Forty Brazilian Catholics from the St. Augustine Church in Vineyard Haven traveled to Washington, D.C. last weekend for a celebration of Nossa Senhora Conceição Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the capital set up a special monument on Sept. 14 for the thousands of Brazilians who live in the U.S. The image of Our Lady of Aparecida was placed at the entrance of the upper church of the national shrine. 

Luciana Fuller, a member of the Vineyard Haven church, was one of the Islanders who went to the ceremony. She said there were roughly 6,000 Brazilians from all over the country in attendance. 

The ceremony was presided over by Edgar Moreira da Cunha, the bishop of Fall River. The mass was in Portuguese and a representative from the Pope came from the Vatican to witness the enthronement.

The statue of Our Lady of Aparedica has a long history in Brazil. The story goes that three Brazilian fishermen found a clay statue of the Virgin Mary in 1717 and then later caught netfulls of fish for a feast.

Ms. Fuller came to the Island in 1993, when she was just 13 years old. At the time, there weren’t many Brazilians on the Island and no masses to attend. 

As the population grows, going to mass feels like going home for immigrants, she said.

“For us to have this saint, it’s a big part of what keeps us connected to Brazil, in a way, and having that being recognized [in Washington D.C.] was really special for us,” Ms. Fuller said.