Brazil I

 

29 June 2008 – The Pauline Family, in communion with the whole Brazilian Church, solemnly opened the Year dedicated to St. Paul in the Sao Paulo Cathedral. The Eucharistic Celebration was presided over by the Archbishop of Sao Paulo, Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, and concelebrated by six auxiliary bishops, numerous Pauline priests, and diocesan priests representing the country’s various Episcopal regions. A huge crowd from different parts of the country participated in the Liturgy.

 

Addressing the Pauline Family, Cardinal Odilo emphasized our mission and commitment to proclaiming the Gospel in the culture of communication. Speaking about St. Paul, whom he called a courageous missionary whose apostolic activities knew no boundaries, the Archbishop urged us to carry out our mission in this same spirit of selfless service. He then said how happy he was to celebrate this Jubilee Year dedicated to St. Paul, patron of the Archdiocese, and expressed the hope that everyone would come to know the Apostle better and be “infected” by his experience so as to bear the fruit of perseverance and love.

25 June 2008 – Opening of the Pauline Year in the book center with a Eucharistic Celebration thanking God for our 77 years of presence in Brazil.

 

28 June 2008 – Opening of the Pauline Year in the Archdiocese with a procession guided by Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta. The hour-long procession from St. Francis of Assisi Church to Sts. Peter and Paul Church concluded with a solemn Eucharistic Celebration. The Daughters of St. Paul, their aspirants and co-workers, as well as several other religious Institutes with a Pauline spirituality, all worked together to prepare and carry out this event.

 

29 June 2008 – A Eucharistic Celebration at noon initiated the Pauline Year in a very significant way in our local parish. The FSPs, their aspirants and co-workers all participated in the Liturgy, which was followed by a festive and fraternal midday meal to which all those present were invited.

 

To give continuity to the celebration of the Pauline Year, the Archdiocese of Belem has programmed a year-long “pilgrimage of the Apostle Paul” (28.06.2008–28.06.2009). A painting on loan from Sts. Peter and Paul Church will “visit” all the parishes of the Archdiocese, remaining for a week in each one. The pilgrimage will conclude at the end of the Pauline Year in Mangueirao Stadium, where a group of young people will receive the sacrament of Confirmation. After this, the picture of St. Paul will be returned to its “home” Church.

28 June 2008 – A Mass to open the Pauline Year was celebrated in our book center and attended by our sisters, co-workers and Pauline Cooperators. In his homily the celebrant, Fr. José Miranda, presented Paul in his role as apostle and missionary. The Liturgy was an important moment for reviving the presence of the Apostle in the Church, in our Congregation and in each FSP. It also gave us the chance to express our gratitude to the Pope for having requested the celebration of a Pauline Year.

 

29 June 2008 – The Pauline Year opened with a Eucharistic Celebration in St. Paul the Apostle Parish presided over by Archbishop Anuar Battisti and various concelebrants. Many deacons, seminarians, religious and members of the laity participated enthusiastically in the event. The Daughters of St. Paul of Maringa were all present for the occasion and the Archbishop addressed them directly several times in his homily. He then blessed a statue of St. Paul and the holy cards of the saint that all the people held in their hands.

29 June 2008 – The Pauline Year opened with a solemn Eucharistic Celebration in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel attended by the FSPs, their co-workers, other religious Institutes, and representatives of the civil government of Curitiba and Sao José dos Pinhais.

 

At the beginning of the Liturgy, Sr. Angelina Pegorer, fsp, highlighted the meaning of this Jubilee Year for the Pauline Family and for the whole Church. The Mass was presided over by the rector of the diocesan seminary and administrator of Curitiba’s Curia, Fr. Kleina, who is very sensitive to the importance of the communications media in the Church’s work of evangelization.

 

A significant moment of the Liturgy was the Action of Grace prepared by Sr. Elizete, fsp, and one of our Pauline co-workers.

28 June 2008 – To open the Pauline Year, our Niteroi book center organized a festive morning of celebration featuring the Community of Divine Light Band. Present for the occasion was Auxiliary Bishop Roberto Paz, who enthusiastically inaugurated the event by urging everyone to live this special year as fully as possible. Concluding his opening address, Bishop Paz said, “May Paul, with his overflowing ardor and zeal for Christ, help us evangelize the world and enable us to travel, like him, the ‘road to Damascus’ so as to convert society and modern civilization to the same love he bore for Christ.”

 

28 June 2008 – The Pauline Year opened in St. John the Baptist Cathedral with a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Archbishop Alano Maria of Niteroi. In his homily, the Archbishop underscored how the Pauline Year should be a powerful time of evangelization–a time to propose a radical following of Jesus Christ. He said he hoped everyone would work intensively to help young people get to know St. Paul so as to encourage them to follow in the Apostle’s footsteps and disseminate Gospel values in today’s world.

The Pauline Year opened with a very meaningful Eucharistic Celebration in the Cathedral. To initiate the Liturgy, representatives of every Institute of the Pauline Family, as well as members of the Cursillo Movement and catechetical groups, accompanied a picture of St. Paul, mounted on a special platform, into the church, which was packed with worshipers. 60 seminarians, numerous priests and deacons completed the opening procession, which approached the altar as the Maranatha choir sang the hymn “Paul, Paul, why are you persecuting me?”

 

The picture of St. Paul was placed in the sanctuary, next to that of St. Peter. Both pictures flanked a large painting of Our Lady of Aparecida, Patroness of Brasilia.

 

During his homily, Fr. Joao Braz di Aviz described Paul as an apostle and missionary who manifested great courage and steadfastness in following his sole love: Jesus.

 

During the Pauline Year, the picture of the Apostle will visit the 122 parishes of the Archdiocese before it returns to the Cathedral for the solemn closing of the Year on 29 June 2009.

12 July 2008 – The entire Pauline Family (SSPs, FSPs, PDs, Pastorelles, Apostolines and our 5 aggregated Institutes) solemnly opened the Pauline Year in the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Aparecida. Archbishop Odilo Pedro Scherer of Sao Paulo presided over the Eucharis-tic Celebration, which was broadcast live throughout the country on various TV stations. 250 representatives of Institutes and Congregations present in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro parti-cipated in the event, together with representatives of various communities throughout the country. Fr. Guido Gandolfo, from the SSP Spirituality Center, Rome, was also present for the occasion.

 

In his homily, the Archbishop rejoiced with the Pauline Family at having St. Paul for a patron and urged its members to help all Christians live the Pauline Year well by getting to know the Apostle better, especially under the aspects people most need today: his meeting with Christ, his conversion and his welcome of the Gospel as a grace of God.

 

Fr. José Aloisio Oliveira, pastor of the sole parish dedicated to St. Paul in the Archdiocese of Maceio, invited the FSP vocation mistresses of Recife, Sr. Cicera Maria and Sr. Marizete Batista, to prepare the members of his parish for the opening of the Pauline Year. Accepting his request, our sisters organized sessions on the Pauline spirituality and various youth encounters.

 

29 June 2008 – Solemn celebration of the opening of the Pauline Year in the Maceio Cathedral, which has been declared a pilgrimage destination for the Pauline Year. It will also be a center for study and reflection on the Apostle throughout the Year. At the end of the Eucharistic Celebration, Fr. Antonio Muniz Fernandes announced that a large Sanctuary will be built to commemorate this Jubilee Year and that henceforth a special Mass will be celebrated in St. Paul Parish on 29 June each year in memory of the Apostle.

Mass in the Book Center. To ensure that the Pauline Year produces fruit, the FSPs of Brasi-lia have decided to have a Mass celebrated in their book center chapel on the 15th of every month in thanksgiving for our Pauline presence throughout the world. About 40 people participated in the first Eucharistic Celebration on 15 July–a lively Liturgy presided over by Fr. Euclides Ferreira.

 

Praying the Word. Every month, our Brasilia book center will hold an encounter dedicated to a prayerful reading of the Letters of St. Paul. A similar initiative, guided by an FSP, will also be held in nearby Divine Word Parish.

The FSPs of Porto Velho helped the faithful of St. Paul Parish open the Pauline Year through a novena dedicated to the Apostle. At the end of the novena, Sr. Osnilda Lima renewed her vows in the presence of a large crowd of parishioners. Our sisters also organized a nocturnal pilgrimage of a picture of St. Paul, animated by the mantras of the CD, “Palavras Sagradas de Paulo Apostolo,” and enriched with the reading of excerpts from the Apostle’s Letters.

 

29 June 2008 – To celebrate the opening of the Pauline Year, the FSPs of Porto Velho and their co-workers prepared and guided a Eucharistic Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Archdiocese. During the Liturgy, which was broadcast via radio, Sr. Sebastiana Araujo underscored Paul’s conversion and his passion for Christ.

 

During the month of July, the Archdiocesian radio station Caiari will broadcast a 2-hour program each evening on the Letters of St. Paul, prepared by Sr. Sebastiana and Sr. Osnilda.

29 June 2008 – The FSPs, Pastorelle Sisters and their co-workers participated in a Mass cele-brated by Fr. Josemar and Fr. Valdecir Uveda, ssp, in Sao José de Maruipe Parish.

 

1 July 2008 – Eucharistic Celebration in the conference hall of the FSP book center, presided over by Fr. Valdecir Uveda. Many members of the Pauline Family and their co-workers parti-cipated in the event.

 

12 July 2008 – The FSPs and SSPs of Vitoria celebrated the feast “Arraia Paulino” with dancing, games, ethnic foods and great rejoicing.