Our Lady of the Martyrs Feast celebrated by Perth Amboy Portuguese community

In the 17th century, on the coast of Serra do Bouro, a small town in Portugal, there was a shipwreck. In the wreckage, a statue of Our Lady holding the Infant Jesus was found and placed in a small chapel.

Afterward, the town suffered a severe drought that caused crops to die. The local people were devastated. They prayed for the Blessed Mother’s intercession and processed with the statue to the ocean coast where it had been found. Rain followed in answer to their prayers and the grateful inhabitants named the statue Our Lady of the Martyrs. Ever since then, in Serra do Bouro where the chapel still stands, the people honor the Blessed Mother on the Feast of Our Lady of the Martyrs celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter.

Mario and Alice DoCoito, former parishioners of St. John Paul II Parish, Perth Amboy, were born and raised in Serra do Bouro and immigrated to Perth Amboy. Many of their fellow parishioners also came from this coastal village. The DoCoitos had a replica of Our Lady of the Martyrs created. In 1987, they brought it to Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima Parish, now a worship site of St. John Paul II Parish, where it was blessed. An annual feast of thanksgiving to Our Lady and her son, Jesus, was established at Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima Parish in 1988.

This year, on April 7, Scalabrinian Father Sergio Dall’Agnese, the first pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima Parish, was the principal celebrant at the Mass for the 36th annual Feast of Our Lady of the Martyrs.

Concelebrants were Redemptorist Father Slawomir Romanowski, pastor of St. John Paul II Parish, and Redemptorist Father Eugeniusz Fasuga, associate pastor. Deacon German Gonzalez assisted.

In Father Romanowski’s opening remarks, he thanked Father Dall’Agnese for his presence and said “Our Lady’s feast coincides with Jesus’ feast of the Divine Mercy. She is the Mother of Mercy and leads us to union with her son.”

In his homily, native Brazilian Father Dall’Agnese said that “the purpose of the feast is to keep alive the faith, traditions and culture” of the Portuguese immigrants. He also reflected on how the first reading at Mass was connected to the feast because the first Christian community shared their goods as do migrants.

Also, the Gospel related “how, along with the evidence of Jesus showing his wounds, St. Thomas needed the support of the apostles to turn around and believe in Christ.” Father Dall’Agnese also reflected on the Divine Mercy feast.

Father Dall’Agnese is the administrator at St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, in Brooklyn and is the provincial treasurer at the Scalabrinian Missionaries of the Province of St. Charles Borromeo in New York City.

After Mass, clergy and worshipers processed through the surrounding city streets. Floats carrying images of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, St. Joseph, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of the Parecida (Patroness of Brazil), St. Anthony and Our Lady of the Martyrs were held aloft by parishioners. They rested on colorful beds of fresh flowers. Papal, American, Portuguese and Brazilian flags and church banners were displayed.

Altar servers and children clothed as Sts. Jacinta, Francisco Marto and Venerable Lucia dos Santos walked along the route. Little ones dressed as angels accompanied them.

Music was supplied by the Newark Our Lady of Fatima Parish Marching Band.

Father Fasuga said “Even though it’s celebrated in the United States, more than 5,000 kilometers away, it has lost none of the spirit and brilliance that’s in the parish in Portugal. We thank God for the people who dedicate themselves to its organization and celebration, and for those who participate. We ask Our Lady of the Martyrs to protect with her mantle Portuguese immigrants who are scattered in every corner of the world.”

Nelson Verdadeiro, chairman of this year’s celebration, said “We thank Our Lady of the Martyrs for giving us her son, Jesus our Savior. It’s through her that we can face all obstacles with dignity because we know that she is always with us.”

“I volunteer almost every year. My husband and are devoted to Our Lady. We help where we can for the community,” parishioner Anita V. Pires said.