September 1st is the liturgical feast dedicated to St. Mary of Montevergine and, for this occasion, the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration at 11.00 will be presided over by Mons. Arturo Aiello, Bishop of Avellino, at the invitation of the Abbot and the Monastic Community and will see the presence also of the priests of the various diocesan parishes.
The liturgical feast dedicated to S. Maria di Montevergine is celebrated, since the first centuries of the foundation of the Sanctuary, on 8 September, the anniversary of the Nativity of the Mother of God. The Verginian monks, however, perceive the need to allocate a proper feast, in honor of the Madonna under the title of Montevergine, obtained from the Sacred Congregation of Rites to bring forward this solemnity to 1 September.
On Sunday 4 September, however, the Marian Shrine will host his Em. Rev. Card. João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life who will preside over the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration at 11.00 in the Cathedral Basilica.
Born in Mafra, in the diocese of Joinville, in southern Brazil, on April 24, 1947. The spirituality of the unity of the Focolare movement, of which he is a member and which has become for him like a “new family”, has fascinated him since as a teenager, so much so that thanks to this he made the decision to become a priest. In 1958 he entered the minor seminary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) in Assis, in the State of Sao Paulo, where he remained until 1964. Then, always accompanied by the movement, he moved to the Rainha dos Apóstolos major seminary in Curitiba and then he attended the faculty of Palmas. He was sent by his superiors to Rome to complete his theological studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he obtained his licentiate, and at the Pontifical Lateran University, where in 1992 he graduated in dogmatic theology. Meanwhile, on November 26, 1972 he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Apucarana, Monsignor Romeu Alberti, and was incardinated in the same diocese, where he carried out pastoral service in various parishes. He was then appointed rector of the major seminaries of Apucarana and Londrina, and taught dogmatic theology at the Paul VI Theological Institute in Londrina. In the diocese of Apucarana he was a member of the presbyteral council and of the college of consultors, as well as general coordinator of diocesan pastoral care. On April 6, 1994, John Paul II appointed him auxiliary of the diocese of Vitória, assigning him the titular see of Flenucleta. On the following May 31 he received the episcopal ordination from Bishop Domingos Gabriel Wisniewski. On 12 August 1998 he was transferred to Ponta Grossa. On July 17, 2002 he was promoted to the archbishopric of Maringá, where he remained a little over a year. On January 28, 2004 he was appointed archbishop of Brasília, the capital of the immense country. His stay in various dioceses of Brazil was characterized by the search for the unity of charisms, communities, associations, as a response to the guidelines offered by John Paul II in the apostolic letter Novo millennio ineunte. In particular, his pastoral government in Brasília was marked by his commitment to the side of the people. The attitude of listening and attention is testified, among other things, by the numerous visits made to the parishes, by the active participation in vicarial meetings, by the initiatives promoted especially for young people. In May 2010 he organized the XVI National Eucharistic Congress, coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the archdiocese and the city of Brasília. On 4 January 2011 he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life by Benedict XVI. Even at the head of the dicastery for consecrated persons, his style has not changed. At first he initiated a profound relationship of communion with the Redemptorist Archbishop Joseph Tobin, who had already been carrying out his service as secretary of the dicastery for some months. The experience of Monsignor Tobin, superior general of his institute for many years and in connection with the coordination bodies of consecrated life in Rome, was of great help to him especially in this initial phase. Love for the Church and especially for the person of the Pope, together with the experience and competence of the collaborators in the various offices, have added a further precious contribution to the life of the Congregation in this year. The numerous visits to the generalate houses, to the general chapters and to individual communities, together with some trips made in Europe and Africa, have allowed him to establish a direct relationship with many religious families, with the effect of establishing mutual trust and a climate of dialogue and transparency, even in situations of difficulty and tension. On March 29, 2014 Pope Francis confirmed him Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. He participated in the conclave of March 2013 which elected Pope Francis. Created and published by Benedict XVI Cardinal in the Consistory of February 18, 2012, of the Title of St. Helena out of Porta Prenestina, Diaconia elevated pro hac vice a Presbyterial Title (March 4, 2022).
