On May 1, 1925, the Prelature of Lábrea (Amazonas, Brazil) was established and entrusted to the Augustinian Recollects since its creation. Therefore, since May 1st of this year an extensive calendar of events and celebrations has begun to commemorate it.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Nazareth in Lábrea (Amazonas, Brazil) was the main stage of the opening of the celebrations of the first centenary of the existence of the Prelature of Lábrea (1925-2025) on May 1, with two special protagonists: the original bull of the erection of this ecclesiastical entity and a copy of the image of Our Lady of Nazareth that already makes a pilgrimage to each one of the Parishes of the Prelature to announce the centenary.
This pilgrim image will visit all the Parishes in the coming months, missionary areas, and urban and rural base communities, along with a missionary cross in each place a special celebration will take place, the administration of the sacrament of Confirmation, and a special blessing for all the town.
The image will be in the headquarters of the five parishes of the Prelature around the patron saint festivals: Saint Rita in Tapauá, Saint Augustine in Pauiní, San Juan Bautista in Canutama, San Sebastián and San Francisco in Belo Monte and Foz de Tapauá respectively, Our Lady of Aparecida in the Missionary Area Km. 70 of Canutama.
The intention is for God’s people to participate in the hundred-year history of the Prelature and prepare locally for the celebration of the entire Prelature next May 1, 2025. This preparation will be formative and spiritual, prayerful.
The bull “Imperscrutabili Dei consilio” of Pope Pius XI erected the Prelature of Lábrea on May 1, 1925, with territories dismembered from the Diocese of Amazonas, today Diocese of Manaus.
In the same bull, its care is entrusted to the Order of Augustinian Recollects. From then it was coordinated and presided over by the Augustinian Recollects Marcelo Calvo (1926-1930), Ignacio Martínez (1930-1942), Francisco Martínez (1942-1944), José Álvarez (1944-1967), Florentino Zabalza (1971-1994), Jesús Moraza (1994-2016) and Santiago Sánchez, who currently offers this service to the Church.
Only in a brief period (1967-1971) did it have an apostolic administrator, not a Recollect, the then bishop of Coari, Mario Roberto Anglin.
The Prelature has published a guide for the reception and reception of the image pilgrim of Our Lady of Nazareth. When arriving in all cases by river, the celebrations begin at the port or landing stage of each town and suggest activities such as a procession, community rosary prayer, Eucharist, formations on the history of the Prelature, pastoral priorities of the last Assembly, the document “Dear Amazonia” by Pope Francis, the initiation to the Christian life, the main events and characters of this story…
Our Lady of Nazareth, the patron saint of the Cathedral, and seat of the Prelature, presented in all cases as an example of faith, humility, hope, joy, and service, which are the values that are encouraged to be promoted during the celebrations of the Centenary.
The theme chosen for this first centenary is “Prelature of Lábrea: 100 years announcing the Gospel of Christ on the banks of the Purús River and its tributaries”, and the theme of biblical reflection is “Put out into the deep” (Lk 5:4).
The missionary Cross that accompanies the pilgrim image of Our Lady of Nazareth comes to remember “the suffering of the decimated indigenous peoples, of the enslaved coastal people, those excluded throughout the history of the Prelature, the moans of Mother Earth and is the banner of sister Cleusa, murdered like Jesus for defending life.”
Bishop Santiago Sánchez will accompany a good part of the pilgrimage of the Cross and Our Lady of Nazareth for the communities, as the visible head of the Prelature and link between all basic Christian communities.
The day after the Opening celebration in Lábrea, the pilgrim image began to cross the Purús River downstream towards Tapauá and passed through Belo Monte with a stop, Foz de Tapauá, Vila Souza, Gaivota, and Tapauá, where a multitude was waiting for the image and will remain there until the celebration of the patron saint festivities of Saint Rita.
