To the brothers of the Jesus Caritas Fraternity
The Pan-American team met in Brazil, in the city of Goiás, between September 16 and 21, 2024. We were at the House of Fraternity these days, where the spirituality of Brothers Charles de Foucauld is lived. Father Carlos Roberto, the Pan-American leader, who lives there, welcomed us and organized the activities of this meeting.
Every day at 7:30 we had a half hour of silent Adoration and at 8:00 we celebrated Lauds. Lunch every day was at 12:30. At 18:30 we had Mass with the community and at 20:00 we had dinner.
On Monday afternoon we had a first meeting simultaneously in person and online. The four members of the team participated: Carlos from Brazil, Mártires from the Dominican Republic, Alex from the USA, Tino from Argentina, Fernando Tapia and Arturo from Chile and Jhonfer from Venezuela. At first, Fr. Tapia told us about the organization of the XII International Assembly (May 6-21, 2025), the Directory and the Statutes of the Fraternity, which the International Team is reviewing. He also informed us about the need to send the registration forms of the leaders and delegates with the respective flights to organize the logistics of the meeting. The invitation letter will be sent from the bishopric of San Isidro for participants who need a visa to enter Argentina.
Then we shared what the fraternities of each of our countries are experiencing and in a special way the formation of the fraternities of other countries such as Venezuela (Fr. Jhonfer was present), Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama. On Monday at 6:30 pm we celebrated Mass with the small community that participates in the activities of the House of Fraternity.
On Tuesday morning we met again online, hoping to receive some enlightenment from Fr. Honoré Sawadogo on the topic: “Fighting clericalism with St. Charles de Foucauld,” but it was not possible because the instability of the internet where he was, did not allow him to connect with us. Therefore, he later sent us the text so that we could have it. In this situation, we continued to share about the life of our fraternities in each country. We experienced a very good exchange of experiences of the existing fraternities and the new ones in formation. Good news is that the Month of Nazareth has been held in several countries of the Americas, and also that there are seminarians and young priests coming and participating in our spirituality.
On Tuesday afternoon, the organization of the logistics of the IV Pan-American Assembly that will be held in São Paulo, Brazil, continued.
On Wednesday we had Desert Day in the Goiás desert, since it was unbearably hot. We conclude with the celebration of Mass with the People.
On Thursday morning we continued the work on the organization of the IV Assembly. In the afternoon we visited the parish of Our Lady of the Abbey, in the city of Itaberaí, and in the community of San José we went to the homes of some sick people. In the evening we celebrated Mass in the community of San Antonio, together with Father José Mateus Domíngues, who belongs to the Fraternity.
On Friday we spent the morning and afternoon visiting the Paraíso Therapeutic Community, where we shared with the men who live there, who are being helped in their recovery from their chemical dependency. We introduced ourselves, gave our names and where we are from, had lunch with them and ended with the celebration of Mass in the chapel of the Community. During the Mass, each of those present were able to share their pain and suffering, as well as their hopes of achieving a cure and returning healthy to their lives and families. It was a very important moment, which helped us all.
On Saturday morning we discussed the text of the liturgy brochure in various languages, which we will conclude in another meeting. In the afternoon we wrote the text of the invitation for the IV Assembly and finished with the text of the chronicles of this meeting.
On behalf of the Pan American team, a big hug,
Carlos Roberto dos Santos
Continental responsible
Read the document in PDF: Chronicle of the Pan American Team Meeting, September 2024. Carlos Roberto dos SANTOS. en
