaved and hauled away at a rope that stretched over a thousand feet from the cart that bore the beloved statue, dragging it inch by inch through the sweat-soaked crowd. Bursts of fireworks marked its passage.
Cirio de Nazare is Brazil’s largest religious event of the year and it takes place at the mouth of the Amazon in the northern state of Para.
via As Brazilians drift away from Catholicism, Virgin Mary procession as popular as ever | Crux.
