The Archdiocese of Braga will celebrate on October 11 the dedication of the new Eucharistic Shrine of Balasar, a temple with capacity for approximately 1,800 seated people, built with an investment of 14 million euros. The day before, on the 10th, the transfer of the remains of Alexandrina Maria da Costa (1904–1955), the beatified known as Alexandrina of Balasar, will take place, in a ceremony presided by the Archbishop of Braga, D. José Cordeiro.
The dedication of the church and altar on Sunday is presided by the apostolic nuncio in Portugal, D. Andrés Carrascosa Coso. D. José Cordeiro emphasized that the infrastructure requires a community capable of supporting those who suffer, aspiring that the visitor "may find this door open and also find someone with time to listen," hoping that the testimony of the Blessed Alexandrina may arouse "a renewed motivation of hope in the Church and in the world."
The rector of the shrine, monsignor Manuel Casado Neiva, presented the goal of developing a continuous pastoral proposal, stating that the mission "is not to build a building, it is to build the living Church." The postulator of the canonization cause, Sister Emília Almeida, justified the attraction of devotees of all ages by the strength of "a simple life, a life given to others."
Official statistics record annually approximately 150,000 devotees at the tomb of the Portuguese mystic and 250,000 participants in regular celebrations. The complex was designed by Centro Ave Arte, based in Florence, articulating architecture and liturgy in a space with the symbolic form of a great biblical "tent," integrating bronze and limestone stones from the Fatima region. Civil authorities are preparing a logistical operation for road management and installation of outdoor screens to manage the expected crowd.
