The Rosary Pilgrimage Association welcomed the Black Madonna during the monthly Holy Mass celebrated by Fr. Jurandir Severino in the chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary for the disabled, employees, volunteers and managers of this program.
The Rosary Pilgrimage Association was established in 1988 in the Brazilian cities of Santo Anastácio and Presidente Prudente in the state of São Paulo. It was inspired by the activities of the Dominican Order and the Rosary Pilgrimage organization at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. Its founder was Fr. Jean Donatien Levesque, who also initiated a similar initiative in Brazil.
Since then, the Rosary Pilgrimage Association has organized annual pilgrimages of disabled people to the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil.
Father Levesque, a member of the Order of Preachers, in the tradition of St. Dominic, places the Rosary at the forefront of all his activities. He recalls that St. Dominic received the Rosary from the hands of the Mother of God as a tool to win physical and spiritual struggles.
The Rosary Pilgrimage Association is a secular organization that serves people with disabilities (physical, intellectual, neurological) and the elderly, regardless of their religion, e.g. Protestants or Catholics and various denominations. Its operation is based on the work of an interdisciplinary team that provides both individual and group care. It also employs social workers, physiotherapists, psychologists and pedagogues. It develops projects focused on music education, literacy and physical education practice. Its goal is to expand access to knowledge, promote cultural enrichment and socialization of its beneficiaries.
The ceremony was attended by musicians: Pepeu and his daughter Luana, who, together with the Rosário choir, under the direction of the music teacher, with great joy paid tribute to Mary and welcomed the Black Madonna.