Mission in Maranhão – BRAZIL

Let us all be members of the same body which help and encourage each other”. (Mother Louise Mabille 1854)

This report is a bit like the mission that we developed, over three years, with a lot of love, dedication and sacrifice. We are located in primitive lands, with indigenous peoples with whom, little by little, we want to work. For now, we have had the grace to get to know a village and have a first contact.

It is a land of martyrs where the Capuchins and the Sisters of Mother Rubato were killed in a conflict between Indians and whites. This fact became known as the Alto Alegre massacre. The Tomb of the Martyrs communicates light, strength, faith and fervor. It is the heart of the mission that beats in the lands of Maranhão.

We, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, arrived in Maranhão on May 30, 2019, invited by the Bishop of the Diocese of Grajaú D. Rubival Cabral Brito, to collaborate in the mission with the parish priest, Fr. Silvio Cristino. Sisters Andrea, Berenilda and Marleide, accompanied by the regional minister, Sr. Irène Oliveira and Sr. Eugenia, we were welcomed with great joy by the parishioners. Father Silvio made a brief presentation of the parish communities and presented the pastoral needs: catechesis, liturgy, leadership formation in the communities and pastoral movements.

Over the years, we have gone door to door to learn about the mission. We started little by little, assisting in catechesis, liturgical animation, formation of choirboys, youth groups, prayer groups, Bible circles... Assistance to the sick and formation ministries deserved special attention, as well as the popular missions. It should be added that we also participate in the meetings of the CRB and the Diocesan Assemblies.

In the year 2020, all of us have been surprised by the pandemic, which has left us without "land". During this time, we intensified our prayer: daily adoration, Rosary of Mercy... praying for humanity and asking for an end to the pandemic. When the circulation of the virus decreased, we gradually resumed our activities.

For a long time, we were responsible for the administration of the parish under the direction and help of the Bishop of the diocese, deacons, seminarians and priests from other dioceses. Thanks to everyone's collaboration, we have succeeded in bringing the communities of the interior to life. The sisters were authorized by Bishop Dom Rubival to administer the sacraments of baptism and marriage during this period. With great zeal and love for the Church, we devote ourselves intensely to listening, to meditating on the Word of God, to accompanying people in the different groups and movements of the Parish.

We were even challenged by the Bishop to undertake reforms to rebuild the parish church and the Jacaré Community. We had the grace to accompany the transfers from the Parish to the city; this one was dedicated to Saint Joseph of Providence and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The old parish, in the Jacaré community, was elevated to the sanctuary of São José of Providence.

In 2022 we welcomed the new parish priest, Fr. Cosmo and Sr. Inês, who came to be part of the mission. Recently, the festivities of the patron saints of the communities have taken place with different expressions of popular religiosity. It is on this basis that we, FMNS, stand to give ourselves to the mission that the Lord has entrusted to our Congregation.

In our daily life, we try to follow the exhortation of our Foundress: “Let us all be members of the same body which help and encourage each other”. (Mother Louise Mabille 1854)

Santa Clara Fraternity - Maranhão - 06/07/2022