A special devotion is held in Portugal every year to Our Lady of Agony. Since the 18th century, the locals at Viana do Castelo, especially the fishermen, have had a special devotion towards this statue which is carried in procession. The families of these fishermen know how dangerous their lives can be when they’re out in the ocean, the vast and endless Atlantic ocean. The people know that Mary herself suffered under the cross as she experienced suffering, cruelty, heartache and abandonment while her Son was dying on the cross. So these fishermen between August 15 and 23 each year carry this statue on a boat, so that she will bless them as they embark on the fishing season. They implore her to remain with them until the end of their lives, as she did with her Son on Calvary.
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