Verso il Sinodo Panamazzonico_FMA_Pari Cachoeira 1_parte_ENG

1. WALKING TOWARDS THE PANAMAZON SYNOD
“Amazon: New paths for the Church and for an integral ecology”
PRESENCE OF THE FMA AT PARI-CACHOEIRA
PATRON - MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS
Rio Tiquié - State of AMAZON (Brazil)
Oratory - Youth groups - Itinerant pastoral - Promotional activities among the indigenous ‘Hupda’ -
Promotion of women - Visits to families - Union of past pupils
PART I
History of the foundation
The Salesians had already been present in
the area for many years when, on 19 August 1946,
accompanied by Msgr. Pedro Massa, the
Daughters of Mary Help of Christians arrived in
Pari-Cachoeira. The house was very small but had
a chapel and then housed an international
community consisting of three sisters: Elisa
Castelli, Italian; Cristina Alves, Brazilian;
Katharina Remetter, German. At the beginning, the
FMA were accompanied by Lúcia Souza, a lay woman, then already eighty years old ... who gave
her life for the missions.
The day after their arrival, school immediately began with a small residence capable of
hosting twenty students. The girls' house was a large thatched-roofed pavilion, divided into three
parts.
In 1947 the number of enrollments increased and it was necessary to expand the rooms.
Another three pavilions were built provisionally and the residence was inaugurated with 25
boarders.
In 1949 the construction of the final building began. Once the work was completed, it was
noted with satisfaction that the construction met all the didactic needs. The courtyards were
spacious.
In addition to basic education, the work offered a Professional Home School which
included: sewing, embroidery, cooking, orchard, horticulture, gardening, and weaving of the
‘tucum’ (a type of palm of this region), thus giving young indigenous girls a complete formation.
In this Patronage there was a festive Oratory that functioned on Sundays and on holidays,
and also used for catechism lessons for adults preparing to receive the Sacraments.
Over the years, many missionaries distinguished themselves for their work among the
people: Father João Marchesi, Sr. Elisa Castelli, Ms. Lúcia Souza, Sr. Jadwiga Sikorska, Sr. Ana do
Carmo Assis Fraga, Sr. Katharina Remetter, Sr. Elisabeth Schwarger, and Sr. Sandra Henry, who at
the age of 40 was the victim of an explosion and died in Manaus on January 16, 1987 (see
Facciamo Memoria 1987).
Location
The district of Pari-Cachoeira is located in the northwest of the state of Amazonas, on the

2. right bank of the Tiquié River, region of the High Rio Negro, at 1,152 km from the capital Manaus.
Presently…
In 2005, the sisters left the direction of the state school ‘Msgr. Pedro Massa’ and began to
work for the accompaniment of children, adolescents, and young people at the ‘Sr. Sandra Henry
Youth Center’, along with Pastoral work at Don Bosco parish, and visitations to families and
villages. On Sundays, the Oratory is open to everyone and for many it is the only space for
recreation and for being together during the weekend.
In recent years, the Community of Mary Help of Christians in Pari-Cachoeira has carried out
its activities of evangelization at the District headquarters, particularly regarding the coordination of
youth ministry, Confirmation catechesis, and the pastoral care of the family.
A study on the abuse of alcoholic beverages and their consequences was carried out in each
village, involving schools, local people, religious communities, and the Church (sisters, priests,
teachers, and directors). Debates and dramatizations encouraged dialogue and understanding about
the problem and brought about a reduction in consumption.
In addition, the ‘Young Missionaries’ group was created, whose goal is to transform the
young person into a missionary of other young people. In 2018, this group was able to animate the
activities of the ‘Missionary Childhood and Adolescence’ in each village, culminating in a large
meeting of all the groups last November.
As a social activity, always at the District headquarters, there is the group ‘Laurinhas’, made
up of girls aged 8-15 years, who meet twice a week during the after-school program, and participate
in art and dance workshops, receive formation, play, and have a snack together.
There is also a ‘Cutting-Sewing’ group formed by mothers who are committed to sewing,
packaging, and selling their products, thus contributing to the family economy. The ‘Sr. Sandra
Henry Youth Center’ has its own spaces where mothers work and carry out commercial activities.
They also receive monthly, human-Christian and civic formation. Another missionary characteristic
of the community is vocational animation through meetings and welcoming young people in the
FMA residence.
The sisters also work in the State and Municipal Schools, giving lessons, offering support to
the directional staff, and collaborating in teacher formation.
The community also involves itself in ‘missionary itinerancy’. A sister with nursing
formation, accompanied by lay people, makes two visits a year to distant communities that hardly
ever receive the visit of health agents. She provides outpatient care and takes advantage of the
opportunity for evangelization and leadership formation.
The whole community participates in ‘Itinerancy’ with the Hupda ethnic group, one of the
most discriminated against. The village is about two hours away from the headquarters and to get
there it is necessary to do a part of the trip on water (with a motorized canoe) and then on land (with
the tractor). The FMA have a dwelling there among the huts of the families who unfortunately with
the passage of time have internalized the situation of slavery as their own identity. This interaction
between the FMA and the people helps to share time, knowledge, prayer, the Word of God,
awareness of rights and duties, leisure, service attitude, goods. For the sisters, it is a real mission
that they love to define this way: [the Hupda] "supported by our care, can feel God's care for them
and try to improve their lives".
In 2019 the community is currently composed of three courageous sisters who are open to
inter-congregation work, happy to contribute to the growth of the Kingdom of God: Sr. Ângela
Cardoso, Sr. Iris Farias, Sr. Rosalina Lemos. In the thousand curves of the Rio Tiquié, we find the

3. perseverance and the missionary ardor of sisters who in their going and returning, do not get tired of
evangelizing and letting themselves be evangelized.
Aerial view of the missionary center of Pari-Cachoeira (Amazon – Brazil)
Sr. Rosalina Lemos and the traditional dance group (2018)

4. Indigenous children of Missionary Infancy and Adolescence (2018)
Sr. Rosalina Lemos and Sr. Rosalia Lapo during the Meeting of the Missionary Infancy and
Adolescents Groups

5. Community dwellings “Nova Fundação” – Ethnic “Hupda” (2018)
‘Missionary Youth Group’ (2018)

6. Oratory in the mission center of Pari-Cachoeira (2017)
Sr. Iris de Araújo and some women of the Tuyuca, Desano and Tukano ethnic groups.
Cutting and Sewing Course in ‘Sr. Sandra Henry Youth Center’ (2018)

7. Sr. Mariluce Mesquita, of Barassana ethnicity, and the driver who accompanied the benefactor
Patrizia Brocchetti, during the voyage over the Tiquiê river (2017)
Sr. Rosalia Lapo and Sr. Iris Araújo during the vaccination of children and adults (2018)

8. Sr. Iris and Sr. Mariluce during the trip of Itinerancy to visit the indigenous communities (2018)
Woman and children of the Tukano ethnic group walk to the river to take a bath (2017)

9. Community “Nova Fundação” – Ethnicity “Hupda” (2017)
A “Hupda” woman preparing lunch (2017)

10. The dwelling of a “Hupda” family in the “Nova Fundação” community (2017)
A “Hupda” child presents the “beiju”, principle food of her culture (2017)

11. “Hupda” children in the school of the community “Nova Fundação” (2017)
Children and some adults of “Hupda” ethnic group during a formation meeting in the community
center of “Nova Fundação” (2017)

12. Handicrafts made by the “Hupda” women and children (2017)
Sr. Rosalia Lapo crosses “igarapé” to visit the
patients of an indigenous community (2017)
Collaborators:
Sr. Madalena Luiza Scaramussa
and Sr. Terezinha de Jesus dos Santos
March 2019
P.S. In April, there will be the second part
on FMA presence at Pari-Cachoeira.