Some of the treasures of the history of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and the environments and spaces where it has carried out its work throughout history and today.
The Purus River, one of the last Amazon tributaries to be fully explored, winds for nearly 3,000 kilometres. Its brutal history has been shaped by a singular goal: the exploitation of rubber.
From 1879 to 1912, hundreds of thousands of workers from northeastern Brazil were lured by the promise of quick riches. They scattered haphazardly through the jungle, serving the rubber barons who imposed a merciless and violent feudal system.
The indigenous population suffered first in three successive waves: diseases (fevers, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and measles); forced integration into the production cycle under semi-slavery conditions (leading to depression, alcoholism, and suicide); and, until just fifty years ago, outright massacres if they resisted joining the system.
The advent of British rubber plantations in Asia stripped Brazilian rubber of its profitability, turning Amazonia into a trap for the now-jobless rubber workers. World War II sparked another brief boom (1942-1945): once more, thousands of workers were sent to the Amazon, only to be abandoned at war’s end.
Today’s Amazonian population descends from these victims: the slaughtered natives and the forsaken rubber workers. In 1924, the Church entrusted the Augustinian Recollects with a Prelature in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon, an area spanning 229,000 square kilometres—comparable to Romania or half the size of Spain—with Labrea at its heart.
This territory included half of the Purus Valley and encompassed the municipalities of Tapaua, Canutama, Labrea, and Pauini. The lack of communication, vast distances, isolation, and a unique conception of time posed formidable challenges for the missionaries across eras.
The mission’s early days were exceptionally harsh, culminating in the resignation of the first prelate, who left disheartened and ill. His successor—now on the path to sainthood—guided by a youthful community, charted the course for the Church’s and the Order’s humanizing presence in the region.
Since 1932, a support house has operated in Manaus. The educational apostolate commenced in 1936 with the Augustinian Recollect Missionary Sisters (1937-1940 and from 1954 to the present) and the Marists (from 1967).
The Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova oversaw the mission until 1960 when the Province of Saint Rita was established. Due to a shortage of personnel, the new Province sought assistance from the Order. The Province of Saint Nicholas generously and committedly sent religious members until it took over the mission in 1979, by which time its friars had become the majority.
The first Pastoral Plan of 1975 and subsequent Assemblies from 1979 set the priorities: Basic Christian Communities, lay leadership, the indigenous, rural workers, popular movements, youth and children, popular missions, catechumenate of Christian initiation, and family apostolate.
Concerted efforts led to the development of solidarity projects, supported by other communities of the Province, particularly schools, as well as NGOs and public funders. These initiatives achieved progress for thousands in education, housing, water and sanitation, ecology, women’s issues, sustainable production, unionism, and cooperative movements, among others.
A major accomplishment has been the training of laypeople (catechists, movement coordinators, pastoral service leaders, rural and indigenous teachers, and volunteers), with the Prelature becoming a significant exporter due to frequent migration to Brasília and southern Brazil.
The most significant disappointment has been the struggle to train native clergy and attract religious vocations. Another challenge has been the rise of neo-Pentecostal and charismatic churches, which openly pursue political and economic interests and promote an emotionally charged spirituality devoid of social commitment or a theology of prosperity.
In the 21st century, the Amazon has gained prominence within the Church through initiatives like the Red Eclesial Pan-Amazónica (REPAM), the special Synod of 2019, and Pope Francis’s explicit support. Efforts have been made to honour the region’s evangelization martyrs, with the Augustinian Recollect Family contributing several notable figures. QR Codes provide access to biographical documentaries of some, including Ignacio Martínez, Cleusa Carolina Rhody Coelho, Jesús Pardo, and Mario Sabino.
The six prelates of Labrea have all been Augustinian Recollects: Marcelo Calvo (†1933), Ignacio Martínez (†1942), José Álvarez (†1974), Florentino Zabalza (†2000), Jesús Moraza, and the current, Santiago Sánchez. The population has increased from fewer than 30,000 to nearly 100,000 inhabitants, and the Prelature has expanded from one parish to five. Today, it is home to three Augustinian Recollect communities.
