About 10.5 million pilgrims visited the shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, the patroness of Brazil, in 2025. But even more stunning is the fact that there has been an 84% increase in Confessions at the shrine. The statistics released by the shrine showed that compared to 2024, the number of pilgrims went up by 15%, and those who received Holy Communion by 27%. The Jubilee Year declared by the Church has been cited as one of the reasons for the uptick in pilgrimage.
On October 12, the feast of Our Lady of Aparecida, and the nine days leading up to it, the shrine counted a total of 494,000 visitors. Hundreds of thousands of faithful also flocked to the shrine during Christmas and Easter. The shrine noted that over the past five years, more individual families came to pray rather than large groups.
The statue of the Virgin of Aparecida, deeply venerated by the people of Brazil, was discovered by some fishermen in 1717. Many miracles began happening soon after through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, and a series of churches were built in her honor. In 2013, Pope Francis visited the huge basilica that now houses the 15-inch-tall statue of the Blessed Mother.