Brazilian Mission History

The recent visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Brazil and the "continent of hope" reminds us of Pope John XXIII's call to revisit Latin America and revitalize the faith of the people. Many religious Congregations and Bishops of North America heeded this call and sent members into Central and South America. Although the request was for one tenth of the members, which would have been 80 of our Sisters in 1962, Mother Borromeo Mack and the members of her administration, decided to send four.

After having considered several possible locations, Santa Helena de Goiás was chosen. The school was already established and the priests from the Camden, New Jersey Diocese, were there to welcome our Sisters. Mother Alfred Moes began her ministry in Joliet at St. John the Baptist School on November 4, 1863. One hundred years later her Joliet Franciscan Congregation began its first Brazilian mission on her 64th death anniversary, December 18, 1963, the first Brazilian women professed vows on November 4, 1969.

Many of the priests from the New Jersey Diocese have continued to minister with our Sisters throughout our 40+ years in Santa Helena, as well as in several other parishes in Goiânia. Through the years Bishop Michael Mundo, (Dom Miguel) one of the first priests from NJ, became the mainstay of Santa Helena. From this small parish in 1963, our Sisters co-operated with him in establishing a home for the elderly, a center for employment training, a seminary, a pre-school and day-care center, an improved and enlarged elementary school, a high school, an adult education program, a radio station, a new enlarged parish church.

With Dom Miguel's encouragement many of his young women parishioners joined our Congregation. Soon after our beginnings in Santa Helena, Mother Borromeo received approval from the Sacred Congregation of Religious to establish a novitiate in Goiânia, Goiás. In the cathedral there, on November 4, 1969, our first three Brazilian members, Irma Maria Aparecida Teles Proto, Irma Maria da Gloria dias de Oliveira and Irma Terezinha Mendonca Del Acqua, pronounced vows as Joliet Franciscan Sisters.