Archbishop Gagnon’s Visit to the Missionary Community of Most Holy Providence

This summer, Archbishop Richard Gagnon traveled to Brazil to not only discover a new country but to learn how the Catholic Church exists and ministers within that South American country, which is close in size to the United States of America and ethnically complex. His visit was motivated by the desire to better understand a new religious community, The Missionary Community of Most Holy Providence, and enter discussions with them regarding the possibility of some of their missionaries coming to the Archdiocese of Winnipeg for pastoral ministry here, specifically among the Hispanic peoples.

This community, founded by a Brazilian Bishop, a diocesan priest and two religious sisters, seeks to make Christ known in the spirit of the New Evangelisation and to minister to the needs of the Church in whatever way they are able. The community comprises of priests, religious, brothers, married couples and volunteers. Everyone within the community receives a similar theological formation and preparation for the mission, relying on the Most Holy Providence for their needs and strength. For a decade now, Immaculate Conception Parish in Winnipeg has had priests and sisters from this Missionary Community serve the Portuguese-speaking people in our Archdiocese.

Archbishop Gagnon was blessed to have been a guest of the Missionary Community of Most Holy Providence in Sao Paulo, Rio De Janeiro and Sao Joao da Boa Vista and was able to get to know the community from his time among them. It was a unique experience to have met Msgr. Orlando, one of the founders and two of the sister founders while staying in Mococa at the Motherhouse. It was not only edifying but most interesting to have met some of the married couples who live their Sacrament of Marriage within this Missionary Community as well.

In Brazil, the Catholic Church is very much involved with the New Evangelization and the outreach to the fallen-aways who have joined one of the Evangelical or Pentecostal Churches. This is something that Canadian Catholics would do well to emulate. In Rio de Janeiro, for example, the great statue of Christ the Redeemer, which was built far above Rio on the highest peak, is not only a famous landmark but also has a chapel at its base to remind people that this is also a place of pilgrimage for people throughout the world. Archbishop Richard had the privilege of celebrating Mass in this chapel and found it most interesting that many tourists were surprised to see Mass being celebrated at this famous tourist destination!

Brazil has six Catholic television stations, not to mention radio and the whole world of social media. The Brazilian Catholic media took great interest in the Archbishop’s visit and asked for an interview, which he did while visiting the Christ Redeemer site. He also was surprised at the size of the parishes in Brazil. While staying in Sao Paulo, a city of 11 million people, he stayed in a moderate-sized parish in the city whose parishioners numbered more than 18,000 people. Of course, there are many volunteers and catechists who are involved in such large parishes. It should also be noted that Brazil itself is highly ethnically diverse and this becomes evident within the parish life. Another factor of the Church’s life, especially in the cities, is the question of violence, drugs, traffickers and private militias. The many slums, or favelas, are often controlled by drug traffickers. These slums are often found alongside affluent areas and reveal a contrast that Canadians are not used to seeing. On one occasion, six parishes were closed in one of these areas because of the actions of a new parish priest who found himself in opposition to the rule of the traffickers and contacted the police for help. Archbishop Gagnon and several Brazilian priests took a brief drive through one of these favelas.

There are many faces to the Church in Brazil and its many ministries and components. One example would be the Mission Belem located across the street from the Cathedral Church in Sao Paulo, an immense and elegant example of Gothic architecture with, perhaps, the largest pipe organ in the Americas.  This Mission Belem is a mission to street people in Sao Paulo. Street people are called “walkers” in the English language because they are people always moving around. Interestingly enough, quite a few of these “walkers” have dogs who, roaming free without owners, attach themselves to people as dogs here won’t do! The Mission is a five-story building that provides food, spiritual activities and some overnight accommodations to these people. Archbishop Gagnon visited the mission and met many of the street people there. Many of the volunteers were formerly people on the street whose lives had been transformed by contact with the Mission and are now serving others. The Mission has another 340 separate houses around the city that are connected with the work of the mission. This is one example of ministry in Brazil that is most edifying to see.