The VII Interprovincial Meeting of Young Sisters from the Provinces of Amazonia, Fortaleza, and Recife (all in Brazil) took place from 10 to 15 October 2024 at the Institute of Our Lady of Salette, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. With the theme ‘Pilgrims of Charity’ and the motto: “With faith, hope, and charity on the path of St. Vincent and St. Louise.” The guiding scripture for our entire meeting was: “Today these three things remain: faith, hope, and charity. But the greatest of these is charity” (1 Cor 13:13).
The meeting began with a festive celebration in the auditorium of the Institute of Our Lady of Salette, highlighting the history of the Company and Bahian culture.
Sister Patrícia Calaça, Visitor of the Recife Province, recalled the arrival of the first Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, of French origin, in Bahia/Brazil in 1853 and paid homage to the pioneer Marguerite Naseau.
Sister Maria Helena Azevedo, DC, aged 89, a devoted member of the Company, full of vivacity, together with the Sisters of the Salette Community, told us the story of the arrival of the Sisters in Brazil and then in Salvador.
Sister Maria Cristina D’Abruzzo, a Daughter of Charity from the Province of Rio de Janeiro, helped us to look at our vocation as ‘Pilgrims of Charity’ to experience charity, fraternity, and forgiveness better. On this day, we meditated on the Holy Rosary in the Chapel where the Relics of Blessed Lindalva Justo are kept—a unique moment filled with many graces.
Father Clístenes Natal, Provincial Director of the Province of Recife, told us that it is essential to be zealous for our charism and to remember what enchanted us when we felt called and what still enchants us today in the Company.
We watched the film Net of Freedom, which portrays the ardent charity of the heart of the Daughter of Charity, Helena Studler, whose compassion inspired many others to save the lives of hundreds of French refugees.
We enjoyed visiting Brother Henrique, a Pilgrim of the Trinity, who shared his beautiful mission with those experiencing homelessness. We visited the Shrine of St. Dulce of the Poor and, in a spirit of faith, remembered her gift to the poorest, known as “the Good Angel of Bahia.” We had the grace of visiting the Chapel of the Martyrdom of Blessed Lindalva, where we celebrated the Eucharist, with Friar Ícaro Brito, OFMCap, Chaplain of the Shrine of St. Dulce, concluding the morning with a moment of fraternity with the Sisters of the Miraculous Medal School in Salvador. After returning to our meeting place, we had a rich time sharing our experiences from the morning.
The Visitors from the three Provinces—Sister Patrícia Almeida (Recife), Sister Maria Rosilda (Amazonia), and Sister Luzia Feitosa (Fortaleza)—helped us to reflect on the practical and simple attitudes needed to “Pilgrimage from a Life in Common to a Life in Communion,” as called for in the Inter-Assembly Document (2021-2027). They presented important aspects of this dynamic in our lives: a focus on our lifestyle and mission, mutual listening, and balanced use of media, as well as the life of communion that leads to humanized and humanizing communities. It was a rich moment of fruitful sharing.
Sister Sônia Maria de Lima, Treasurer of the Recife Province, helped us take responsibility today for the administration of the goods of the poor, re-evaluating our lifestyle and interior and exterior poverty in order to “With Faith, Hope, and Charity, in the Way of St. Vincent and St. Louise, be Co-responsible for the Company of the Future.”
During the meeting, we gathered by Province to reflect, discuss, and make concrete resolutions to be lived out in our daily lives, attentive to Prayer, Fraternal Life, and Service. These were moments of sharing, prayer, and reaffirming our commitment to the Sisters’ mission, ultimately allowing us to return to our local communities with renewed enthusiasm.
