Daughters of Charity in parish ministry
For Saint Louise de Marillac, the Daughters of Charity were daughters of the Church and should participate in its Mission. The Daughters of Charity international website shares some ways in which the Daughters are doing this in a large country with many different social realities: Brazil, where there are 6 provinces of the Daughters of Charity.
Province of Amazônia
Community of Our Lady of Grace – City: Novo Repartimento / State: Pará
The foundation of the city of Novo Repartimento is related to the Brazilian Indian tribe Parakanã, to the construction of Transamazônia highway and of the hydroelectric plant of Tucuruí. The town of Repartimento was the name given to the place where the workers of the Transamazônia highway lived with their families. From 1990 to 1995, there was an outbreak of insects caused by the water of the dam. Hundreds of families abandoned their lands and others went to the town asking for a better place to live. After a year of fighting, most people were placed in the project of settlement of Rio Gelado and other areas.
Because of the needs of those who are poor and despite the small number of priests, sisters and missionaries and many other challenges, the Daughters of Charity still try to be present to the poor people in the settlement of Rio Gelado, the 2nd biggest settlement in Latin America, with 10 towns and around 5,000 families. Despite a close watch on the land’s distribution there still are a lot of lands in the hands of some big farmers. The migratory process has grown a lot without any help of the government. The people don’t have access to public and social policies and are abandoned into misery. We try to minimize this situation working with the migrants, in settlements and in communities with catechesis, leadership formation, youth, visiting to stimulate the people, giving courses and natural medicine.
Sister Jaciara Vasconcelos, Sister Vitória Lima and Sister Esmeralda Corrêa, DC
Province of Curitiba
Community: House Catherine Labouré – City: Campinas do Sul / State: Rio Grande do Sul
I have worked for a year at the parish of Our Lady of Navegantes, in the city of Campinas do Sul, in several pastoral ministries, but especially coordinating catechesis. There are 45 catechists, 33 on the countryside and 12 in the city, working with 210 children. Monthly, all catechists have a formation meeting. The parish has 18 chapels, so when I visit them I organize meetings for the parents and children, once or twice a year. During Lent and at First Communion, I lead reflections to help people to live all these moments to the fullest. Also, I have worked at the neighboring parishes giving formation sessions and retreats, for example, at a meeting of several parishes where more than one hundred people attended.
Sister Adiles Maria Guardalben, DC
Community: Saint Sophia – City: Prudentópolis / State: Paraná
The Vincentian priests work at the parish of Saint John the Baptist and the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace and 72 more chapels that belong to these parishes. There are Masses only at the week-ends and in some chapels only twice a month. We, Daughters of Charity, are three Sisters who work together with the priests having the opportunity to give formation to the people. They receive stimulation for their spiritual life and in their struggles with daily living by sharing the Word of God. Doing so, we think that we are giving our contribution to building with them a fairer and unified society where we can live as brothers and sisters. Currently, we are taking part in the Popular Missions seeking parish renewal with the involvement of everyone.
Sister Dalva Ana Kolling, Sister Genoveva Leschnak and Sister Helena Gadonski, DC.
Province of Rio de Janeiro
Community: House Saint Vincent de Paul – City: Acorizal / State: Mato Grosso
We are three Daughters of Charity living and working with several communities that we see as our families. They welcome us with kindness and open our eyes to being more committed to the Kingdom of God and close to those who are poor. Thereby they change our life and our way of being. One of several activities we develop with the rural CEB’s (Basic Ecclesial Communities) is the “Feast of Seed Exchange” where small farmers and other people can exchange traditional seeds, medicinal herb seeds and fruit tree seeds. It happens every year. All day long we celebrate the joy of gathering together, of sharing tastes and knowledge and of solidarity.
When we accepted the challenge, in partnership with the Pastoral Land Commission (an organism of the Conference of the Bishops), to work with agroecology we settled some principles: the mysticism and spirituality of the Earth; the participants’ experience; current information; healthier food; seeds and seedlings brought for everyone. Developing this “Project of Agro-ecology and Mysticism of the Earth” as a new lifestyle and model for the development of countryside has been effective for: gathering small farmers, promotion of family farming, defense of life, practice of Gospel values and ethics, new gender relations and the opportunity to create a market of solidarity.
The earlier Christians keep challenging us to live as a true Community of the children of God in the spirit of the Gospel and in the mysticism of the Earth. Sister Dagmar, Sister Angela and Sister Vera Maria, DC
Tags: Brazil, Daughters of Charity, parish