Brazilian Pilgrim Drags 80kg Wooden Cross in Thanksgiving Journey

CANINDÉ, Brazil, October 18, 2026: A Brazilian pilgrim who was reportedly given two years to live in 2008 is undertaking his third pilgrimage to Canindé, Ceará, dragging a wooden cross weighing more than 80 kilograms as an expression of gratitude for the years he has lived beyond that prognosis.

Vanderley da Rocha began the journey from Santa Quitéria on October 14, wearing traditional Franciscan clothing. Unlike his previous pilgrimages, he is dragging the cross without wheels along the route to the Shrine of St. Francis of the Wounds in Canindé.

“The Lord of the world is leading me,” Rocha said, describing the cross as not heavy for him despite its weight, according to the Brazilian news portal A Voz de Santa Quitéria.

His pilgrimage dates back to a serious health crisis in 2008, when doctors reportedly told him that he had approximately two years to live. During that period, he turned to prayer and sought the intercession of Our Lady of Aparecida, placing his life in God’s hands.

Having lived well beyond the prognosis, Rocha regards his continued life as a blessing and undertakes the pilgrimage as an act of thanksgiving. In an interview with the same local news portal in 2024, he linked the journey to his health struggles and his conviction that his prayers had been answered.

Students and local residents gathered to accompany him at the start of this year’s pilgrimage, offering encouragement and praying alongside him.

Rocha expects to reach the shrine after approximately three days of walking. The Shrine of St. Francis of the Wounds is a major Catholic pilgrimage destination in Brazil, drawing thousands of faithful devoted to St. Francis of Assisi.

Through the physically demanding journey, Rocha seeks to express his gratitude to God and bear witness to the faith that has sustained him through years of uncertainty.

Source: A Voz de Santa Quitéria, via Shalom News and Book HR.

Photo Courtesy: Thiago Rodrigues/ AVSQ