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Brazil South Province Strengthens Mission and Communion at 4th Gathering of SVD Lay Missionaries
Wendelinus Sowe Teluma, SVD
Inspired by the theme, “God has shone in our hearts” (cf. 2 Cor 4:6), participants spent an afternoon visiting families in the urban and rural areas of Japorã. In each home, the proclamation of God’s Word was accompanied by prayer, attentive listening, hospitality, and sharing, bringing renewed faith and hope to the families they encountered.
According to Nivaldo Marques, Provincial Coordinator of the BRS Lay Missionaries, the missionary outreach was one of the highlights of the gathering. More than a formation program, the initiative sought to put into practice the missionary identity inspired by the charism of the Society of the Divine Word, demonstrating that mission is lived daily through witness, listening, closeness, and service.
Several Divine Word Missionaries accompanied the event, including Fr. João Maria Ferreira, SVD, together with Provincial Superior of the Brazil South Province, Fr. Paulus Koko Tolang, SVD, Fr. Nikolaus, SVD, Fr. Wendelinus Sowe Teluma’s, SVD, Fr. Alexandre Nogueira, SVD, Fr. Jacobus “Tiago” Ongirwalu, SVD, and Fr. Omir Oliveira, SVD, from the Brazil Central Province (BRC). Their presence enriched the formation sessions, spiritual activities, and missionary animation through their witness and accompaniment.
The meeting concluded with a Sending Mass, during which Fr. Paulus Koko Tolang, SVD, reflected on the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds (Mt 13:24–43), reminding participants that Christians are called to sow love wherever they go. He emphasized that, through God’s grace and missionary commitment, places marked by indifference, selfishness, and division can become fertile fields where love, fraternity, hope, and peace flourish.
More than simply a gathering, the three-day encounter became a profound experience of faith, communion, and mission. Participants returned home with renewed hearts, inspired to continue proclaiming the Gospel through lives of service, hospitality, and hope. The Brazil South Province expressed its gratitude to the lay missionary coordinators, the host parish communities, all participants, and the People of God whose generous collaboration made the event a true witness of faith, communion, and mission.
