Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Sao Paulo (Agenzia Fides) – The Pacaembu Stadium in the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo (Brazil) resonated with joy and fervor on Sunday, June 8. The number of faithful who participated surpassed expectations, according to a report from one of the coordinators of the event, with an estimated attendance of nearly 40,000 people who gathered to celebrate this historic date for the Archdiocese: the closing of the Centennial Year dedicated to the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo.
The event began with several musical performances by well-known Catholic artists. At the beginning of the ceremony, Bishop Pedro Luis Stringhini read the Message sent by the Holy Father Benedict XVI, in honor of the centennial celebration, joining in the “joyful hymn of thanksgiving to the Lord for the fruits of Christian life that he has wished to bless this Archdiocese.” In his Message, the Pope recalled his visit to Sao Paulo last year, an experience that he still remembers vividly: “It is with particular joy that I cherish the memory of those moments that Providence allowed me in attending that truly spiritual celebration of the encounter with the Latin American youth last year.”
The Holy Father also recalled the act of enthroning the Apostle Paul as Patron of the Archdiocese as “a blessed event destined to give even more meaning to the Pauline Year so that, God willing, it may bear abundant fruits in the ecclesial community.” The Pope concludes his Message with a prayer to God saying, “may this meaningful celebration revive all the living strength of this Archdiocese, so it may assume a significant role in the work of evangelization, with constant proclamation of the Word of God through the apostolic zeal of every person, with an intelligent and generous effort to defend the family and the life of every human being.” He also imparted his special Apostolic Blessing on all the faithful.
Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, Archbishop of Sao Paulo, greeted those present and recalled all the Bishops and Archbishops that have preceded him in governing the Archdiocese, saying: “today we wish to give thanks to God for the history of our Archdiocese. All the Archdiocesan community is called to bear witness to the fact that God dwells in this city and that He is good and blesses Sao Paulo.” After the solemn entrance of the statue of the Apostle Saint Paul, the decree from the Congregation for Divine Worship was read. The decree “designates the Apostle Saint Paul as Patron before God of the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo, in Brazil.”
The main act was the Mass, presided by the Apostolic Nuncio of Brazil, Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, and Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, joined by numerous Archbishops and Bishops and hundreds of priests from all over Brazil. Several civil and military authorities were also present, as well as important leaders from other religions and Christian denominations. Auxiliary Bishop Joaquim Justino Carreira of Sao Paulo explained that the collection taken up at the Mass would be used for the construction of the “Madre Paulina” Shrine in Heliopolis. In his homily, the Apostolic Nuncio spoke of the courage and apostolic zeal of the Apostle Saint Paul, as a result of his conversion and personal encounter with Christ, that had marked his life. He also mentioned that, “from now on, this Archdiocese will officially be given Saint Paul as its patron so that like this impressive Apostle, this city that possesses such a great importance in Latin America in terms of social, political, and economic influence may become an example of apostolic zeal and light for the entire continent. Without a doubt, it is called to become a Church on the mission, as the Fifth Conference of Aparecida requested of us.”
At the end of the ceremony, the statue of Saint Paul was led in triumphant procession around the stadium, later continuing on to the Cathedral in the heart of the city. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 9/6/2008)
