I am beginning a new series of posts focused on my visits to Churches and Cathedrals around the world. For those who have traveled with me you know that I want to look in every church. In many cases I try to visit during one of the services. I love hearing the organs and choirs when they perform and the feelings of being drawn to look upwards and inwards. These truly are God-inspired, man-made edifices to the magnificence of God. As such, I have visited hundreds of churches around the world. Coming up with my top 10 will be difficult.

Also, I wanted to thank you for reading and indulging me in my memories. It has been helpful for me to pause and reflect on the blessings I have experienced through travel. As I get older, it may be harder and harder for me to remember so these pictures and words will help. I also want to add that all of the pictures included in my posts are ones that I have taken.

My first choice (these are in no particular order) is one that will be the least familiar for you. I didn't know about it until I visited some exchange students in Brazil. Vinicius said he thought I might enjoy this trip outside of Sao Paulo and he was right. Here is some information about it and why I was so excited to have visited it.

Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cathedral Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida is a prominent Catholic basilica in Aparecida, Brazil. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Aparecida, the principal patroness of Brazil. It is the largest cathedral in the world, and the second largest Catholic church by interior area and volume, after St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
The site has its origins in the finding of a small dark clay statue of the Virgin Mary.^[5] According to local tradition, three fishermen were attempting to catch a large amount of fish in the Paraíba River for a banquet honoring the visit of São Paulo governor Pedro de Almeida in 1717.^[6] Despite their prayers, their attempts were fruitless until late in the day, one of the fishermen cast his net and pulled it back to find a headless statue of the Virgin Mary.^[7] Upon his next cast, he found the head.^[7] The group cleaned the statue, wrapped it in cloth, and returned to their task to find their fortunes had changed and they were able to obtain all the fish they needed. The statue is believed to be the work of Frei Agostino de Jesus, a monk residing in São Paulo.

From Google AI

The Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida in São Paulo, Brazil, is the world's largest Marian shrine and second-largest Catholic church. Drawing 10 to 12 million pilgrims yearly, it honors the 1717 miraculous black terracotta statue of Our Lady of Aparecida—the patroness of Brazil.

One of the things that impressed me was the number of pilgrims that it attracts each year. I also read that October 12 is the official feast day and that over 1 million pilgrims descend on the site that day. Travel Tip: Don't go on October 12. :) There are many outlying buildings to help take of the pilgrims since the Basilica is not close to any major city. Below is a picture of the walkway leading pilgrims to the church, some of the outlying buildings for pilgrims, and a mural of the fisherman that marked this site as important.

The inside of the church is cavernous with multiple areas for services. There are masses each hour of every day to meet the needs of the pilgrims coming to this place. Here is a picture of what they come to see and why they worship at this place.