The cultural and religious expression of the Nuestra Señora de Fátima Brotherhood in the State of Miranda was recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Cristóbal Rojas Municipality (Charalve).
The honorary award was conferred during an extraordinary session held in the Carlos Escara Malvé meeting room of the Cristóbal Rojas City Council, located on Miranda Street, the central area of Charalve.
Councilor Calvin Gonzalez, who led the local council’s commission regarding the Nuestra Señora de Fátima Brotherhood, highlighted the importance of the community in promoting faith in this Marian dedication and the uplift of Catholic action.
He stressed that Cristóbal Rojas has become the first Venezuelan municipality to decide on the celebration of the Virgin of Fatima as an intangible heritage of its historical, cultural and religious heritage.
He thanked the Portuguese community for being part of the cultural and religious heritage of this Tueiro municipality, for knowing and maintaining the tradition of the Virgin of Fatima in the jurisdiction.
Exposition of Our Lady of Fatima: A Celebration That Began in 1975
The speaker of the order was the devout José Pereira, son of the founder of the Nuestra Señora de Fátima Brotherhood in Charalve.
Pereira understood the history of the celebration of the Marian dedication of Fátima in the jurisdiction and it was his father, Manuel Pereira Nunes, who took the image of the Virgin of Fátima to Charalve.
“My father Manuel Pereira exchanged ideas with Mr. José Vieira, the latter communicated with Antonio Rodríguez and José Pita to put together the first celebration of the Virgin of Fatima in Charlevay. The two began to meet; while their wives were at a precise location to make the decorations, flags, hats and pennants that were used to decorate the streets of Charalve, Plaza Bolivar and the central area of the Santa Rosa de Lima Church,” They said.
He reported that on May 1 the procession was transferred to the Santa Rosa de Lima Parish Church and the festivities were scheduled for May 16 to 18, 1975.
Pereira remembers each of the Lusitanian immigrants and devotion to the Virgin of Fatima grew over the years, as well as the emergence of a Portuguese community in Valles del Tuy in the town.
“Fatima has ceased to be a special celebration for the Portuguese, because we have Venezuelans and Spaniards in our brotherhood. Our Virgin has won the hearts of the Charalvens, the children and grandchildren of the Portuguese. We have kept alive the tradition of celebrating the virginity of Fatima and carrying forward the message of the Mother of God,” Pereira said.
Award of Our Lady of Fatima Award
During the extraordinary session, Municipal Secretary Odalis Alvarado read the Agreement No. 11-23 promulgated in the Official Gazette of Cristóbal Rojas Municipality on May 9 of this year 2023, approved unanimously by the 11 councilors that make up the city. Parliament.
Joan Avila, president of the Municipal Chamber, insisted that with this building agreement the Order “Our Lady of Fátima” has been created, destined to recognize the merits of members of Portuguese families who follow the principles with unflinching devotion. Are. Hope, Love, Peace, Family Reunion and Perpetual Prayer.
He explained that the order will be awarded to “Our Lady of Fatima” in its sole category and that it includes merits and demeanor for its application.
He revealed that the post-morton winners are: Manuel Pereira Nunes, José Vieira da Silva, Antonio Vieira Rodrigues, Agostinho Cabral dos Santos and Julio Neto. They also included the surviving founding partners: José Pita Andrade and Jesús Linheira García and finally partners of more than three decades with José Pereira da Graça, Elda María Carvalho Costa and Carlos de Gois.
They will rename the order
Legislator Joan Avila announced that the Order would change its name to “Our Lady of Fátima” and be called “Manuel Pestana Nunes” in honor of the Portuguese citizen who brought the image of the Virgin of Fátima to the city of Charlevois.
He described that the “Manuel Pereira Nunes” order read as follows: “Green represents the hope of the Portuguese, red the blood of the Portuguese nation’s downfall in the wars and battles that have been fought in history, blue represents Mariana de Fátima, The official coat of arms of Portugal will be present in the center and at the end of the band will be the colors of the Cristóbal Rojas municipality, together with the insignia of the painter Cristóbal Rojas “The Image of the Virgin of Fátima”.
The councilor showed the prototype of the order, which was approved to be delivered from the coming year. He specified that for the month of May next year, the winners of the “Manuel Pereira Nunes” order would be appointed by a commission composed of the new Board of Directors of the Nuestra Señora de Fátima Brotherhood from 2024; And it would suit the city council of Cristóbal Rojas to have its medallion decorated with “the same style to recognize the love of the Charlevans with the municipality’s Portuguese community”.
Common hymn
Councilors show their sympathy by watching the Portuguese sing the national anthem of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. “Our charlave is improving every day thanks to the Portuguese living in our city. We must recognize and appreciate it, because they have contributed a grain of sand so that it can be the city of Charlemagne that we have always dreamed of”, acknowledged Mayor Ávila.
During the session, José Luis Houtman, historian of the Cristóbal Rojas Municipality, summarized the history of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima dating back 106 years.
He compared the similarity between the anthems of Portugal and Venezuela with reference to the fact that both nations raised their voices in moments of protest over the inconveniences between the United Kingdom and Spain.
The activity was animated in different segments by the Lambrancas do Noso Povo Folk Group, whose young people made four artistic presentations of themes alluding to Madeiran folklore. The first intervention was the prayer of the Rosary by the director of this cultural group, Emmanuel de Castro.
