PIME Missionary Fr. Raul Bonte Có works in the Amazon in Brazil. His parish, Our Lady of Navigators, is located at the mouth of the Amazon river among hundreds of islands. The parish encompasses about 20,000 people in 121 villages and the riverbanks are populated with shacks of the people who are just getting by. Descended from the ancient inhabitants of this region with a past of almost slavery-like conditions at the hands of large traders, more recently the people created popular movements to reclaim their lands. Fr. Raul explains that in this remote and harsh environment, they must go out and meet the people where they are and not wait for them to come to Church. For this purpose, Fr. Raul requested assistance for $16,512 from the PIME USA Mission Center to support the annual pastoral outreach done by their community coordinators. Can you help bring Christ to those most in need along the Amazon?
LeaderPublished Wed, Aug 28, 24. Written by Kathleen Connors.
Thank you for helping Fr. Raul and the community outreach coordinators of the Amazon in Brazil!
PIME Missionary Fr. Raul Bonte Có works in the Amazon in Brazil at Our Lady of Navigators Parish. Located at the mouth of the Amazon River among hundreds of islands, the parish encompasses about 20,000 people in 121 villages. The riverbanks are populated with shacks of the people, who struggle to get by.
In this remote and harsh environment, the missionaries must go out and meet the people where they are and not wait for them to come to Church. When the pastor is not able to visit, community coordinators are vital to support these communities. To aid the work of his coordinators, Fr. Raul requested assistance of $16,512 annually from the PIME U.S. Mission Center.
Fr. Raul recently reported back that the first year of the project in 2023 was a great success. Thanks to PIME USA supporters, 48 community coordinators throughout the parish provided coverage to all 121 villages! The coordinators helped with many of the people’s needs, especially spiritual needs through liturgical and biblical formation. Additionally, they organized meetings, celebrations, and training sessions, while bringing food to the neediest. They were even able to offer drug prevention talks to youth in schools. Thank you for supporting the most vulnerable communities along the Amazon River!
