Brazil

The Vice-Province of
Our Lady Aparecida, Brazil

It is a sign of divine omnipotence when good comes out of evil. When the French goverment began to supress religious houses in France, our friars sent missionaries to Brazil. In 1904 Mons. Carlos Luis D'Amour, Bishop of Cuiba welcomed Fathers Ambroise, Athanase, Aristide, Bonaventure and Bro. Fedele.

On June 22, 1959, 10 friars of the Brazilian Commissariate dependent on the French Province of the Assumption petitioned for recognition as an Independent Commissariate (ViceProvince). After reviewing the situation, the General Curia established on April 19, 1960, that the Brazilian Commissariate be dependent on the General Curia itself in accord with the experimental period of 5 years directed by the Sacred Congregation of Religious before complete autonomy be granted. The first Commissary Provincial was Fr. Luis Roberto Gomez de Arruda. In 1966 he was ordained a bishop and named Prelate-Bishop of Guajara-Mirim until his resignation in 1978. (In 1991, with the permission of the Sacred Congregation, Bishop Gomez accepted the request of his friars to again serve as the Provincial.)

On March 14, 1966, the General Curia established the Independent Commissariate (ViceProvince) of Nossa Senhora Aparecida after receiving the required rescript from the Sacred Congregation on March 8, 1966, The new Vice-Province had its provincial residence at the Convent of Our Lady of Fatima, Mogi-Mirim and had responsibility for the Prelacy of Guajara-Mirim. At that time, the Vice-Province numbered 17 professed friars of whom 2 were bishops, 8 were priests, 5 student-friars and some 50 minor seminarians.

With a decree of October 7, 1992, all the friars of the Order working in Brasil in the French and American Commissariates were joined into the one Vice-Province of Our Lady Aparecida. Fr. Alain Hervin was elected the first Minister of the unified vice-province.