In Brazil, some cities in the state of Minas Gerais are facing calamitous situations due to the rains. Landslides and flash floods have caused around 60 deaths. Hundreds of people have lost their homes, and some are still missing under the mud.

In the city of Ubá, seven lives have been lost, and four people are still missing. Where the water passed, mud, heavy silence, and the challenge of starting over remain. And it is precisely in this scene of devastation that one detail has touched the hearts of many.

The Pilgrim Mother was found in the mud

The floodwaters rushed into the home of Aparecida Guiducci, a missionary of the Apostolate of the Pilgrim Mother. Mud covered the floor, flooded the rooms, and reached the furniture and mementos. However, amid the traces of loss and destruction, the image of the Pilgrim Mother remained intact. She was standing.

Her presence became a sign of hope for a wounded people. When everything seems to be falling apart, she, the Mother, remains standing beside her children. When human strength is limited, maternal love reminds us that we are not alone, even amid pain.

Priscila Guiducci, daughter of Aparecida, relives the early morning that changed their lives:

“We are going through very difficult times, not only our family, but many others in the city. The flood happened in the early morning. My parents, who are already 80 years old, were asleep when a young man who had a shop on the street began to see on the internet that the water was rising. He remembered my mother’s house and went to wake them up. The water was already coming in. They could have lost their lives, as happened to other people. For us, it was God and the Blessed Mother showing us that they were there.”

When the water receded, the family returned to see what was left.

“There was nothing left. The refrigerator was overturned, and the beds and wardrobes were on the floor. It was like a scene from a horror movie. However, the image of the Pilgrim Mother was exactly where it usually was, on the small table. It hadn’t fallen, moved, or gotten muddy. No one had touched the Pilgrim Mother. She was the first thing we saw when we entered, and we photographed her.”

Members of the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate at work

According to Valéria Azevedo Pacienza, coordinator of the Apostolate of the Pilgrim Mother in the city, the parishes in the region are already mobilizing in a great chain of solidarity. Missionaries, coordinators, and families of the apostolate, together with the Church’s pastoral ministries, are taking charge of preparing meals, collecting donations, and distributing food to shelters, on the streets, and to affected businesses.

“I have seen the protection of the Blessed Mother, caring for her children and showing us that we are not alone, that she intercedes for us. A child of Mary will never perish. That is the certainty that reassures us, the same certainty that reassured the heart of João Luiz Pozzobon in difficult times,” says Valéria.

United in the Covenant

Our solidarity embraces the people of Minas Gerais. May the Pilgrim Mother, who remained intact in that house, also remain firm in the hearts of every family that today needs to rebuild its own history.

United in the Covenant, let us pray for everyone, bringing our solidarity and family spirit to those who need it most.

Source: maeperegrina.org.br