Fr. Leocir Pessini, during the recent days of his fraternal presence in the south of Brazil, took part in a meeting for formation with the members of the Lay Camillian Family of Iomere (SC). This is a group of lay pioneers, some of the first members of the LCF in our Order, who have met for more than thirty-five years.

The Lay Camillian Family began its presence in Brazil when Fr. Alfonso Pastore was the Provincial Superior and Calisto Vendrame was the Superior General.

Fr. Leocir celebrated the Eucharist in the Paróquia São Luiz Gonzaga of Iomere and referred to the eightieth anniversary of the arrival of the Camillians in that part of the country. The next day he talked about the presence of the Camillians from the very beginnings in Arroio Trinta, which is another small town of the same region (with about 6,000 inhabitants) and is about thirteen kilometres away from Iomere.

Paradoxically, it is not possible to understand the identity of the Camillians in Brazil without knowing about this small town of Iomere which at the present time has about three thousand inhabitants.

It is specifically from this region that there came the first Camillian vocations in Brazil: to remember just a few of our religious brothers, let us list: Fr. Calisto Vendrame, the former Superior General; Fr. Julio Munaro, the former member of the General Consulta; Fr. Niversindo A. Cherubin, a member for twenty-five years of the central economic commission of the Order; Fr. Velocino Zortea, the former Provincial Superior; and many others, including Fr. Leocir Pessini, the current Superior General of the Order.

     Fr. Pessini wanted, specifically during this year dedicated to consecrated life, to express his gratitude to these Christian communities which have supported the Camillians ever since their arrival in Brazil. Pope Francis, specifically in his letter addressed to all consecrated people, invites us to ‘look at the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion and to embrace the future with hope’.

It is only by respecting and valuing our past, which contains our identity, that we can commit ourselves to building our shared future.

Fr. Leocir also visited the religious community of the Daughters of St. Camillus: four women religious who live in the commune of Herval Velho (SC) and provide service at the psychiatric hospital of their own Institute.