(Manaus, Brazil) A religious, a Redemptorist and an indigenous missionary with great pride. This is Brother Valdir Santos of the Vice Province of Manaus. The 27 year-old was born in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, a city located in the northwest of the state of Amazon, near the border with Colombia.
Valdir is of an indigenous origin, is a descendant of the Dessana people, his family belongs to a tribe that lives in the Alto Río Negro region. Since 2010, the young man lives in Manaus. Initially he entered the diocesan seminary, but then chose the life of the Redemptorist. Today he is a temporary professed member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer and is in the last year of the theology course.
“I am a native. I freely embraced my vocation. Even my family today welcomes me as I did with religious life. It is a privilege for my people to have a religious of this community. It is indeed a moment of great joy to know that we too as indigenous can contribute to the Church,” says the Redemptorist missionary.
Together with his brother Sandro Duda, he directs the activities of the Redemptorist missionary youth (JUMIRE) in the unit of Manaus. The two participated in the JUMIRE Leadership Congress, held in the Amazon capital. For Valdir, this was an important moment of fraternization and interaction among young people, where he could also present part of his culture.
(www.a12.com)
