Confetti is thrown as a priest holds an image of Our Lady of Aparecida during a Mass in Brazil’s Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida on Oct. 11. Since 1717, when three local men fished an image of Mary from the Paraiba River, Aparecida has been a pilgrimage destination. More than ...read more

Pilgrims participate in candlelight procession in the streets around Our Lady of Fatima shrine in Belem, Brazil. Brazilians have been honoring Mary with this annual procession since 1966. Mary appeared to three shepherd children, Lucia dos Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, in 1917 in central Portugal. To find out more about this ...read more

Saint Teresa of the Andes Teresa of the Andes (or Juana Enriqueta Josefina de los Sagrados Corazones Fernández y Solar) was born in Chile in 1900 to an upper class family. From early on Juanita participated daily at Holy Mass. Her constancy in the Eucharist reveals her inner thirst to meet Christ. Early in her ...read more

A pilgrim prays during Mass at Our Lord of the Good End church in Salvador, Brazil. The church’s gates are covered with ribbons (seen in background), which are symbols of faith. To find out more about this year’s World Youth Day in Rio de Janiero, Brazil visit wydcentral.org CNS photo/Ueslei Marcelino, Reuters ...read more

Blessed José de Anchieta José de Anchieta was born in 1534 on Tenerife in the Canary Islands.  José first went to study in Portugal when he was 14 years old at the Royal College of Arts in Coimbra. Intensely religious, he felt the vocation for priesthood and sought admission in 1551 to the Jesuit College ...read more

Young people carry the World Youth Day Cross during its arrival in Icarai beach in Niteroi, Brazil on May 19, 2013. To find out more about this year’s World Youth Day in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, visit wydcentral.org CNS photo/Ricardo Moraes, Reuters ...read more

Blessed Sister Dulce Maria Rita de Souza Pontes was born in 1914 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. From a young age she showed a profound spirit of charity. She entered the Congregation of the Sisters Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God at the age of eighteen taking the name Dulce after her ...read more

A child dressed as an angel walks alongside other women during an Easter Sunday procession in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. To find out more about this year’s World Youth Day in Rio de Janiero, Brazil visit wydcentral.org CNS photo/Pilar Olivares, Reuters ...read more

St George St George was a soldier in the Roman Empire at the time of Diocletian. When he converted to Christianity he was tortured and beheaded. Since the fourth century St. George has been venerated as a martyr for Christ. He is represented as one who faces the dragon, symbolizing his firm faith and triumph ...read more

A woman walks past religious icons hanging on a wall during celebrations for the feast of St. George the martyr in Rio de Janeiro. St. George is one of the most popular saints in Brazil, where many believe he protects against evil. To find out more about this year’s World Youth Day in Rio de ...read more