In 1974, the then Bishop Dom Adriano Hypólito gave the sisters responsibility for the development and administration of the parish of Santa Rita in Nova Iguaçu. The current bishop is also grateful for the sisters’ commitment. He would like to have even more sisters in his diocese, as the spiritual and material need is big.
Even today, the sisters continue to be involved in the parish, in the deanery and at diocesan level. Among other things, they accompany Bible groups, teach catechesis to the various age groups, visit the sick and work in training and further education.
One sister is primarily responsible for accompanying and training the group of associates “Semente da Santa Cruz” (Seed of the Holy Cross). Around 20 women and men have joined the Vicariate as associate members in recent years. As lay people, they live the charism of our religious community in their parishes.
We also had the opportunity to visit the House of Solidarity in Nova Iguaçu, which is now run by Fr. Felix Poschenreithner (a Calasantine from Austria) from Caritas. This institution was founded at the end of the 1990s by our Sister Magdalena for homeless people and is now run by Caritas Nova Iguaçu.
The visit to one of the two water reservoirs that ensure the water supply for Rio de Janeiro, a city of 9 million people, was impressive. The state authorities have declared this area a nature reserve.