OFFICIAL PRESENTATION
This delicacy, which aims to further promote the Sanctuary, continues the “Five Senses” project. It is the second product inspired by the Stairway of the Five Senses, following the Fragrance of Bom Jesus.
On April 26th, the Confraria do Bom Jesus do Monte presented the “Bom Jesus Sweets,” the second product of the “Five Senses” project, which aims to contribute to the cultural, religious, and tourist promotion of the Sanctuary. This project started just over a year ago with the introduction of the “Fragrance of Bom Jesus.” The product, which will be sold at Casa das Estampas and in the Bom Jesus Hotels, is handcrafted by Trappist Nuns, master confectioners, who in these sweets have highlighted the sense of taste, well expressed in the fourth fountain of the Stairway of the Five Senses, using a mixture of almond kernel, honey, and orange, a fruit that abounds in the gardens of Bom Jesus. The President of the Confraria do Bom Jesus do Monte, Rev. Canon Mário Martins, explained that these sweets are the second product of the “Five Senses” project, this time focused on the sense of taste, continuing the “Fragrance of Bom Jesus,” which enhanced the sense of smell.
“We can say that Bom Jesus ‘tastes good to us’ because, as Psalm 119 says, ‘the Word of God is sweeter than honey to our mouth…’,” said the President of the Confraria.
Highlighting that the “Bom Jesus Sweets” come wrapped in a “beautiful and well-designed package, made of recycled paper, keeping us on the path of sustainability,” Canon Mário Martins also referred to the text that accompanies the sweets in their box, which points out that these sweets remind us “how good Jesus is; and, therefore, sweet, also urging us to offer and witness this sweetness in the lives of others.”
“This product not only enhances the sense of taste but also values local resources because we have here the orange from Bom Jesus, the almond from Palaçoulo, the honey from Miranda do Douro, and it is also a continuation of the strategy that the Confraria outlined when it took office in this mandate, which is to achieve the objectives of the Laudato Si’ Encyclical, valuing local products and the wonders made in an artisanal way,” he said.
After revealing a bit about the history and vocation of the Congregation, which is governed by the Rule of Saint Benedict, the creator of the sweets, Sister Annunziata, explained that they result precisely from the use of these fresh products and experimentation in the kitchen, as “she does not enjoy making the same recipe all the time.”
Sister Ana Cecília added that the sweets have a community spirit, resulting from the collective work of all the sisters, including the eldest, who is 86 years old.
It was D. José Cordeiro, the Primate Archbishop, himself who revealed how, through his intercession, the process of installing the Congregation at the Monastery of Santa Maria Mãe da Igreja, in Miranda do Douro, took place, where they are located on land provided by 25 families. He also expressed his satisfaction that “Braga, which is a Benedictine place, now also has a Benedictine presence.”
Referring specifically to the “Bom Jesus Sweets,” the Archbishop of Braga praised the initiative of the Confraria, arguing that “spirituality is the most real thing that can exist.”
“Many people speak of spirituality as if it were not real. Here is the proof that it is,” he said.
For his part, the Mayor of Braga, Dr. Ricardo Rio, considered this initiative as “fundamental to meet today’s challenge of any space, any territory, or tourist asset, which is to reinvent itself at any moment, and bring some novelty to the interaction with those who visit it, whether they are residents or the thousands of tourists who pass through here every year.”
“It is a huge and difficult challenge to overcome even for a place like this that has so much to offer, but it is something that is seen, from my perspective, very positively because it encourages people to enjoy or enrich their experience,” he said.
Joking about the fact that it seems “a contradiction to offer sweets to those who come here to engage in physical activity in their daily lives,” Ricardo Rio said that the product can be seen as “a reward for those who have climbed the stairs of Bom Jesus or at least for those who need encouragement to continue to Sameiro,” also praising the spirit of sharing invited by the box of sweets, which so well matches Bom Jesus, “a place that is not to be enjoyed in isolation.”
“I now look forward with great anticipation to what will come next, in this creative and inspiring thread of the Fragrance of Bom Jesus and the Bom Jesus Sweets. I am eager to see what the next three senses will bring,” he said.
The BAFA Confraternity (Bracara Augusta Fidelis et Antíqua) was also present at the session, tasked with spreading the word about the Sweets.
