BETHEL—Several hundred members of the Brazilian-American community came out to worship the Eucharistic Jesus at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Aparecida Parish during the Greater Danbury Eucharistic Procession on October 30.

It was a particularly special occasion for them because they are celebrating the first anniversary of the consecration of their new church at 42 Vail Rd., and they recently observed the feast day of their patron, Our Lady of Aparecida.

The Eucharistic exposition and Benediction was followed by the procession with parishioners led by Father Leonel S. Medeiros, Episcopal Vicar for Brazilians and parish administrator, and Bishop Frank J. Caggiano.

“This is a revival of our Eucharistic faith and reminds us of what Jesus did for us at the Last Supper,” Father Medeiros said. “So today we stop everything we are doing to pay respect to Jesus.”

Father Medeiros, who came from Brazil 25 years ago, was ordained 20 years ago in the Diocese of Bridgeport.

In his reflection, Bishop Caggiano told the packed church: “The Lord Jesus has come to visit this house. He has come in his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He’s before us: the same Savior who was born in Bethlehem, who walked the streets of Nazareth, who was in the rough and tumble of Jerusalem and Samaria and all the places he went. The same Lord who laughed and sang with his mother, the same Lord who befriended the apostles and preached the kingdom of repentance and mercy and forgiveness of sin. The same Lord who was beaten, broken, bruised, and crucified on the cross, and the one who broke the chains of sin and now sits at the right hand of the Father. It is the same Lord who has come to visit.”

In the time of Jesus, many people “looked at him and saw nothing special,” the bishop said. “So they kept going, occupied with their lives … Then, there were others who began to see him and recognize what he was asking for and began to oppose him because what the Lord was asking for was a conversion of mind and heart. He came to take this world and flip it right side up so that we might find our way to the God, who created it, and he who is the God, who redeemed it.”

He said that despite our sinfulness, the Lord still loves us with an unimaginable love, more than we love ourselves.

“Jesus knows your secrets and still loves you,” he said. “He knows your sins and will always love you. You are his beloved disciples, and he comes here, and offers his life, his Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity.”

Bishop Caggiano told them the world opposes the Lord and they have an obligation “to bring his life and Eucharistic presence to that world.”

“So my friends, let us be renewed in our hearts, our mind, our spirit, and our eyes,” he said. “Ask the Lord to open them so we can recognize in the eyes of our neighbor, a sister and brother … No matter how difficult it is, no matter how much opposition we receive, no matter how much suffering it will entail, we open our eyes and see clearly what he’s asking for our good.”

During the Eucharistic procession on the church grounds, Father Medeiros walked with the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance beneath a canopy, followed by altar servers, Eucharistic ministers and members of the parish, from infants to the elderly. Many of them wore T-shirts and medals with the image of Our Lady of Aparecida. Four little girls dressed as angels sprinkled white rose petals along the path as the congregation sang hymns.

Then, the large gathering of parishioners knelt on the lawn to pray the Rosary, read psalms and sing in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. They also expressed their love of their community of faith and the leadership of Father Medeiros.

Sandro Doblins, coordinator of religious education, said, “It is a very special day because we are a new parish, and this is our first Eucharistic procession. This is a great accomplishment because parishioners are able to show the little ones the importance of the Eucharist.”

Doblins said the religious education program has 200 registered children and 40 adults in RCIA, four of whom will receive all three sacraments of initiation.

Estela Barros, the vice coordinator of a group of 80 mothers who pray for children every Thursday at 8 pm, said, “We need to bring Jesus in front of us and sacrifice for him as an example to the children.”

“This is the House of God, and Mary is God’s mother and very important to us,” said Eder Oliveria, coordinator of parish events and parishioner for 20 years. “I have a devotion to the Eucharist, and it is important to pray before Jesus to get blessings from God.”

Midson Silva, a member of the parish for 20 years, agreed and said, “Our Lady of Aparecida is very special to the Brazilian people and 95 percent of them have a devotion to her.”

Parish secretary Maruska Leite said the procession was an especially happy occasion for the new parish, which “is blessed to have Father Leonel as pastor to guide us.” Leite, who came to America at 10 years old, said, “When you are growing up, you don’t follow your faith as much, but then you learn how important it is.”

Leite is committed to raising her six children in the Catholic faith and sharing her love of Christ.

Stefanie Silva, who came from Brazil at nine years old, said, “God is everything to me, and my faith is very important.”

Silva has seen how God has been at work in her life. Five years ago, she met her husband at church, and now they have a 19-month-old daughter, Olivia.

Carol Incarnacao-Schirm, who came to America at 14, said the parish is vibrant and joyful and lets her get back to her Brazilian roots. As she processed with the parishioners, she said, “The Eucharist is everything.”

Incarnacao-Schirm is going to be inducted into the Guild of the Most Blessed Sacrament, whose mission is to deepen personal holiness by fostering Eucharistic spirituality.

Going to Mass and adoration “are the most important part of my day,” she said. “I am happy to serve the Lord and bring others to him.” She praised Bishop Caggiano for his efforts to bring the faithful closer to Christ in the Eucharist.

Our Lady of Aparecida Quasi-Parish was elevated to a parish on January 6 this year. The Bethel church is the only one in the United States to honor Our Lady of Aparecida, the patroness of Brazil, whose basilica is in Sao Paulo. Her statue was discovered by three fishermen on October 12, 1717 in the Paraiba River, and many miracles have been attributed to it. She was named“ Nossa Senhora da Conceição Aparecida,” or “Our Lady of the Appeared Conception.” The clay statue of Our Lady was crowned by order of Pope St Pius X in 1904, and Pope Pius XI declared Our Lady of Aparecida the Patroness of Brazil in 1930.

For more than 28 years, Our Lady of Aparecida has been a Brazilian-American Catholic community of faith and was designated a Quasi-Parish by Bishop Caggiano on January 25, 2020, at a ceremony at St. Peter Parish in Danbury, which partnered with the Brazilian-American Catholic community to host Masses and its pastoral ministry service groups.

By Joe Pisani