Our Lady of Aparecida, Patroness of Brazil

In 1717, a statue of Our Lady of Conception, 14 inches tall, was caught in the net of three men, Felipe Pedroso, João Alves and Domingos Garcia, who were fishing in the Paraíba River near the town of Guaratinguetá, in the Province of São Paulo, Brazil. They first found the body of the statue, then, after throwing their net a second time in a little deeper place, they found its head. They began by paying her homage by calling her "Nossa Senhora Aparecida" because she had appeared in their net while they were fishing. The first miracles occurred soon after the discovery, when people had gathered to sing the rosary and the litanies. After that, when they were invoking Our Lady, several graces were granted by the Virgin. And after these the first pilgrimages began, with pilgrims coming from even far-off places. In July 1930, by a decree of Pope Pius XI, Our Lady of Aparecida was proclaimed Queen and official Patron Saint of Brazil, a title publicly recognized by the Government of Brazil in the presence of more than a million people. Currently, the shrine welcomes over 8 million pilgrims each year. On October 12th, feast day of the Patron Saint, a considerable number of pilgrims flock to the sanctuary, and the Pilgrimage of Workers takes place every year on September 7th, the national holiday.