Mission Sunday 22nd October 2006

Mission Sunday 22nd October 2006

Every year in October the world wide church celebrates “Mission Sunday”, a day of prayer and of promotion and support of the “Missionary Work” of the church.

This Mission Sunday, 22nd October 2006 is unlike any I have ever celebrated. Early this morning after Mass I will set out on a long Missionary Journey.

Day 1 - Sunday / Domingo

5.30 am I depart for the regional house in São Paulo and drive my little alcohol powered car, and hopefully also powered and guided by the Holy Spirit on a long journey.

“A journey that began long before this very day.”

I hope to drive half way to Campo Grande, capital of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. On this day’s journey I will drive through most of the state of São Paulo. I will find lodgings along the road somewhere.

São Paulo to Campo Grande is 1000km.

Day 2 - Monday / Segunda-feira

I will continue the second half of the journey to Campo Grande and hopefully meet up with Fr. Thomas Naidu Joekeen . Thomas is ordained only a few years. He is from India and was trained in Kenya, Africa by Fr. Tommy Curran a native of my last parish of Gorey, Co. Wexford. Thomas was in the language school in Brasilia with me. And he has started in a new parish in Campo Grande last week.

Day 3 - Tuesday / Terça-feira

Rest and enjoy the sights of Campo Grande and some Indian hospitality.

Day 4 - Wednesday / Quarta-feira

Continue my journey towards Cuiabá the capital of Mato Grosso State leaving Mato Grosso do Sul behind as I travel through “The Pantanal” which is a huge expanse of wetlands which holds the richest diversity of Brazilian wild life outside of the Amazon. I believe it is a very popular area with tourists. Maybe I will get a chance of taking a few pictures for the website.

I will pass through the city of Rondonópolis.

I hope to stay the night is the local seminary in Várzea Grande outside of Cuiabá. Here I will get a chance to meet the students of my new Diocese of Juina. Some I have already met and possibly some will be working with me in the near future.

Juina Diocese is a new diocese, eight years old and has only four of its own priests but has a good number of students.

Campo Grande to Cuiabá is 687km

Day 5 - Thursday / Quinta-feira

This is where the fun starts!

This is where I leave the main highways and take to the country roads most but not all will have an asphalt surface. This is where my little car and my driving skills will be put to the test.

I will be passing through little towns with names like;
Jangada
Bauxi
Barra do Bugres
Tangará da Serra
Campo Novo do Parecis

Brasnorte is the first of the parishes of my new diocese of “Juina” that I will pass through.

I hope to avail of the hospitality this night of the parish of St. Joseph the Worker / Paróquia São José Operário and Padre Eurico Krautler.
While working in Juruena for the three months I had the chance to meet Eurico and the other priests and sisters of the diocese at a number of meetings.

I am not sure of the distance but on the overnight bus it took ten hours from Brasnorte to Cuiabá.

Day 6 - Friday / Sexta-feira

The last lap of the journey begins. All the roads will be dirt roads, no asphalt until I arrive in Juina city.

My new parish of “Castanheira” is about one hour beyond Juina and about three hours south of my last parish of “Juruena”, all dirt roads of course.

Now we measure distances in time and not kilometres. This journey will take about six or seven hours of tough driving. Here’s hoping and praying that the rains will keep away for those days and that the roads wont be too mucky and that I won’t end up being stuck too many times in the muck. I have a tow rope!!!

Day 7 - Saturday / Sábado

I take up residence in my new parish where I will be working with Fr. Derek Byrne a Kiltegan Priest. He will have left the previous Monday to visit a very sick friend in Ireland, so I will be on my own again until he returns.

Here is my new Address:

Padre Denis Browne

Paróqiua Santo Antônio

Rua Santo Antônio

12178345-000 Castanheira

Mato Grosso

Brazil

Phone: 00 55 66 3581 1210

SKYPE:"Denis Browne"

Of course it is only now that the Missionary Journey REALLY begins!

Fr Kieran Needham R.I.P. 1 of 2

Post 1 of 2

Fr. Kieran Needham worked in Africa and Brazil for many years. He died on the 3rd of October 2005 in Kiltgegan, Co. Wicklow.

Last Saturday on his first anniversary the local parish invited us back to a mass and the naming ceremony of a new square in the parish after Fr. Kieran.

This was indeed a great honour for a city square to be named after an Irish Priest. The "Prefeito" {Mayor} and "Vice-Prefeito" and Chariman of the local "Câmara" {Council} were present at the ceremony which took place in "Praça {Square} Padre Kieran Aloysius Needham {Padre Kirano}" and this was followed by an open air mass also in "Praça Padre Kirano". Also present were Padres George, Jack, Leo, Gerry, two local Brazilian parish clergy and myself.

The locals had Kieran's picture printed on T-Shirts.

Kieran on T-Shirts

Some of the locals

The un-veiling ceremony {Above & Below}

L-R: Padre George, The present Parish Priest, The Mayor and Vice-Mayor.

The Plaque

Fr Kieran Needham R.I.P. 2 of 2

Some more photos 2 of 2.

Padre Kirano poster behind altar

Altar Boys & Girls lead in the procession for Mass

Gerry, George & Leo during Mass

Some of the Mass attendance

George & Jack at the plaque in the new square

"Good Bye Juruena" Party

The night before I took my leave some of the locals organised a going away party. Here are some of the photos.

In the burnt out shell of a "Castanheira" tree

Goodbye Juruena

Tomorrow, Monday 2nd October I set out on the long journey back to São Paulo and I say Goodbye to the Parish and People {& Roads} of Juruena as the resident parish priest has returned. On my way to Juina City I will call to my new parish of "Castanheira" and deposit most of my luggage. In Juina I will catch the overnight bus to Cuiabá and then connect to its Airport, and take the 3 hour flight back to São Paulo. This will be at least a two day journey depending on the conditions of the roads.

I have been appointed to work in the parish of Castanheira in the Diocese of Juina by Dom Franco Dalla Valla, Bishop of Juina & Padre Geroge Corr, Superior Kiltegan Fathers in South America. This is a new diocese about 8 years old. Dom Franco is an Italian. The diocese has only four of its own priests and the rest are priests and sisters from missionary orders or volunteers like myself.

Here I will be living and working with Padre Derek Byrne a member of the Wicklow Kiltegan Fathers. Thankfully I won't be on my own this time as the last three months were a big struggle, especially with the language.

I will spend a few weeks in São Paulo, resting and getting the all important visa papers in order. After 8 months the visa is still a problem. When I am done I will drive back to Castanheira in my "Alcohol Powered" Fiat Uno. This journey will take me the best part of a week. I will be using the hospitality of some of my former fellow language students from Brasillia who are now working in towns and cities along my route.

The route will take me through "The Pantanal" in the state of Mato Grosso Do Sul, which is a Wet Reserve where one can see most of Brazil's wildlife. This reserve is the size of a small country. I am sure there will be a few good photo opportunities.

The Long Road Home {Taken during the dry season}

Road Collapse - the stick is the warning sign

A dirt track to one of the communities, hardly wide enough for the jeep

Vulchers on the road. The vulcher is a protected bird here. Often you will smell the dead animal before you see the vulchers, but they do a very important clean-up job here, especially in the heat.

The results of "Slash and Burn" Farming. For the month of August we could hardly see the sun beacuse of the smoke from the huge fires on the farms.