Itapiranga, Brazil: Apparitions of Our Lady
The History of the Apparitions:
This small town of about 8,000 people is located in the midst of a tropical jungle known more for its wildlife than anything else until May 2, 1994. On that date a woman named Maria do Carmo was praying her rosary when she saw a beautiful girl of about seventeen who appeared holding Maria’s son, who had died in a tragic accident in 1989 at the age of 11. The lady identified herself as Queen of the Rosary and Peace, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her message for those who suffered such losses was to pray, pray and not give up hope.
Several apparitions took place on the following few days where the Blessed Mother warned against the evils of abortion. On May 11, 1994 it was Jesus who appeared to Maria and spoke of adultery and cohabitation as grave sins. The apparitions continue to this day, often with Saint Joseph holding the infant Jesus in his hands in addition to the Blessed Mother.
Many messages were aimed at the young and have led to prayer groups being formed as far away as Italy.
In 2010 the local Bishop, Dom Carillo Gritti, the Prelature of Itacoatiara issued a decree allowing celebrations of worship, confession and pilgrimages. He also established a commission to monitor events and present the findings to the Church.
It should be noted that in 2017 a letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith stated that, in their opinion, the apparitions and messages reported by Edson are not authentic and, subsequently, that the messages should not be distributed within the Diocese.
This can be confusing, since the Diocese does accord the location Shrine status, making it a place of pilgrimage. This is a very important distinction to keep in mind. Masses are celebrated here as you can see, and plans are under way to build a large Shrine dedicated to Our Lady to accommodate the growing crowds coming to the site.
Traveling to Itapiranga:
The nearest major airport is Asuncion.
For those not familiar with Brazil, please note that Portugese is the main language of the country, not Spanish, as is the case in many other South American countries.
Click here for the official website of the Itapiranga shrine
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