Fray Damião, a popular Franciscan Frair who lived in Brazil as a missionary can be remembered by a giant statue of his. The image of the Franciscan friar is 20 meters high and became the sixth tallest in the country inaugurated on 14 November.
The delivery of the monument was attended by 20,000 Catholic faithful, who also gathered for the outdoor celebration of a Holy Mass at the Fray Damião Sanctuary in the district of Canafistula, Palmeira dos Índios, northeast of Brazil.
Fra Damião, was a priest born in Bozzano, Italy, in 1898. As a missionary, he spent 60 years in Brazil. At the age of 22, he made his perpetual profession, assuming the name “Damiano da Bozzano” and was ordained a priest three years later.
Fray Damião spent his life until his death in 1997.
His missionary work consisted of traveling through the north of Brazil, celebrating masses, evangelizing and hearing confessions. Through his holy services, he gained the fame of a holy man and many faithful Catholics traveled long hours to see him. Some attributed miracles to him and he came to be considered the successor of the Servant of God Cícero Romão Batista.
The remains of Fra Damião in the chapel of Nostra Signora delle Grazie in Pina near Recife. In April 2019, Pope Francis recognized the heroic virtues of Fray Damião and granted him the title of Venerable.