Ecuador – In March, the Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary visited several parishes in the Province of Azuay, gathering the faithful for a solemn crowning of the Blessed Virgin, followed by the Holy Mass. Above, visiting Tutupali Grande and Zhucay, in Tarqui, and the main parish of Camilo Ponce Enríquez.
Italy – On June 13, the Heralds of the Gospel participated in the procession in honour of St. Anthony held at the basilica dedicated to him in Padua. In Rome, the commemorations for the feast of St. Rita of Cassia took place on May 21 and 22, in the Church of San Benedetto in Piscinula, with times set aside for prayer and for Eucharistic Celebrations. During this period, Marian missions continued to be carried out in several Italian cities, including Anoia and Scoppito. The Pilgrim Statue also passed through Our Lady of the Assumption Parish of Borbiago just outside Mira, during the blessing of the fields for a good crop.
Mozambique – The celebration of the Vigil of Pentecost in the Parish of St. Gabriel, of the Servite Fathers, Corpus Christi procession and Sunday Masses in the St. Joseph Community of Matola-Gare, were some of the pastoral activities carried out by the Heralds of this country over the last few months. In May, three hundred children of the St. Vincent Community received the Scapular of Our Lady of Carmel, and a new group of the faithful made their consecration as slaves of love to the Blessed Virgin, according to the method of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort.
Brazil – Residences close to the Mount Calvary Chapel, belonging to Our Lady of Graces Parish in Mairiporã (SP), received a visit from the Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on May 28. The Herald priest who accompanied these visits blessed homes and administered the Anointing of the Sick to those in need of it.
Visits to Latin-American Schools
The Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was received with joy and devotion at numerous educational centres in Latin America. Above, visits to the La Salle School in Mexico City; to the Unidad Educativa American School, the Unidad Educativa Latinoamericana and Ausubel College, in Cuenca, Ecuador; and to the St. Clare of Assisi School in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In many of these visits, a musical presentation was performed for the students after the crowning of the Blessed Virgin.
Colombia – On April 25, the Carlos Eugenio Restrepo Policing Academy of La Estrella commemorated its 38th anniversary with a Mass presided over by Fr. Juan Antonio Vargas, EP, and concelebrated by military pastor Fr. Zahir Gabriel Arión. The feminine sector of the Heralds of the Gospel in Medellin embellished the celebration with their singing.
Portugal – The Fatima Shrine welcomed approximately eight thousand pilgrims on April 23, gathered to participate in the 17th National Encounter of the Heralds of the Gospel. The programme culminated with a Holy Mass celebrated by Archbishop Francisco Senra Coelho of the Évora diocese, in the Basilica of the Blessed Trinity.
Brazil – The Easter Mass for the military in Salvador, presided over by Metropolitan Archbishop Sérgio da Rocha in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, was accompanied by a choral ensemble of the Heralds, who also assisted with the liturgical ceremony. On May 13, Councilman Alexandre Aleluia consecrated the city to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in the municipal chamber. And, on the following day, sixteen members of the faithful were confirmed by Auxiliary Bishop of Salvador Marco Eugênio Galrão Leite de Almeida, in the house of the Heralds in Lauro de Freitas, where the First Saturday Communion of reparation is held each month.