On the 40th anniversary of the murder of Cleusa Carolina Rhody Coelho, an Augustinian Recollect missionary sister, in Labrea (Amazonas, Brazil), her life of dedication and commitment to the most vulnerable are not forgotten. Her testimony and memory live on in many.
Cleusa Carolina Rody Coelho was born on November 12, 1933 in Barra de Itapemirim, a small rural community within the town of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo.
Her life ended tragically, murdered, at only 51 years of age, on April 28, 1985. Her most universal countryman, the singer Roberto Carlos, unintentionally described Cleusa’s personality in one of his best-known songs, “A Million Friends”:
“I want to believe in the peace of the future,
I want to have a home without walls,
I want my son standing firm,
singing loudly, smiling freely.
I want love always in this life,
to feel the warmth of a friendly hand,
I want my brother to smile in the wind,
to see him cry, but with joy.
Come with me to see the fields,
sing my song with me too.”
Cleusa’s dreams didn’t remain just ideals, projects, theories, or daydreams. She transformed them into attitudes, actions, and commitment. And that led her, unintentionally but also unavoidably, to be in the crosshairs of those who saw the violent system of privilege, exploitation, and enrichment, which they exploited with impunity, as a threat.
Cleusa fought for and on behalf of the excluded: she considered this to be the natural process and outcome of her Catholic faith and religious consecration. Responding to Jesus’ call meant, beyond his person and his consecrated vocation, establishing the Kingdom of God, which does not tolerate injustice or attacks on human rights, nor does it accept the destruction of nature for the sake of economic profit.
That was her life, and that is how those who lived with her remember Cleusa.
NEXT PAGE: 1. Who was Cleusa?
