IV Panamerican Assembly, Sâo Paulo. 21-26 September 2026

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INVITATION TO THE IV PAN-AMERICAN ASSEMBLY

SAO PAULO, September 21 to 26, 2026

“Who became a neighbor
to the man attacked by the robbers?
Cf. Lk 10:36

Dear brothers:
First Pan-American responsible, national leaders, and delegates of the fraternities of the Americas

I am very pleased to invite you to participate in the IV Pan-American Assembly of the Priestly Fraternity Iesus Caritas, to be held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, from September 21 to 26, 2026.

While it is true that this Assembly was scheduled to take place in 2025, since we also have the International Assembly, it seemed wise to postpone it for a while.

I invite you to participate in this IV Assembly: the members of the international team, Fernando Tapia (the main Pan-American coordinator), the leaders and delegates from the countries in the Americas where the fraternities are already established, and some representatives from other countries where the fraternities are in the process of being formed (Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela), as well as some collaborating brothers.

For some time now, we have been thinking about this meeting, which aims to continue the work carried out at the III Pan-American Assembly in Córdoba (Argentina), where we reflected on our mission as priests in terms of outreach to the peripheries. Our Pan-American team has considered the proposals from the XII International Assembly in May 2025, in Buenos Aires (Argentina). Taking a further step, we want to turn our attention to the theme: “Pastoral, human, intellectual, and spiritual assistance of priests according to the spirituality of Brother Charles de Foucauld” in order to carry forward the mission entrusted to us by the Church.

We believe that on this path, a thought from the Brazilian psychologist William César Castilho Pereira, who has accompanied priests for many years, can be useful: he often says, ‘those whose main vocation is to care for others also need to take care of themselves’.

We are sending you, as an attachment, a questionnaire with two questions that will serve as input for our Assembly.

As we agreed on the occasion of my election as international responsible, it is necessary that in this IV Assembly a new Pan-American responsible be elected for the next six years. The elected responsible will have the task of appointing the new team that will accompany them during this period of work.

May the Holy Spirit help us to live our ministry in a healthy way in our entire being.

Fraternally.
Goiás, February 2025.
Pe. Carlos Roberto dos Santos
Pan-American Risponsible

Read the full document with annexes in PDF format: IV Panamerican Assembly, Sâo Paulo. 21-26 September 2026 en

Month of Nazareth. Brazil. January 2026

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Dear brothers of the Priestly Fraternity of Jesus Caritas,

we experienced the MONTH OF NAZARETH, from January 5th to 29th, in Goiás (GO – Brazil). It was a time of grace, prayer, fraternal fellowship, and profound spiritual renewal. We wish to share with you a brief summary of what the Lord allowed us to experience in this month so fruitful for our priestly journey.

From the beginning, we were invited to revisit our personal and vocational history, recognizing God’s action in our lives.

Bishop Eugênio Rixen helped us to “forge fraternity,” recalling the witness of Saint Charles de Foucauld and so many brothers and sisters who chose to live among the poor, not only helping them, but becoming their brothers and sisters. We learned that evangelizing is more about presence than discourse, more about living together than about deeds, more about listening than about taking the lead. The prayer of abandonment led us to a deep and serene trust in the hands of the Father.

With Fr. Carlos Roberto, we meditated on the fact that we only offer one adoration: we adore Christ in the Word and in the Gospels, we adore Christ in the Eucharist and in Eucharistic adoration, just as we adore Him present in the poor, in the least of the least. The Eucharist extends into charity, therefore, serving our brother is to continue the adoration. We were reminded that a priest cannot live in isolation: fraternity sustains, heals, and animates our mission. We were also called to care for human, emotional, and spiritual health, with rest, spiritual direction, and accompaniment when necessary.

Deacon José Gomes brought to light a delicate and necessary theme: fatigue and psychological suffering in the presbytery. In the light of Moses and Elijah, we realized that even the great prophets experienced exhaustion. God first cares, feeds, and gives rest, and then sends again. We are called to recognize our limits and to allow ourselves to be cared for.

During the Retreat week, Bishop Edson Damian broadened our horizons by meditating with us on the spirituality of integral ecology: creation as the first Gospel and the Common Home as a gift entrusted to us. He reinforced priestly fraternity, communion with the Church, the fight against clericalism, and the preferential option for the poor as concrete criteria for conversion. He reminded us that there is no following of Jesus without simplicity, justice, and commitment to the least fortunate.

Prayer also occupied a central place. We were encouraged to remain before the Lord, for it is from intimacy with Him that mission is born. Without adoration of the Beloved Jesus, our action risks becoming activism.

Finally, the meditation on the Magnificat presented Mary in her humanity: with fears, silence, and trust. She teaches us that God works wonders in smallness. We are called to this “postgraduate course in humility,” where true greatness is to trust and serve.

During the week of the 27th to the 28th, we were joined by Father José de Anchieta, national responsible of the Jesus Caritas Fraternity; Father Anchieta addressed the following themes: The Prophetism of Charles de Foucauld: emphasis was placed on this phrase: “let us not be sleeping sentinels and mute dogs, indifferent shepherds”; the text was taken from the writings of Canon Celso Pedro and José Bizon. Following this, we meditated on the humble means of evangelization. Continuing the formation, Father Anchieta reflected on UNIVERSAL FRATERNITY
Fraternal love for all men: ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. Continuing with the themes, we meditated on the Priestly Fraternity Jesus Caritas in Brazil, historical data, pointed out by Jaime Jongmans and updated by Carlos Roberto); highlighting its beginning in 1951-1962. And finally, Father Anchieta gave us guidelines for the engagement of members in the Priestly Fraternity of Jesus Caritas. With the proper guidance, at the end of the month of Nazareth, the ceremony of “engagement” of the new members was held during Holy Mass.

We leave this month with the conviction that our vocation is to be universal brothers: men of prayer, simple presence, fraternal communion, and real closeness to the poor. More than doing a lot, we are called to love better. More than great projects, to remain with Jesus and with the people.

May Saint Charles de Foucauld help us to live as “brothers to all” and may the Lord strengthen our priestly fraternity.

With fraternal esteem and prayer for each one,

1. Fr. João Paulo Carvalho e Silva. Teresina – Piauí

2. Fr. João Batista Toledo da Silveira. Niterói RJ

3. Fr. Milton Afonso do Nascimento. Marília, SP

4. Fr. Edvaldo Rosário Calazans. São José do Rio Preto, SP

5. Fr. Paulo Leandro da Silva, Diocese of Guarulhos, SP

6. Deacon Florismundo Roderich Maranhão Cavalcante. Recife, PE

📃 PDF: Month of Nazareth. Brazil. January 2026 en

Wend Benedo, Burkina Faso, a project in the model of Saint Charles de Foucauld

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FOLLOW-UP VISIT REPORT TO THE WEND BENEDO PROJECT, BURKINA FASO, DECEMBER 2025
FUNDACIÓN TIENDA ASILO DE SAN PEDRO, SPAIN

At Home

On December 26th, we, the aid workers Nacho ARSUAGA, Carlos LLANO, and Aurelio SANZ, arrived in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. We were overjoyed to be back on Burkinabé soil and welcomed by Suzanne and her team. We were there to experience firsthand the development of the Wend Benedo project, sharing with its people the difficult reality of a country still plagued by the shadow of insecurity due to terrorism. In this environment, we felt completely free and safe, without any fear whatsoever.

Out of caution, and on the advice of our friends, we were unable to visit the project area (Kongoussi, Bam, Kaya, etc.), but we had several opportunities to meet with the people, as we will now describe.

A testament to something small, yet of great value

On the afternoon of the 26th, we visited the Little Sisters of Jesus. We had met them on previous occasions. They live the spirituality of St. Charles de FOUCAULD among the common people, through their manual labor, and by helping prostitutes who want to normalize their lives, all within the context of a parish. Learning from the poor continues to open doors for us in Burkina Faso. We took the opportunity to buy some handmade soap from them.

Team, Achievements, and Challenges of the Project

On the 27th, we dedicated the morning to working with Wend Benedo’s team, part of the team in Bam, and the board of directors in Ouagadougou. We met with Suzanne, Yvette, Nestor, Edmond Norbert, Guillaume, Pascal, and Wendnyolsdé. We gathered in one of the rooms of the Lorette ND Reception Center. The realities of the project were presented, including medical and healthcare services, psychosocial support, accompaniment of new clients, outreach in villages, schooling for children and adolescents and their academic progress (which involves paying for schools, training centers, and boarding schools, as well as providing the necessary materials), nutritional support, and the significant effort to assist thousands of refugees displaced by terrorism.

Among these refugees are 52 orphaned babies, fed with formula, adopted by volunteer mothers in the project, all of whom have several children. We are pleased to highlight that in 2025, NOT A BABI HAS DIED. The Foundation’s efforts to find resources for the development of these children are more than rewarded when we see families increasing the number of children without considering their own well-being and safety. We trust that the project will continue to provide them with the means for their future schooling. It is undoubtedly a very serious wake-up call to our Western lifestyles in many respects…

The team is working to establish agreements with Save the Children and UNICEF to provide care for the children of the displaced population. Furthermore, the relationship with Chrétiens pour le Sahel continues for educational support.

Despite the insecurity, the Wend Benedo project continues its work and activities, taking on new challenges, such as the future of the two plots of land in Kongoussi and Sabce for the construction of vocational training centers.
It is important to note the positive attitude and spirit of “To be with” that characterizes all of Wend Benedo’s guidelines, inspired by the insights of Saint Charles de FOUCAULD, and its openness to all, regardless of religion.

Family Dinner

On the afternoon and evening of the 27th, we had a much-anticipated reunion with the young people we’ve known year after year at Wend Benedo, since they were very young, and who are now in their twenties. We invited them to dinner and spent time reminiscing, looking through photos, talking about their lives, the self-employment they were trained for within the project, and their joys and hopes. They are now starting families. This reunion filled us with a healthy sense of satisfaction as we witnessed their achievements. Carlos is in almost daily contact with them and other young people who are continuing their studies through social media. He acts as a mentor and motivator from afar.

Our People from Bam and Kongoussi

On Sunday the 28th, at the Les Lauriets Center, near the Ouagadougou Cathedral, we had a big day with the people who came from Bam and Kongoussi, 140 km away, in a rickety bus. Singing, introducing ourselves, sharing our lives, celebrating the Eucharist, eating together, showing interest in one another… Wend Benedo embodies a sense of belonging to a large group of people who are making progress, achieving health and dignity, helping others find meaning in their lives, and encouraging each other not to be overcome by fear. We talked mainly about our hopes, individually, as families, and as a country. The exchange was very lively and realistic.

Marc, the little boy we met at Wend Benedo, came by motorbike from Ouahigouya (180 km north of Ouagadougou) to be with us. Today he is a priest and is almost two meters tall. He presided at the Eucharist and spoke to us from the heart. It was a day we’d all been waiting for, and we felt like family, in a country where everything makes you feel like family, and at the heart of a project where human connection and the importance of “being with” are paramount.

We said goodbye knowing that we’ll meet again in 2026, with new realities and new dreams. We know that Suzanne and the team won’t let us down.

Yagma

On the afternoon of the 28th, we visited Cardinal Philippe OUÉDRAOGO, our friend and the founder of Wend Benedo, in Yagma, west of Ouagadougou. It is a joy to meet with him again each year, to talk about everything: Burkina Faso, world events, the beginnings of the project, the days we spent working at the monastery in Honda, under the great shea tree, in September 2004… His wise and humble style continues to inspire us to listen.

On the morning of the 29th, we began our return journey, already dreaming of coming back.

Speakers: Carlos LLANO, economist, Madrid, coordinator of Childhood Smile; José Ignacio ARSUAGA, lawyer, Madrid, responsible for Friends of Burkina; Aurelio SANZ, priest, Cartagena, vice president of the Fundación Tienda Asilo de San Pedro and coordinator of Wend Benedo in the West.

PDF: Wend Benedo, Burkina Faso, a project in the model of Saint Charles de Foucauld en

The fraternity Jesus Caritas in Rwanda

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Following the visit to the Diocese of Nyundo , yesterday January 13th , 2026 at 11:00 AM, the Diocese of Gikongoro welcomed Father Abayisenga Valens, a member of the Priestly Fraternity of Jesus Caritas of Rwanda. He gave a talk on the spirituality of the Priestly Fraternity of Jesus Caritas. Everything went well, and we are very grateful to His Excellency Bishop Hakizimana Célestin of Gikongoro , who welcomed me and shared such a valuable testimony about this spirituality, as he himself was a member of the Priestly Fraternity of Jesus Caritas of Rwanda before 1994.

The priests welcomed this spirituality and we hope to start a new fraternity soon in Rwanda in the diocese of Gikongoro.

Furthermore, three other dioceses of Rwanda, namely the diocese of Byumba , the archdiocese of Kigali and the diocese of Kibungo ; their bishops have promised to come one day to talk to their priests about the spirituality of the Priestly Fraternity of Jesus Caritas.

PDF: Rapport de FSJC Gikongoro in English