OUR LADY OF THE EMIGRANTS

Day 281: February 17

Our Lady of the Emigrants (Nossa Senhora do Desterro), Florianópolis, Brazil



Florianópolis is the capital city of the state of Santa Catarina in Brazil, founded in 1726 under the name of Nossa Senhora do Desterro (Our Lady of the Emigrants/ of exile). The city was renamed in 1894 in honor of Floriano Peixoto, head of the government that put an end to the Federalist Revolution. The city is commonly known by the nickname of Floripa, boasts the statistical recognition of Brazilian capital with the best quality of life and human development index.

A local hunter named Francisco Dias Velho from São Paulo founded the city of Nossa Senhora do Desterro on the island of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil on February 17, 1673.

Francisco settled in this land together with his family, two Jesuits, a few other Portuguese Brazilians and hundreds of Indian workers. From their settlement the current city of Florianópolis was born, and from its chapel the Cathedral dedicated to the patron saint of the city. Our Lady of the Emigrants is celebrated annually on this date on February 17.

A lime wood sculpture created by an Italian Tyrolean workshop in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Emigrants shows the Holy Family going to Egypt as emigrants, after the angel's warning to St Joseph, who informs him in a dream of King Herod's intention to kill the Child Jesus. This sculpture was blessed on May 30, 1902.

The journey was long and painful, but also full of consolations. Legend has it that a palm tree near which the Virgin had leaned together with the Holy Child covered them to protect them.

On another occasion, it is said that the Holy Family was attacked by thieves, who, however, did not harm them thanks to a brigand in particular who pleaded with his companions, later becoming the good thief, who died on the cross next to the Lord, remembered with the name of San Dimas.

Arriving in Egypt, the Holy Family settled in a small cave in the city of Heliopolis, where there was a Jewish settlement and a temple in honor of the true God, which almost equaled the majestic one in Jerusalem.

The Holy Family spent many months in Egypt, until one day, Herod died, and the angel of the Lord reappeared to St Joseph warning him that it was time to return. But the new king Archelaus also frightened Joseph, who stopped in Galilee. There, they lived in a city called Nazareth, fulfilling the prophecy that they would call him Nazarene (Mt. 2:20-23).

Towards the end of the twentieth century, during the Spanish and Portuguese colonial periods, several alchemists found refuge there and hence the nickname "Magic Island."

Everyone who visits Florianopolis Cathedral is struck by the beautiful sculpture of Our Lady of the Emigrants, placed on a side altar. It is a set that represents St Joseph pulling the donkey on which the Holy Virgin Mary is holding the Child Jesus in her arms.

The island of Santa Catarina has become a strategic military location for the Portuguese in southern Brazil. A period of prosperity followed, thanks to agriculture and the production of cotton and flax, cassava flour and lace. In 1823 it became the capital of the province of Santa Catarina.


St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"We feel your special presence, O Mary, with the Blessed Sacrament! We adore Jesus in your arms, we implore Him through you and we receive Him through you, both in time and in eternity, O Mary, Virgin Mother of Jesus and our Mother."

(Justin Russolillo, Spirit of Prayer, trans. Louis Caputo, Vocationist Fathers, Newark, 1996, p. 157)

Comments

Post a Comment

Hot Picks

OUR LADY OF MELIAPORE

Image
Day 47: June 26 This is the shrine in the East Indies, where Saint Francis Xavier often retired to pray during his eleven years with the people of India. The Blessed Virgin Mary was Francis’ constant source of strength and inspiration. The image before which Saint Francis used to pray is called Mylai Matha in Tamil, or Our Lady of Mylapore in English. It is an ancient statue about three feet tall, Our Lady of Meliapore can still be venerated at the church. The church of Saint Thomas of Mylapore – spelled somewhat differently from the above – contains Mary’s shrine. According to tradition, the Apostle Saint Thomas came to India in 52 AD. Due to his success making converts to the True Faith, he was persecuted and finally martyred in the year 72 AD. Saint Thomas is buried at the shrine of Our Lady of Meliapore, and there are relics of Saint Francis Xavier. There was a church known to be in Mylapore going back to the 1st century, and built by St Thomas. According to tradition, there was a ...
Read more

Marian Year 2025-26

Image
  MARIAN YEAR The year 2026 marks the first centenary of the apparition of Our Lady to St Justin Russolillo, the Founder of the Vocationists. As the feast of Our Lady of Divine Vocations falls on May 11, the year preceding to that year (May 11 2025 – May 11 2026) has been declared to be celebrated as Marian Year by the Vocationists. The reason behind this year-long celebration is, as Pope Pius XII decreed prior to the Marian Year in 1953 on the occasion of the first centenary of the definition of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mother, “that the faith of the people may be increased and their devotion to the Virgin Mother of God become daily more inflamed.” As Rev. Fr. Louis Caputo SDV rightly points out, “the life of Fr. Justin here on earth began with the…apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary…, it developed in the shadow of Mary and ended in union with Mary.” The birth of Justin was preceded by an announcement by the Blessed Virgin Mary to Fr. Sa...
Read more

OUR LADY OF DIVINE VOCATIONS

Image
The Devotion to Our Lady of Divine Vocations The devotion to Our Lady of Divine Vocations has its foundation on the Marian Apparition that St Justin Russolillo had on May 10, 1926. He was praying breviary near a hut made of straws called pagliarella. St. Justin describes it in his diary (Book of the Soul) "May 10, 1926, first day of the Rogations. It was given to me the certainty that the Blessed Trinity has given the Blessed Lady the Office of the Immediate Superior of the Society of Divine Vocations and therefore of all the offices, mansions, studies, works, spheres and everything. She is the authority of the Society. Glory and thanks to God and Mary. Therefore, the established practice of having one person always present and on guard in the room dedicated to Our Lady to honor and venerate her perpetually." After the Marian Apparition, St Justin rushed to the rectory of St George's parish in Pianura where he used to be the parish priest. He asked Fr Luigi Diodato to pre...
Read more