Charity and Catholic Faith Itinerary

Catholic faith experiences in six destinations of enormous spiritual depth

Salvador is a sanctuary city. As in no other city in the country, we have three nuns recognized by the Church as women who lived on the path of holiness. In Alagados, is the church considered the Holy Land, trampled by three saints: St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. John Paul II and St. Dulce of the Poor. From there, the portion of land that represents Bahia in the crown of the tercentenary of the discovery of Our Lady Aparecida was extracted.

To tell these and other stories, the City of Salvador, through the Department of Culture and Tourism (SECULT), in partnership with Pastoral do Turismo, launched the web series Walks of Faith (Caminhos de Fé). The project consists of a series of three episodes, featuring immersive itineraries that experience churches, shrines, museums and Catholic temples in Salvador. Learn more at this link. Watch the first two episodes by clicking on the links: Art and Catholic Faith Itinerary; Convents and Monasteries Itinerary.

In the third episode, the Basilica of Our Lady of Conceição da Praia, patron saint of Bahia, is the portal to the Charity and Catholic Faith Itinerary. In this itinerary, we show six destinations of the Catholic faith of enormous spiritual depth, which served as a bridge between the eternal and history, with the poor, with the struggles of everyday life. Here, you get to know the land trampled by saints and others who were here and left marks of faith and life among us. An itinerary with solemn and festive shrines, simple churches and a monastery that forges, in the silence of prayer and the labor of work, a life of faith and contemplation.

Come with Visit Salvador da Bahia and learn more about each church.

Church of Our Lady of Conceição da Praia

Imagine praying the rosary in the Church of Our lady of Conceição da Praia, walking to each of the altars, even inside the “primitive church”, where it all began. You will learn about the construction of the church and its curiosities. This is one of the three emblematic churches for Sister Dulce devotees to discover and be thrilled about. There, it was where the funeral of Sister Dulce took place and the first place where her body was buried, before being permanently in the Shrine of Sister Dulce.

In 1549, Portuguese ships docked in Salvador. An image of the patron saint of Lisbon accompanied the troop’s great journeys. The image, unique in the world, was placed in a first building, whose ruins still exist today. The image of Our Lady Immaculate Conception reigned absolute until 1946, when the nun was proclaimed Patron Saint of Bahia. Learn more at this link.

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Address: Rua da Conceição da Praia – Igreja, no number – Comércio – CEP: 40015-250
Phone #s: (71) 3038-6250 / 3038-6254
E-mail: pnscp@ig.com.br / Website: www.santuarioconceicaodapraia.com
Church open from Monday to Friday, from 7:00 am to 12:00 pm and from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Saturday and Sunday from 7am to 12pm.
Masses: Monday and Saturday at 7:30 am. From Tuesday to Friday, 7:30 am and 12 pm. Sunday at 8am and 10:30am. Every third Sunday the mass is 7:30 am and broadcast by Radio Excelso and the Basilica channel on Youtube. (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0qjRLHpDh-sJMjKiIQpwdQ )

Parish of Our Lady of Alagados and St. John Paul II

The Parish of Our Lady of Alagados and São João Paulo II is the only place where you can find first degree reliquaries of three saints: Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Sister Dulce, besides getting to know the works of the community base.

The Church of Our Lady of Alagados is very close to Ilha dos Ratos, where Sister Dulce’s work began in 1939, providing assistance to the poor community of Alagados.

The construction dates from 1980, and was built for the 1st visit to Brazil of the then Pope John Paul II, one of the most famous and charismatic pontiffs of the Catholic Church. He wanted to visit the poorest of the poor. Mother Teresa was in Alagados, on her first visit to Bahia, in 1979, being received by Sister Dulce, who carried out assistance work there. This place is considered the Holy Land, because of all the saints who have walked there, by all those who still walk there and by those who resist the elements of violence and poverty that still make up the local reality. Learn more at this link.

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Parish of Our Lady of Alagados and St. John Paul II
Address: Rua Luiz Régis Pacheco, 1618, Uruguay. CEP: 40450-060 – Salvador/BA.
There is parking.
Website: www.paroquiadosalagados.org
Phone #: (71) 4124-0912

Sister Dulce’s Social Works

Built thanks to the help of the faithful and donations, the Saint Dulce of the Poor Sanctuary is where the Saint’s relics are deposited, in a space called the Chapel of the Relics. It was built thanks to the help of the faithful and donations, and it always has its doors open to welcome and give spiritual support to those in need.

Seeing the Social Works of Saint Dulce of the Poor, the Sanctuary that is next door and also the Memorial up close is a must-see for those who want to know in depth the history of this nun.
Inaugurated in 1993, one year after the Bahian nun’s death, the Memorial Irmã Dulce (MID) is a permanent exhibition on the legacy of love and charity of the Good Angel of Bahia, bringing together more than 800 pieces that help preserve and keep alive the ideals of the religious.

The Sanctuary of the Blessed Dulce of the Poor, also known as the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God, has been in operation since 2003 and was built thanks to the help of the faithful and donations. The sanctuary is located in Salvador, next to the headquarters of the Sister Dulce Social Works (OSID), in Largo de Roma. Learn more at this link.

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Address: Av. Dendezeiros do Bonfim, 161 – Bonfim, Salvador – BA, 40415-180
Memorial
memorial@irmadulce.org.br
Open to visitors from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 5pm.
Contact: (71) 3310-1115 / 0800-284-5284
Sanctuary
santuario.imaculada@irmadulce.org.br
Open to daily visitation, from 7am to 6pm.
Masses: Sunday to Friday, at two times, at 8:30 am and 4 pm. Saturdays at 4pm. Every 13th of each month, Sister Dulce Mass at 9am.
Contact: (71) 3310-1394

Basilica of Our Lord of Bonfim

In the Basilica of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, visit the Ex-Votos museum, climb the tower and even have the chance to take the greatest symbol, the crucified Christ, to the altar during the celebration of the 5:00 pm mass.
Senhor do Bonfim is an icon of the Bahian faith, attracting many devotees, tourists and pilgrims. The church has a neoclassical style architecture and a rococo façade, following the model of Portuguese churches from the 18th and 19th centuries, with beautiful frescoes and tiles. Learn more at this link.

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Basilica of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim
Address: Largo do Bonfim, no number – Bonfim, Salvador – BA, 40415-475
Contact: (71) 3316-2196 / (71) 3316-2196 / (71) 3207-1551
Opening hours: Monday from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm. Friday and Sunday from 5:30 am to 6:30 pm.
On the last and first Friday of each month, from 5:30 am to 7:30 pm.
Masses:
Important: our suggestion is to call ahead to confirm the hours of the masses. The best option is to call the Pastoral Office of Salvador, talk to Mrs. Lúcia (71) 4009-6605 and confirm the possibilities. Or access through the Archdiocese portal at this link.

Monastery of the Savior

Watching the Gregorian chants of the Benedictine nuns at the Monastery of the Savior and, in addition, eating biscuits and jams produced by them is a unique experience. To top it off, you can take a walk in an European style pine forest.

In the Monastery of the Savior you can experience the Gregorian chant, accompanied by the sound of the zither, created to express the words of Sacred Scripture. This millenary tradition still resonates today in new and old ways. Many people also come to the monastery for spiritual retreats, as the place has a great inn.

Finish the visit by going to the shop. The nuns produce the traditional Bricelet and Bricelet Coquetel (salty), an artisanal, crunchy, light and delicate biscuit, produced in a Swiss or German machine, which follows a traditional Swiss recipe with selected ingredients. It is a work done by the nuns since 1977, the year of the foundation of the Monastery of the Savior. They also make delicious “Premium Jellies” in 17 flavors, such as guava, mango with tangerine, strawberry with wine, apple with cinnamon, acerola with pepper, among others. Learn more at this link.

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Monastery of the Savior
Address: Av. Afrânio Peixoto, no number – Coutos, Salvador – BA, 40750-090
Website: www.mosteirodosalvador.org.br
To order cookies and jellies: whatsapp (71) 98288 5253 or flavorsmonasticos@mosteirodosalvador.org.br

Parish of Our Lady of Pilar and Santa Luzia

In the Church of Our Lady of Pilar and Santa Luzia, located in Comércio neighborhood, there is a grotto where water has been dripping since the 17th century, when the temple was still a small chapel. The devotees of Santa Luzia seek after the water that flows day and night from this fountain that has never dried up. They wash their eyes and even take it home in a small bottle.

The Parish Church of Our Lady of Pilar, patron saint of Spain, was built by the Spanish in 1718. The historic temple, built by immigrants, features elements of the Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles. A century and a half ago, the chapel of Santa Luzia, which was on Avenida Contorno, in the space that today is the Solar do Unhão, caught fire. Thus, the image of Santa Luzia was transferred to the Church of Pilar. The faithful came too. At the back of the church, there was already a headwater. Learn more at this link.

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Parish of Our Lady of Pilar and Santa Luzia, in Comércio.
Address: Rua do Pilar – Comércio, Salvador – BA, 40015-570
Phone #: (71) 98656-6998 (Father Renato)
E-mail: martinsdito@gmail.com
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, and Saturday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Sunday opens at 7:30 am, with mass at 9:00 am.
Apart from the date of the festival, the Church is only open on Sundays, with masses at 9 am. Every 13th of the month, there are three masses: one at 8am; another at 10 am; and another at 5 pm. From the fountain springs water 24 hours a day.