PROVINCE OF NORTH BRAZIL
The origins of the missions undertaken
by our pioneers are linked with the textile works of the Pernambuco Textile
Company at Camaragibe.
In 1891, the founder of the works, Dr. Charles-Albert
de Menezes was deeply impressed, during a study-voyage to Europe, by the
model factory of Léon Harmet at Val-des-Bois, the only one in France organised
on christian principles. Our Fathers were entrusted with the pastoral care
of this factory.
Dr. Charles-Albert, a man of profound religious
conviction and social conscience, got into contact with our Founder, Father
Dehon, who at once welcomed Dr. Charles-Albert's proposal, and assured him
that he would send Fr. Sebastiano Miquet and Brother José, who had recently
been expelled from Ecuador because of the revolution there. The two arrived
at Recife in 1893 and settled for the time being at Caxangá while they waited
for their house at Camaragibe to be completed. In 1895 Fr. Dehon sent two
other fathers, Fr. M. Cottard (French) and Fr. L. Richters (Dutch) to replace
Fr. Sebastiano. Fr. Cottard, who was a zealous and enterprising man, dedicated
himself immediately to the founding of religious and social enterprises,
such as schools, the `Catholic club', the Union of Piety,and other similar
undertakings.
With the continued help and encouragement of Dr.
Charles-Albert de Menezes, he brought about the foundation of Latin-America's
first co-operative. With the passage of time, this co-operative became fruitful
both in benefiting the social order, and in the religious life of the factory
workers.
The seed which had been sown gradually began to
germinate. However., a full community life was still lacking. After repeated
requests, Fr. Dehon sent out, in 1901, Father Angelo Deal to be Superior,
and Fr. L. Van Heugten, responsible for forming the first S.C.J. community
in the north eastern area. Fr. Richters was sent to Goiana, as chaplain to
the sugar factory, which was also the property of the Camaragibe concern.
The chronicler, Father Pedro Graaff, recalls how the father lived in the
negro quarter in an utterly dismal environment. He writes also that on a
wet Sunday, the Father had only one of the faithful present at Mass - an
old woman. Nevertheless, he still went on preaching his sermon. It chanced
that the factory manager, passing that way as he did occasionally, was deeply
impressed, and he abandoned all his doubts and became a fully practising
Catholic. After a few years, Father Richters returned to Holland.
Since the necessary means for the subsistence of
the Fathers was lacking at Camaragibe, Bishop Luis de Bruto offered them
the parish of Várzea, as the heart of the community; he nominated Fr. Angelo
Deal as Parish Priest, and Fr. Longino as chaplain of Caxangá and Iputinga.
In 1902, this modest and difficult religious life
received new impetus, with the arrival of Fr. Pedro Graaff (Luxemburger)
and Fr. Stanislao Schimanski (German).
In 1903 during a European voyage, Bishop Don Luís
asked Fr. Dehon for a few of the fathers to whom he might entrust the direction
of the Diocesan College of Olinda, in the Franciscan Convent. Welcoming the
proposal, Fr. Dehon sent Fr. Paris and certain other confrères to accompany
Don Luís. Unfortunately, because of differences with the Director of the
College, Mons. Fabricio, the experiment proved unsuccessful.
It would take too long to recount all the episodes
of the early days of the Province. The chronicler describes in detail the
arrival and departure of the fathers; he gives the names of those appointed
to parishes, recounts some dynamic pastor al activities, and the sad losses
of some of the fathers in the midst of their work, struck down by infectious
diseases such as typhoid, smallpox, and the dreaded scourge of yellow fever,
which took a toll of precious lives, and which marked the foundation of the
North Brazilian Province.
So we come to the year 1906. 1 could not omit the
account of the visit of our Founder to Brazilian soil; the warm welcome from
the confrères of Caxangå, Camaragibe and Iputinga, of Maceio, Lage and Goiana,
all united at Várzea where they waited expectantly for the happy meeting,
scheduled for the 13th September. Let me summarise the chronicler's description
of the arrival and landing of our Superior General in a few lines: 'The day
had arrived... the ship was far out because the landing-stage had not yet
been built. From the ship one descended into a boat rowed by eight or ten
men. The Father General, smiling and affable, was talking to everyone and
was interested in everything as the boat rowed over the waves. When he arrived
on Brazilian soil he found Recife still in its colonial state - a sad, desolate
place, stinking from the accumulations of dried cod in the depositories.
The roads were unmade, and groups of shoeless and poorly-clad children stood
around. There were small donkey carts. Life was a series of frustrations
without hope of redress. How different from the thriving development of Recife
today!
The festive procession arrived at Várzea at seven
o'clock in the evening; there was a good and lively dinner. During the following
days there were visits to Camaragibe, Caxangá, Iputinga, Maceio, Lage, Goiana,
etc. There were everywhere welcomes, speeches, lunches, dinners. The final
gathering of the Fathers was scheduled for the 8th October. A farewell dinner
was given by the diocesan bishop. On the next day there was the final visit
to Camaragibe, and on the 11th October, leave-taking of the fathers and embarkation
for a visit to the German confrères at Santa Catarina. In the meantime, all
the fathers, reinvigorated and happy, returned to their pastoral cares, zealous
to found a seminary to cultivate vocations of future Brazilian priests.
The project of founding a minor
seminary at Várzea took firm and definite shape on the occasion of the visit
of our then Superior-General, Monsignor Philippe in May 1930. Fr. Pedro Graaff
was its most active supporter, as he was also at a later date of the foundation
of the Novice-House; he himself became the first novice-master.
The seminary represented the finest fruit of the
Province; it was the centre and the link point of brotherly unity. All the
fathers were behind it, with their vision fixed on the training of future
priests for our country - even if we acknowledge the financial sacrifices,
the great efforts, the voyages, that would be needed to search for candidates,
and the changes in the pastoral life which would be required to dedicate
themselves to teaching.
Little by little the first students began to arrive.
The solemn opening of the Apostolic School of Várzea was held on the 14th
April 1931, and classes began on the 20th of the same month. Certainly there
was lack of experience, of teaching-method, of the wisest selection of candidates,
but the work of our fathers during so many years nevertheless was happily
crowned, giving to our province a substantial number of exemplary priests,
full of the spirit of love and of reparation to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus which is the characteristic of our Congregation.
We might conclude the brief history of the origins
of the Province at this point, but we cannot omit at least a fleeting reference
to the salient points during the period of development.
After a long and animated discussion of the pros
and cons of the community of Várzea, a lively new offspring saw the light
of day. It was baptised with the name, a significant one, 'O Estendarte'
(The Standard). Our review, which was involved in the apostolate of the press,
and in the promotion of vocations, gained a great number of readers, little
by little and thanks to an intensive publicity campaign, until it reached
a maximum point of 13.000 readers. Then, it suffered a sort of heart-attack,
and ended, leaving a host of regrets behind.
On 12th March 1938, the Province became self-governing,
with the title of `The Province of North Brazil'. Our fathers were by this
time present in a number of parishes in Alagoas, Pernambuco, Paraiba and
Rio Grande del Nord.
The activities of our confrères have been directed
and coordinated by the following Regional Superiors:
1901 - 1906: Fr. Angelo Deal
1906 - 1912: Fr. Pedro Graaff
1913 - 1914: Fr. Tiago van Diepen
1914 - 1915: Fr. Umberto Limpens
1915 - 1917: Fr. Pedro Graaff (inter-regnum)
1917 - 1923: Fr. Umberto Limpens
1923 - 1926: Fr. Francisco Geraedts
1926 - 1932: Fr. Umberto Limpens
1932 - 1938: Fr. Antonio in't Groen
Under the leadership of our first Provincial, Father
H. Van der Horst, the new Province grew before our eyes.
Towards the end of 1938, with the arrival of scholastics
who came from the Dutch Province, the Apostolic school at Várzea, where philosophy
was taught as well, was no longer equipped to offer the necessary facilities
for a major seminary. To this end, a building in Recife, No 286 Rua Benfica,
was purchased. Here, in mid-January 1939, it began its first academic year
with Fr. Gregório Schuurmans as Superior.
The province grew by leaps and bounds. It acquired
the Pius XII High-school in Palmeira dos Indios, the foundation of which
was laid on 4th February 1946. I must, at this point, make special mention
of the decisive work of the two pioneers of this high-school - Father Dimas,
of beloved memory, and Father Estêvão. They began with the construction of the school,
and they were able to inspire among the first group of teachers that spirit
of hard work, joy, and fraternal unity which remains one of our most cherished
memories.
On the Feast of Saint Joseph, 19th March 1949,
the Superior-General, Father Th. Govaart, laid the first stone (during his
second canonical visit to Brazil) of the new major seminary of Cristo Re
(Christ the King); this was while the dynamic Father P. van der Crommenacker
was Provincial.
With the construction of the Cristo Re seminary,
the Scholastic House was transferred to Camaragibe. The house in Rua Benfica,
since it was now free, was adapted to serve as a boarding school, which began
its first academic year in 1951, with Father Gregório Schuurmans as Director.
We ought also to mention the foundation of our
second apostolic school at Fortaleza on the 13th May 1956, when Fr. Geraldo
Wijfjes was Provincial Superior. Together with Fathers Rinaldo Guimaraes,
Ottavio Santos and Hermano Bexkens, he became sponsor, and they engaged in
a constant campaign for the construction and maintenance of this apostolic
school.
The Province was now in an advanced stage of development
and the Apostolic School at Várzea was already becoming inadequate. For this
reason, the purchase of a new seminary became necessary, and thus on 26th
April 1960 this need was fulfilled with the signing of the contract for the
purchase of the Seminary of Paudalho. At the beginning of 1963, the Apostolic
School finally transferred to Paudalho, while the Novice-house and the Pastoral
Institute were established at Várzea. In this period the Province was under
the leadership of the dynamic Father Estêvão van Kraaij.
After the crisis which rocked the Church in Brazil,
and hence also our own Province, which saw the departure of a number of the
Fathers, today we see growing dynamism, and there are good prospects for
the future. A great effort has been made towards renewal in the Province,
keeping pace with the growth of the local church and with the characteristic
development of the Church in Latin America.
The Province has been subdivided into various areas
to allow for greater interaction among the Fathers, and for the creation
of basic communities. The whole Province comes together once or twice a year
in the context of the Provincial Conference - for courses or for renewal
studies, or for evaluation of tasks undertaken. The involvement of the Fathers
in the local church has been really worthy of note, and much has been done
to help the weakest elements, since all our apostolic efforts are directed
towards the poorest people.
In the field of pastoral vocation, the work undertaken
in the Vocational Centres of Camaragibe and Fortaleza is developing little
by little, with the active assistance of two novices, three confrères, and
ten philosopho-theologians as well as seven postulant students.
In July and December of each year, a certain number
of vocational meetings are organised, and there is considerable interest
on the part of the young, as witness the progressive growth in the number
of participants.
Fathers Religious Brothers Novices Total
1938: created a Province
29 13
1 4 47
1963: point of highest
development (25 years)
98 23
14 - 135
1966: greatest number of
Fathers
106 11
10 5 132
1969: crisis years
76 2
8 - 86
1975: lowest number
56 -
6 - 62
1977: new members
55 3
5 2 65
The Province was founded in 1938, when it had a
total number of forthyseven members; it grew up to 1963 when it reached a
maximum point, with one hundred and thirty five. The years of crisis caused
a falling-off, to eighty six in 1969, and there was a continuous decline
during the whole period to 1975, during which almost all vocational activity
remained virtually paralysed.
First among the activities of the Province, one
would place the pastoral activity which is carried on in thirty three pastoral
centres scattered throughout the whole north east of Brazil, ministering
to a population of about two million.
However, the Province makes its presence felt in
other activities, both social and educational.
The Apostolic School of Our Lady of Fatima at Fortaleza
continues to function fully, under the direction of Father Renato Maia de
Ataíde, with, at present, about 1200 students.
A vocational centre is also operating within the
Apostolic School, for ten boys who, equally involved, have decided to dedicate
themselves to the cause of the Kingdom. Among these, three have begun studies
in philosophy while the other seven are in process of completing courses
in science. The Rector of the Community is Father Carlos-Alberto da Costa,
who has contributed enormously to the cause of vocations, together with Father
Gregório Schuurmans and Father António Chaves de Santana.
In João Pessoa, under the direction of Father João Meijners, and Father Miguel Majoor, is the Father
Dehon Social Centre, the purpose of which is to take in and look after minors
who have been abandoned. For the same purpose there is also the Lar do Garoto
Campinense at Campina Grande in Parafba, under the direction of Father Ottavio
Santos.
The College of Saint John at Benfica in Recife,
attached to Várzea, is directed by Fathers Abelardo Bezerra de Moura, José
Calixto de Araujo, Pedro Breijs and Jorge Polman. The latter is also founder
of the Astronomic Observatory, attached to the College, and also the co-ordinator
of the Astronomic Association, which looks after the Students' Astronomy
Club. (The C.E.A.).
Fr. Francisco Haasen, belonging to the Community
of Saint John, has been freed for considerable periods to be available to
the Diocese and to the Catholic University of Pernambuco, where in his capacity
of Dean he makes an active contribution to the education of the young at
university level. As he is also president of the Ecclesiastical Court of
the Archdiocese of Recife and Olinda, he also contributes greatly to the
whole work of the north eastern region.
In the seminary of Cristo Re we have the Provincialate,
which functions both as a centre for various courses and as a vocational
centre for ten students of theology, of whom three - João Barbosa, Lufs Carlos and Fernando Pinto, are already
professed.
The students of the Cristo Re are still under the
direction of Father Pedro Neefs, the present Provincial; of Father Estêvão van Kraaij, the Provincial Bursar, Father Leopold
Ramos, novice-master, and Father Leone Kuipers.
In addition, Geraldo Erminio da Silva, student
of law, Manuel Baltissen, who is responsible for the book binding operations,
Antonio Nogueira and João Batista Ferreira, students of theology, António
Siqueira, and other students, all belong to the same community.
Finally, the Pastoral Centres (in the parishes)
are distributed and entrusted to the various Fathers.