July 16. The Assembly participants here in Brazil started the day with a Eucharistic celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel together with the Claretian Missionaries of Sao Paulo; this is the anniversary feast of the congregation. As a family we give thanks to God and place our Assembly in the Heat of Our Mother.

After taking care of some last details and making our bags, we departed by bus after lunch for Aparecida. We stopped briefly at the airport to pick up brethren from Chile, Bolivia, and North Spain, and finally arrived at our destination. At the retreat house we were warmly welcomed and received with great hospitality by the province of Brazil. There we were joined by brethren from Canada and Argentina-Uruguay.

After dinner we were formally welcomed in a warm ceremony prepared by our brethren from Brazil. Teresa, regional coordinator of Brazil, greeted us and reminded us that we were finally in Aparecida, at the feet of our Mother. In this very significant Marian place we commend ourselves to her so that she may enlighten us in the knowledge of God’s will and discern the direction that our Movement is to follow.

The day ended with a beautiful theatrical presentation of the history of Our Lady of Aparecida and a fascinating show of capoeira (Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century). From Wikipedia.