"In that case, do not worry!"

My seminary director had a passion for Mary. This priest, now passed away, had a deep influence on me. His name was Otho Fernandes Loures. He strongly encouraged us in our devotion to Mary, prompting us to use the canticles of Mary and to make a vow of submission to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Around the time that I was appointed bishop, he was on his hospital bed and said, "I have learned that you will be made a bishop." I said yes, but that I was very anxious. He asked me: "Haven’t you made a vow of submission to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?" I replied yes, and that I was faithful to this devotion. "In that case, do not worry," he said.

I was appointed to São José do Rio Preto (Brazil). I had thought that its patron saint was São José (Saint Joseph)…actually, the patron saint was the Immaculate Heart of Mary! I wished that Father Othon were still alive to tell him this fact! I have never stopped praying my Rosary every day and I very much feel the power of Mary in my life.

Dom Paulo,

Current Archbishop of Uberaba, a Brazilian city in the western state of Minas Gerais

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Interviewer: Thácio Siqueira