ccording to statistics there are 143 Catholics in Brazil, about 83% of the entire population. The remaining 20 million belong to 40 different religious groups. However the number of priests is relatively low about 16,000. Italian
Xaverian missionary Fr Remigio Serra has years of experience in Brazil. He tells Fides about it.
Parish activities include Missionary Childhood, vocations group, St Vincent de Paul group and a new group for liturgy. The St Vincent de Paul group assists about 400 needy families ever week. The liturgy group holds monthly meetings to organize Liturgies of the Word for Sundays when the priest is not available for Mass.
"The most difficult task for missionaries is to organize study courses for people who call themselves Catholics but in fact we only see them in church at Christmas and Easter and for baptisms and weddings. I work in the St Anthony parish in Melo Viana, in the state of Minas Gerais, diocese of Itabira-Fabriciano.
The town has 70,000 people and non Catholics belong to 35 different denominations. There is often hospitality among the groups and towards Catholics. Parish activities include Missionary Childhood, vocations group, St Vincent de Paul group and a new group for liturgy. The St Vincent de Paul group assists about 400 needy families ever week. The liturgy group holds monthly meetings to organize Liturgies of the Word for Sundays when the priest is not available for Mass.
At the moment I am in Italy for health care for a few months, but I hope to return to my work soon, which is want the people expect. They write: "Fr Serra don't be persuaded to stay there, come back. They have lots of priests and we have too few". Brazil calls and we missionaries must go…after all we have been sent.
(From Fides Service)