Boy in Brazil asks for — and receives — a chapel for his birthday

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 29, 2023 / 16:30 pm

Little André Luiz Maganha asked his parents for a chapel as a present for his seventh birthday, so they decided to build one as part of their home remodeling project. The chapel was dedicated July 9 in Bauru in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, where the family lives.

According to Eder and Jaqueline Maganha, André’s parents, the boy wanted a chapel with wooden pews, stained-glass windows, and statues, which were chosen by André himself.

The chapel can seat 14 people. It has a pulpit and an altar, but no tabernacle. The day the chapel was blessed, 80 people were in attendance.

“We were remodeling the house. André said that he wanted a chapel for his birthday. So we stopped the remodeling and looked at how we were going to do it,” Jaqueline Maganha told ACI Digital, CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner.

“He hears a lot about the Church at school from the teacher and two nuns,” she added.

The boy attends St. Francis of Assisi School, which is run by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The family intends to call a priest to celebrate Masses on special occasions, such as birthdays, Christmas, and Easter. The first occasion is scheduled for Nov. 30, the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, to whom the chapel is dedicated.

The boy was adopted by the Maganhas when he was 40 days old. The first thing the parents did after adopting him was to have him baptized.

This story was first published by ACI Digital, CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by ACI Prensa/CNA.