From 15 May to 15 June 2022, the Canonical Visitation of the General Government took place in the Province of Goiás, carried out by Frs. Marcelo Araújo (Coordinator of the Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean), Rogério Gómez and Pedro López (General Consultors).
During the whole month, the Visitors went to the 19 communities of the Province in the States of Goiás, Tocantins, Mato Grosso and Brasília and were able to meet all the confreres of the Province. Currently, the Province has 92 confreres, including 62 priests, 1 deacon, 10 brothers and 19 professed students.
The Province has a great evangelising potential, which it realises through the pastoral work in the Shrines (especially Divino Pai Eterno in Trindade and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Campinas-Goiania), in the parishes (urban and in mission areas), the means of social communication (Radio Difusora and TV Pai Eterno) and the Redemptorist social projects. The work with young people is being strengthened through JUMIRE (Youth Redemptorist Ministry), and many lay people are involved in its evangelising work.
It is currently in the process of reconfiguration with the Units of Fortaleza and Recife, with which it will form a new Unit in 2023. In fact, there are already confreres from the three Units working in Units other than their own.
The Visit concluded with an Assembly of all the confreres of the Unit, joined by the Superior General, Fr. Michael Brehl, and the Provincial Governments of the Vice-Provinces of Recife and Fortaleza. The meeting participants worked on planning the following steps to be taken to conclude the creation of the new Unit.
Our sincere thanks to the Provincial Superior, Fr. André Ricardo, to his Council and all the confreres of the Province for the welcome given to the Visitors and for the openness to sincere and constructive dialogue found in all the confreres.
Fr. Pedro López, C.Ss.R.
