The celebration marked the beginning of the tricentennial year dedicated to the Holy Redemptorist Brother
The Redemptorist missionaries of the Province of Our Lady of Aparecida celebrated the opening of the tricentennial year of Saint Gerard Majella on Sunday, April 27. To make this second Sunday of Easter, Mercy Sunday, even more special, the parish church of Sorocaba (SP) was canonically erected as the Archdiocesan Shrine of Saint Gerard Majella.
The Holy Mass was celebrated by Monsignor Julio Endi Akamine, SAC, Archdiocesan Administrator of Sorocaba, and concelebrated by the Redemptorist missionaries Father Luiz Cláudio Alves de Macedo, Rector of the Sanctuary of São Geraldo in Sorocaba, Father Vinícius Ponciano CSsR, Rector of the Sanctuary of São Geraldo de Curvelo (MG), Father Marlos Aurélio da Silva CSsR, Provincial Superior of Nossa Senhora Province of Aparecida, and by the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Sorocaba, Father Fernando Henrique Giuli Batista. Brother Joaquim Acássio Barbosa CSsR, animated the celebration.
At the altar, the Vicar General read the Decree Elevating the Mother Church of St. Gerard to the Archdiocesan Shrine. In his inaugural address, Monsignor Julio Endi Akamine highlighted the work of the Redemptorist Congregation in the Archdiocese:
“It is a great joy to be able to count on the work of the Redemptorist missionaries, present for many years in our archdiocese, especially in the city of Tietê (SP) and now here in Sorocaba. And through this Shrine, to be a point of convergence for the encounter with God, but also a source of inspiration for the missionary disciples of Jesus Christ, the outgoing Church, the Church with open doors, the Samaritan Church. It is a great joy to be able to celebrate the elevation of this Shrine of Saint Gerard Maiellla.”
In his homily, Bishop Julio highlighted the Gospel reading (Jn 20:29) and the appearance of Christ to the apostles, especially to Thomas, and the desire to experience Jesus’ love:
“We have erected this Shrine for this: the Shrine must be a concrete expression of our desire to see, to personally touch God. Why do we come to the Shrine? (…) Because we want, in some way, to see and touch. The Shrine was built so that we can feel touched by the hand of God (…) Thomas’s experience can also be ours. May we too, in this Shrine, be able to exclaim many times: ‘My Lord and my God!'”
He then reflected on the experience of Thomas and on the importance of the Eucharist, when we receive Jesus’ total gift of himself: “In the Eucharist, Jesus presents us with the signs of his passion, death, and resurrection. The resurrection does not make us forget the crucifixion. A Jesus who has not experienced the passion and the cross is not the true Jesus. But today we have many false things (…) now, the false Jesus is bitter. We want to receive Jesus in his totality. “
Finally, the Archdiocesan Administrator of Sorocaba recalled our beloved Pope Francis, who left us to meet with the Father on April 21. Monsignor Julio revealed that, while preparing his homily, he read the Apostolic Exhortation Evagelli Gaudium, written by the Holy Father, in which he strengthens the parish and shrine’s capacity to “reform themselves and be the Church that lives among the homes of her sons and daughters.”
At the end of the celebration, Father Marlos Aurélio left a special message of gratitude to the Archdiocese of Sorocaba for the Church’s canonical and juridical recognition as an Archdiocesan Shrine. The Redemptorist missionary praised the community’s pastoral care and the formation of young men who wish to pursue religious life as Redemptorist Brothers, following the example of Saint Gerard.
The Provincial Superior praised the opening of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of the Holy Redemptorist Brother:
“Saint Gerard is a great light for us, a great inspiration for our missionary work. Throughout this year dedicated to the tricentennial, we want to delve deeper into his life, but above all into his missionary character, his Redemptorist brotherhood, and his spirituality. Among Redemptorist saints, Gerard is perhaps the one who possesses a mysticism that must be known and lived by each of us.”
He also highlighted the intense program of celebrations for the 300th anniversary of San Gerardo and the conclusion, which will take place at the Sanctuary of San Gerardo in Curvelo (MG).
The Mass concluded with the Jubilee Prayer, recited by the two Redemptorist brothers Carlos José da Cunha and José Domingos Vasconcelos, and with the unveiling of the commemorative plaque of the canonical erection of the Sanctuary of São Geraldo Majella.
Article by Mário Pereira (A12.com) – photo: Gustavo Cabral
Besides:
According to Fr. Luiz Cláudio, “For the Redemptorists who have been working since 2012 in the popular and challenging area of the Northern Region of Sorocaba, the archdiocesan distinction granted to our Mother Church of São Geraldo, erecting it as a Shrine, not only reveals a recognition of the work carried out so far, but also opens up prospects for missionary continuity in the seven communities of the Parish and also for serving people from different parishes who come to us, whether for the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, or in appropriate moments of popular piety, always drawn to our Holy Brother, St. Gerard Majella.”
The Redemptorist presence in Sorocaba
The Redemptorist Missionaries, who were already present in the Archdiocese of Sorocaba, in the city of Tietê (SP), since 1935, have now been present in the city of Sorocaba since 2012, when the São Geraldo Seminary, formerly located in the city of Potim (SP), was established there. This is the only seminary of the Congregation dedicated exclusively to the formation of brothers for the congregation.
That same year, the church dedicated to Saint Gerard Majella, being in the final stages of construction, was elevated to the status of mother church of the Parish, which encompasses six other communities, by then metropolitan archbishop of Sorocaba, Dom Eduardo Benes de Sales Rodrigues.
The parish of San Gerardo, located in the north of Sorocaba, an industrial city of approximately 750,000 inhabitants, was established in 2013 and is now an Archdiocesan Shrine. It will further strengthen the ecclesial journey through devotion to the Redemptorist saint, who inspires vocations to the Church through his virtues.
In 2025, the Vocational Community is home to 13 young Redemptorists preparing for religious life as brothers, including 4 young men who are undergoing the pre-novitiate year.
Information from Fr. Inácio Medeiros, CSsR.
