Procession attracts millions of Brazilians
This year’s Círio de Nazaré procession, one of Brazil’s most important religious events, drew over two million devotees from all over the country. The float that carried the statue of Our Lady of Nazareth from the Metropolitan Cathedral of Belém to the Basilica of Nazareth took five hours to complete the 3.7 kilometre route.
Along the way, a compact crowd vied for the chance – following long-established tradition – to hold onto some part of the four-hundred-metre sisal rope that is tied to the ornate float. This custom dates back to 1885, when Our Lady’s carriage was swamped by a flood and devotees had to free it with the help of a rope.
The iconic procession, which was repeated this year for the 232nd time, represents a high point of popular devotion in the region, since Our Lady of Nazareth is the Patroness of the State of Pará as well as Queen of the Amazon.
Fifty years of Youth Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Luján
Under the motto Mother, under Thy Gaze We Seek Unity, the 50th Youth Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Luján, Argentina, took place on October 5 and 6. In this year’s pilgrimage it is estimated that more than two million young people from the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, which organized the event, walked more than sixty kilometres to pay homage to the country’s Patroness.
The event culminated in various Eucharistic celebrations at the shrine and the traditional Mass celebrated in Plaza Belgrano, in front of the Luján Basilica.
St. Michael the Archangel Prayer now a hundred and forty years old
The famous brief exorcism prayed to the Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, St. Michael the Archangel, is now one hundred and forty years old. The prayer was written after a mystical vision Pope Leo XIII had on October 13, 1884.
According to the Pontiff, after celebrating Holy Mass he was talking to some Cardinals when he saw Satan say before the Throne of God that he could lead all of humanity to hell and destroy the Church if he were given a hundred years of freedom to act. Deeply impressed by the vision, Leo XIII immediately drew up a prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, protector of the Holy Church, and ordered it to be recited at the end of Mass.
Although the obligatory recitation of this prayer was abolished during the Second Vatican Council, it is still part of the collection of prayers recommended for every Catholic who wishes to invoke St. Michael’s help and protection in their struggles against the infernal hosts today.
Exhibition of convent sweets in Portugal
In October, the Diocese of Santarém in Portugal organized the eighth edition of the Exhibition of Convent Sweets and Cloister Arts, an initiative that is becoming a national tradition. The event aims not only to promote monastic products, but also to provide moments of conviviality between numerous religious institutes, so that they can get to know each other more deeply in their respective customs and charisms.
The exhibition included spaces dedicated to children and families, culinary demonstrations of convent recipes prepared by religious sisters and by pastry students from the Vale do Tejo Vocational School, along with various cultural presentations. This year, the Benedictines of Sineverga, the Cistercian and Carthusian nuns of Évora, the Carmelites of Bande, the Poor Clares of Louriçal, the nuns of Belém, the Benedictines of Roriz and the Little Sisters of Jesus took part in the exhibition.
Remains of Armenia’s oldest church discovered
Archaeologists from the Armenian National Academy of Sciences and the University of Münster have discovered the ruins of a church that is probably the oldest in Armenia and the world. After six years of excavations in the region of the city of Artaxata, in what is now Ararat Province, the researchers were able to trace the octagonal plan of the sacred building, dating its construction to approximately 1,700 years ago.
The church, which was thirty metres in diameter, was covered inside with terracotta and mortar tiles, and even marble imported from the Mediterranean. Despite the progress of the work, many details remain to be elucidated, such as the Patron to whom the church was dedicated and the causes for its disappearance.
The world’s second biggest sponsor of the missions
Spain is the second country on the list of those who donate the most to missions worldwide. Statistics show that in 2023, more than 13 million euros were raised in Spain to support some 900 missionary initiatives.
On the other hand, this nation earns the title of first place in terms of its number of missionaries: 9,932, more than 50 per cent of whom work outside the country. The continent with the greatest presence of Spaniards in the missions is America, where 66.27 per cent of Spanish missionaries abroad are to be found, followed by Europe, Africa, Asia and, finally, Oceania.
Worldwide persecution of Christians increases
The Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need has published its official report with data on religious persecution, according to which there has been a steady increase in violent and oppressive manifestations against Christians around the world. The document, entitled Persecuted and Forgotten? – 2022-2024, presents concrete data and analyzes the overall conditions of religious freedom for Christians in eighteen countries.
According to the report, the epicentre of persecution has shifted from the Middle East to Africa, which has led to mass migrations of Christians who today live unprotected and deprived of the most basic rights. On the other hand, in nations such as China, India and Nicaragua, persecution has come from increasingly authoritarian governments, where Catholics face serious restrictions, mass arrests and confiscation of places of worship.
The study also touches on other issues, including the violent attacks against Christians in Pakistan, the risks faced by women and girls subjected to forced conversions and marriages, and the abduction, intimidation and expulsion of clerics, which have been on the increase throughout the world.
Floral offering to the Virgin of the Pillar breaks new record
The traditional floral offering to Our Lady of the Pillar, held on the occasion of her feast day on October 12 in Zaragoza, broke an all-time record this year. In fact, the local authorities recorded 409,867 devotees on the Plaza del Pilar, from the early hours of the morning until just before midnight, organized into family groups, parish congregations, or groups from various associations.
This year’s offering exceeded expectations in terms of both the number of people who contributed to the offering and the duration of the event, becoming a living demonstration of the love and devotion that animates the Aragonese people for their heavenly Patroness.
Eucharistic procession in New York attracts thousands of faithful
The Catholic organization Napa Institute held its annual Eucharistic procession in New York City on October 15, attracting more than a hundred priests and religious from various institutes to the streets of Manhattan, as well as thousands of devotees of the Eucharist.
The event, now in its fifth year, began with a solemn Eucharist celebrated in St. Patrick’s Cathedral by Archbishop Paul Stagg Coakley of Oklahoma City, followed by benediction with the Blessed Sacrament by Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, Archbishop of New York.
