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more statues has the more protected he or she is. In fact the best souvenir you can buy a Brazilian is a small statue of their favorite saint. Every day is a saint’s day in Brazil practically in that a day without a saint is no day that is why people in Brazil will say Dia de Sao Nunca to mean the day of saint never is no day because the day doesn’t exist. Saints are both national and regional depending on the miracles people have received from a saint. Every saint is The biggest sanctuary of Marian devotion in the world is a must visit for anyone visiting Brazil. The shrine is dedicated to Our Lady of Aparecida who is celebrated on October 12 ; day set aside as a national holiday in Brazil. Our Lady of Aparecida is remembered as the Saint who appeared to two fishermen who had fished throughout the night with no fish. As they casting their net, they pulled a statue and from that moment they caught many fish. One of the fishermen took the statue to his home where it stayed for fifteen years. When the fisherman moved to another town he gave the statue to his son who built a small chapel and put it there. People who visited the chapel kept on increasing day in day out and it was later elevated to a Basicila by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Brazil in July 1980.
Could Pope’s visit Revive Ailing Catholicism in Brazil?
By Diana Kagwiria
associated with a certain thing; St Francis is said to be the saint of the poor, St Roque the protector against plague. St Expedito takes care of urgent cases and in football grounds you will find people carry his statue.
64.6%
Percentage of the population that said they were Roman Catholic in the 2010 census. This is down from more than 90% in 1970.
Making the sign of cross is a common practice among Brazilians .People in Brazil make the Sign of cross to bless themselves, or to ask for God’s protection like when sailors want to board a ship, before a football match or when they approach a church. People in Brazil speak the language of faith in their day to day conversations. It is not uncommon to hear words like va com Deus(may God protect you in your journey),Gracas a Deus (Thanks be to God). Despite the deep catholic background and faith, the Catholic Church is losing followers not only in Brazil but across Latin America to evangelical Christians and a growing group especially among the youth that is not religious at all. According to 2010 census carried out in the country by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, only 65 percent of Brazilians now say they are Catholic, down from more than 90 percent in 1970 with the highest percentage being in from Rio de Janeiro.
The 28th World Youth Day is set to be held on 23 to 28 July 2013 in Brazil considered the world’s largest Catholic nation. In numeric terms it has 163 million Catholics representing 8 5 percent of the population.
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razil has remained a deeply religious nation since the Portuguese introduced Christianity in the nation in the 15th Century. There are many crosses erected in
October, 1932 is considered the biggest statue in the World. A statue of Christ with extended hands (making the shape of cross) at the top of a hill is believed to bless the Brazilian land. Many tourists who visit Rio de Janeiro do not fail to visit this statue. A statue of our lady of Aperecida, the patroness of Brazil is common in many houses. Statues of saints are everywhere in the Churches and in people’s house. They believe that the
the country, along highways in places where people died in accidents but especially on top of big hills where people make penance mostly during lent and Good Friday. The gigantic statue of Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) erected at the top of Corcavado hill in Rio de Janeiro on 12
THE SEED - VOL 26, No. 6, JUNE 2013
THE SEED - VOL 25, No. 7, JULY 2013
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