Renovation and extension of the parish church in Placas

There is great rejoicing among the faithful in the parish of Placas, in northern Brazil, in Amazonia. On November 10, 2024, thanks to the help of our wonderful benefactors, who generously donated $107,800, they were able to reopen and solemnly consecrate their new and enlarged parish church of Our Lady of Aparecida.

The parish was first established in the 1970s, when more and more people from other parts of Brazil were beginning to settle in this region, thanks to the construction of the Trans-Amazonian Highway. The parish now includes 33 outlying settlements up to 70 km from the parish centre. The original chapel was built in 1979 and later replaced by a church in 1986. However, because the work was performed by unskilled volunteers, extensive renovation work was needed over the years. During times of rain, the water poured in through the roof into the building, and there were many other problems. The church had also become far too small, with seating inside for only a little over 260 people, while the parish today has around 14,000 faithful. And so it was decided to both renovate the church and also enlarge it. Various fundraising campaigns were launched by the local people pay for this work, but sadly the amount raised was nowhere near enough. Hence the request to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which we were able to respond to, thanks to the generosity of our benefactors.

Father Antonio Rodrigues da Silva, the parish priest, has written to thank us: “The challenges we faced in converting and enlarging our parish church have demanded an unshakeable faith in Divine Providence and in the intercession of the Mother of God. From our very first meeting to the time work started, the faithful and the entire team have given everything and remained steadfast in their determination to make this dream a reality. And now this reality has been made possible by your financial support, which has given new life and impetus to the work and the prayers of the whole local community. The conviction that God’s loving gaze rests upon the Amazon region is moving the people of God here to develop a growing sense of responsibility for responding to the mission of Jesus and embracing love and hope as the driving force of the local parish community.”

Rafael, one of the parish coordinators, adds: “May the fulfilment of this dream continue to inspire even greater faith within our community, together with the desire to spread the love of God and devotion to the Virgin Mary. Thank you, to all our friends at ACN, for having believed in our dream!”

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