The Augustinian Recollect Bishop Santiago Sánchez has published a video of thanks on the occasion of the celebrations of the First Centenary of the Prelature of Labrea (1924-2024), where he gives a realistic report of the situation in gratitude for the external support and the commitment of the missionaries, religious and lay people.
In the Prelature of Labrea, from the interior of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, between the sky, the forest and the river, in this land of hope, we live united to Our Lady of Nazareth. We celebrate the First Centenary of the Prelature and since it is Our Lady who gives union and cohesion to all, we have prepared a pilgrimage of her image throughout the Prelature. She still visits our People.
She has made herself present in urban communities and on the banks of rivers. It wants to reach everyone, all the places in our jungle. It has been very well received. It left our cathedral and is reaching different places, all the parishes and many of their communities.
Next year we celebrate the 1st Centenary of the arrival of the Augustinian Recollects (1925-2025). In 100 years, many Augustinian Recollect religious have passed through here. Their names were visible during the celebration that opened the Centenary in the Cathedral, as well as those of the four bishops that the Prelature has had until now, all Augustinian Recollect friars.
Currently the Augustinian Recollects are in three of the five parishes of the Prelature: Saint Rita in Tapaua, Saint Augustine in Pauini and Our Lady of Nazareth in Labrea.
We are supported by our Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine and the entire Order of Augustinian Recollects. The Provincial Prior and the General Prior do not forget us and have visited us frequently. For our religious Family we are a symbol of the mission and we receive the help and support of many of you, who carry out campaigns to help us materially and spiritually, with your encouragement and your material goods.
Hope Centres
One of the main works that the Prelature has today are the Hope Centres, a social work for young people and adolescents. We want them not to be on the streets, not to acquire behaviours and attitudes that do not suit them. And we train their trainers so that they assume the Augustinian-Recollect spirituality and apply it in their educational task.
In the Hope Centres we offer training in values and workshops: crafts, art, music, sewing, cooking… And what is cooked by learning is what they eat, because we also give them a daily nutritional supplement, for some the only consistent one during the whole day. And there is sport and recreational and healthy leisure activities.
In the pastoral task, the three Hope Centers (Labrea, Tapaua and Pauini) have an important place. Their educational community participates in ecclesial and social events, such as campaigns for the protection of minors, support for families…
Consecrated life in the Prelature
Our religious family accompanies us in our work. The Augustinian Recollect Missionaries have been closely integrated into the Prelature for decades. Today, their main task is Rural Pastoral, visiting the communities along the rivers, sailing tirelessly, alone or accompanied by a missionary priest. Another of their fundamental tasks is the care of the Educandário Santa Rita. It is more than a school, it offers a true comprehensive education service.
In Tapaua there are the Oblates of the Assumption. One of their current tasks is the Sister Rose Home (LACIR) for adolescents and children, something like a Hope Center for the youngest, those who are not yet old enough to enter the Hope Center.
The two parishes where the Augustinian Recollects are not currently active are the Parish of Saint John the Baptist in Canutama, which has offered the first local vocation and for the Prelature, Tiago, the first priest in 100 years, hopefully not the last; and the Parish of Saint Sebastian and Saint Francis, which occupies towns and communities of the municipalities of Canutama and Tapaua in its border area.
In this Parish, in Belo Monte, there are five Josephine Sister. The Parish has two priests, Eder and Tiago. The emeritus bishop, the Augustinian Recollect Jesus Moraza, also collaborates with them.
The Marists have been in the Prelature of Labrea for many years, historically they have already attended schools in Labrea, Canutama and Tapaua. At this time there are four, of which two reside in Labrea and continue with education as a ministry, and the other two are in a rural community in the Parish of Saint Sebastian and Saint Francis.
The treasure of childhood
Catechesis is one of the pastoral tasks that most concerns us, with large groups because there are many children who are born and grow up here. Currently we are adapting the catechetical process to the system of Initiation to Christian Life. As in almost all our services, we need more catechists, trained lay people. Those we have are very committed to their task.
Pastoral care for children is very important in the Prelature, the care and attention to children under five years of age and their mothers. Thanks to this Pastoral of Childhood, their situation is today immensely better than in times past, when infant mortality was staggering.
Our children grow up healthy and we take care of them so that they develop well. We train the agents and we have managed to make the Pastoral of Childhood an object of gratitude for the entire population, regardless of their creed.
Missionary Childhood and Adolescence (IAM) allows us to make children aware early of the need for the mission and dedication to others. After a period of great prosperity and some periods of decline, the IAM is now flourishing again and the joy of the children in feeling like missionaries and their desire to collaborate with others is palpable in their meetings.
Another area of attention to children is the huge groups of altar boys. They want to collaborate with the Church and they do so with joy and commitment.
Our concern for children is great, they are the future, here they have many needs and shortcomings and therefore need special and seriously planned accompaniment and care. All this requires a lot of resources from us.
The Josephine Sisters have also recently had the Gabriela Project, which cares for girls who have suffered or are at risk of suffering abuse. They have two care groups, one in Belo Monte and another in Foz de Tapaua, and the objective is to achieve their social reintegration.
There is a great demand for this type of social services for children and we feel limited in resources and space. Everyone knows about our Catholic faith, but we serve without distinction of creed and local society recognizes them regardless of the religion they practice
In Labrea, we also collaborate with the Association of Parents and Friends of Special Persons. It is another social problem, aggravated in this part of the world by the lack of public policies and aid. We give them premises and offer them material help. They also frequently make themselves present in local society, raising awareness and demanding respect for their rights, which are so forgotten.
Hope Camp
One last social work that I want to present is Hope Camp in Labrea. In our Amazon region it is difficult for progress and material advances to arrive, but everything that is socially problematic does reach us quickly. In this case we are talking about addictions.
The Prelature of Labrea has given up the space where this project of care for chemically dependent people is carried out, as well as providing constant spiritual care. Through the Pastoral of Sobriety we promote help for these people and we raise awareness in society and the faithful. To do this we have brought some of our meetings and retreats to Hope Camp.
Thank you!
We are a large Church, a synodal Church, an urban Church, a rural Church, an indigenous Church. The bishop is responsible, but I am not alone, I have priests and religious, women religious, lay people, all very committed, but… few!
The harvest is so abundant that we do not reach, and not only do we not reach in the pastoral task: we have many material needs. We resort to the elaboration and presentation of projects to obtain resources and we receive with great joy everything that you send us thanks to your collaboration.
Our concern is above all the smallest, the most vulnerable, our large families but without resources, without work, exploited. This does not prevent them from growing joyful, happy and above all, hopeful.
We share this concern with the entire Amazonian Church, with similar problems and challenges. The eight bishops of our episcopal region within the Brazilian Episcopal Conference have already visited us, got to know the city and our reality.
We count on the intercession of those who gave their lives here, missionaries male and female who gave themselves to the end. And we also count on and are grateful for all the solidarity you send us. This Centenary is also the fruit of your effort, consideration, support and encouragement.
