Reception of the Body
Numerous spiritual sons and daughters from different countries, together with countless of the faithful, gathered on November 1, 2024 at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Caieiras (SP), for the solemn exequies of Msgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias, EP. The ceremonies began with the reception of the body, accompanied by funerary honours on the patio adjacent to the church, followed by the sprinkling of the body of Msgr. João with holy water, in memory of his Baptism and of his participation in the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Mass and Opening of the Obsequial Vigil
Recalling that we live as pilgrims in this land of exile, and that death is a passage to our definitive Homeland, the Heavenly Jerusalem, the coffin entered the basilica in procession and was placed before the steps of the presbytery. The Paschal Candle remained close to it as a sign of Christ’s victory over death. After the concelebration of the Solemn Eucharist, the obsequial vigil begun.
Holy Obsequial Mass
Amid the constant influx of the faithful, a second holy obsequial Mass was celebrated on November 2. The solemn concelebration was followed by the chanting of the litanies for the eternal rest of Msgr. João. Inspired by Sacred Scripture, these prayers are intended as a comfort to the faithful through the consideration of the eternal joys in the presence of God and His Angels and saints.
Mass with the Rite of
Final Commendation and Farewell
The Holy Mass celebrated on November 3 concluded the obsequial ceremonies for Msgr. João. After the Solemn Eucharist, the Rite of Final Commendation and Farewell took place, in which the body was sprinkled with holy water and incensed for the last time before proceeding to sepulture. Everything seemed to be over. For those who have faith, however, at that moment everything was beginning. The biography of Msgr. João did not end with his earthly life, for the most active part of human existence consists in the works and operations performed in God, after death.
Photos: Leandro Souza / Daniel Letelier / David Ayusso / Stephen Nami / Marcelo Vincenti / Maurício Reis / Xavier Jacob
