The FCJM congregation in Brazil, in the state of Pará, is made up of three communities, which are the following: Our Lady of the Angels (mother house), Novitiate Peace and Joy (formation house), both in Santarém Pará, and Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary (mission house) in Curuá. The sisters are involved in various activities: in the church’s pastoral work, in working with the sick and in the school. Thus following the advice of the founding mother, to “serve according to the needs of the time and place”.

The community of the mother house is made up of; Sister Maria Ivone, Sister Maria de Aguiar, Sister Maria da Cruz and Sister Maria de Nazaré, they are involved in the following ministries: Coordination of the liturgy of the Archdiocese, pastoral of hope, (bringing communion to the elderly), visits to schools, etc. They also participate in meetings of CEBs (base ecclesial communities), in the accompaniment and spiritual direction of prayer groups. Professionally, one of the sisters is a director at a Catholic school. The others sisters help at the Madre Clara Pfander residential home, and also help with the community’s domestic chores.

Peace and Joy Novitiate

The Peace and Joy Novitiate is located in the community of Urumanduba, near the city of Santarém.

The Peace and Joy community currently includes four sisters: Sister Aleunice, Sister Romilda, and the novices Sister Maria da Conceição and Sister Jaqueline. Our Franciscan spirituality calls us to live the gospel through contemplation and action, according to the needs of the time and place, as our beloved Mother Clara Pfander desired.

 We are involved in the various activities of the community, in confirmation catechesis, altar boy training, children’s catechesis (first communion), ministers of the word and holy communion and hope, baptism ministry, in the CEBs, among other functions of the church liturgy.

Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Community of Mission

The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Community  was opened on February 27, 2022. To welcome the sisters to the Parish of São Raimundo Nonato, Diocese of Óbidos, city of Curuá, a Eucharistic celebration was held, presided over by Bishop  Bernardo Bahlmann.

The sisters; Gesiane, Diana and Visenilda. They work in the mission as follows: one of them serves the parish and the other two as a Social project coordinator, but they also help in the parish, are involved in various activities, help in the church’s pastorals, confirmation catechesis, Eucharist, children’s catechesis and altar servers. They help in the training of ministers of the word and holy communion and pastoral of hope, bringing communion to the sick. In addition, they preside over celebrations of the word, visit communities and families, and every year help in the advisory services of the fraternity campaign.

The project coordinated by the Sisters is called “The Strength of Women and Children in the Amazon.” This project works to promote social development, minimize social vulnerabilities, and create perspectives through education and income generation, promoting spaces and opportunities for women and children in the Amazon.

This project is developing a source of income for the women involved, through the sale of vegetables and crochet workshops. In addition, the Sisters provide support to them by visiting their families, giving educational lectures and spiritual retreats, etc.

In this way, the FCJM sisters are inserted in various realities, mainly among those who are suffering, and they proclaim the gospel through their words and their lives, bringing the hope and light of Christ to their brothers and sisters. Today, living the encyclical Laudato Si and also due to global warming, as Franciscan FCJM sisters we evangelize by speaking about caring for God’s creation, for our Common Home. In this way, we hope that the seeds sown by the word of the Lord may bear fruits of conversion and peace.

Written by Irmã Maria da Conceição FCJM and Irmã Jaqueline Sena FCJM

Translated by Irmã Aleunice Sousa de Lima FCJM