rio20-01.pngWe are publishing a series of photos which illustrate the interview granted to Father Julio Suescun c.m. by the Superior General upon returning from his visit to two provinces of the Vincentians and four provinces of the Daughters of Charity in Brazil during the month of July.
J.S. You just came back from a long trip and prolongad visit of Brazil. How is the Vincentian Family organized in this vast country?S.G. The Congregation of the Misión has three Provinces in Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Fortaleza; the Daughters of Charity have six Provinces. This time I visited the C.M. Provinces of Rio and Fortaleza, and the D.C. Provinces of Fortaleza, Amazonia, Belo Horizonte and Rio. In addition there are several groups of the Vincentian Family: SSVP, AIC, JMV, AMM, and other associations with the same charism who are flourishing in Brazil, like the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion, the Brothers of Our Mother of Mercy, the Sisters of our Lady of Grace, and the Sister Servants of the Poor. The SSVP is the largest Vincentian group in the country where the Vincentian Family is very well organized.
J.S. Judging from the photos, the arrival in Fortaleza was a tremendous event. Did this surprise the people in the airport?
S.G. Well, it surprised Father Gouldrick and I. They sang, they danced, recited poems, presented mimes, etc. They were groups from the parishes, the Sisters and Fathers of the Provinces of Fortaleza. Everything was very beautiful and extremely well done.
J.S. In one of the photos Father Gouldrick looks like a porter. Was there another reason for the visit of the Econome General?
S.G. It was primarily to know the situation of the Province, above all on the economic level. The Province (of Fortaleza) is poor and it cannot continue depending much longer on Holland. The income is not sizable and it is located in one of the very poor areas of Brazil, the North-Northeast.
J.S. The Sisters and the “families” as St. Louise would refer to those whom they serve, were well represented. Did you bring a special message for them?
S.G. Upon our arrival, there were some 50 Sisters waiting for us from the Province of Fortaleza. Later, we would meet some more in the other Provinces. In all my visits I usually set aside half a day or a full day for the Daughters of Charity. This time, as I said earlier, I visited 4 of their Provinces.
J.S. When you visit the Sisters, you do not fail to express something to the Sisters who are elderly and sick. What do you believe does this gesture of the Superior General mean to them?
S.G. I always take time to talk to the elderly and infirm Sisters. Sometimes all together, other times separately. According to them, it is a great privilege to be face to face with “St. Vincent”. For me it is a great privilege to have before me so many years of love and service of the poor. They truly are “sacrament of God” for me.
J.S. You also do not fail to meet the youth. How is the future of the Sisters in Brazil?
S.G. They have vocations, although decreasing as compared to previous years. In the future, the Provinces will be smaller, the Sisters with apostolates outside of the side would be fewer (the elderly and infirm Sisters have the apostolate of prayer and suffering), the institutions would be lesser, but the Sisters will continue to work directly with the poor.
J.S. But you were invited by the Province of Fortaleza of the C.M. What were they celebrating?
S.G. Indeed, I was invited by the Province of Fortaleza to mark and celebrate their 40 years as Province and the 80 years of the arrival of the first missionaries from Holland. But as they have indicated in their program, they have organized a “Fraternal Visit of the Superior General” and have thought of all the brothers and sisters in the Vincentian Family. Thus, with the Thanksgiving Mass in the Church of our Lady of Remedies as the central activity, they organized meetings with the Council and the Sisters of the Fortaleza province, with the Council and missionaries of the C.M., visit to the seminary in Prainha where it all started 80 years ago, meeting with the Vincentian Family, trip to Belem to meet the priests and the sisters, reunion with the Sisters of the Province of the Amazonia and again with our seminarians, without forgetting the visit to Mons. Zico, emeritus Archbishop of Belem. As you can see, the schedule was quite full.
J.S. Are there still Dutch missionaries in the Province?
S.G. There are still 9 Dutch confreres and almost all are still active, even though they are already advanced in years. They work with great zeal and love for the Congregation and the poor.
From Fortaleza, the youngest of the three Provinces in Brazil, to Rio, the eldest. Anything that stood out in your visit of Rio?
S.G. I had very good experiences: meeting with the elderly missionaries; visit to the “Shrine of our Lady of Homems” in Caraça, which is vast, a place that for many years hosted diverse activities of formation most especially of our own members, and now gradually being transformed into a pilgrimage center and a place of scientific research on nature and culture; the inter-provincial meeting of formators and students; the meeting with the Brothers, and as in many places meetings with the missionaries and the Sisters of Rio and Belo Horizonte.
What impressed you the most in this visit?
S.G. The pastoral work, the formation of the laity, the parishes that are truly missionaries, whether in urban or rural areas, the organization of the Vincentian Family. Our confreres believe in and have confidence on the lay people. The extreme forms of poverty, highlighting markedly the contrast between those who have and those who don’t have, made a strong impact on me.
And how do you see the vocational prospect of the CM in Brazil?
S.G. In the Province of Fortaleza there are more than 15 students on the various levels of formation: orientation, philosophy, internal seminary, theology, pastoral year. In the photos you can also see the theology students of Rio and the novices of the inter-provincial Internal Seminary. In September 4 deacons will be ordained for Rio. There are more in the orientation level. The cost of formation is high, but our greatest resource is our confreres.
J.S.Thank you for your attention, time and answers.