Pilgrim lighting candles at the Aparecida Basilica, São Paulo, Brazil.
Photo credited to Sean Sprague.
Happy Anniversary!
As of January 2026, Maryknoll missioners are celebrating another major milestone: their golden anniversary in Brazil. Congratulations to the Brazil Mission Community on 50 years of service! The Brazil Mission Community is a collaborative effort between the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, the Maryknoll Sisters, and the Maryknoll Lay Missioners. However, it wasn’t always this way. Join us as we explore a brief history of Maryknoll’s presence in Brazil.
There are numerous Maryknoll missioners whose contributions to the Brazil Mission Community are not mentioned in this post. If you’d like to learn more about these amazing individuals, please contact the Maryknoll Mission Archives for more information.
Community Beginnings
The initial community began when the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers accepted two mission commitments in Brazil. At the time, the group was referred to as the Brazil Unit. Its first members arrived in January 1976. One team, including Fr. Thomas Shea and Fr. Manuel Mejía began work in the Archdiocese of São Paulo in San Francisco parish. A second team with Fr. Richard Ouellette began work with the Instituto Estrela Missionária (Star of the Missions Institute) in the Diocese of Nova Iguaçu.
Maryknoll’s relationship with the Institute was short lived, but there were still plenty of opportunities to serve Brazil’s people. The Nova Iguaçu team accepted an invitation from the local Bishop to work in another parish. In 1980, work in the Diocese of Nova Iguaçu came to completion and the Fathers and Brothers accepted new commitments in the São Paulo Archdiocese. For a time, their work was concentrated within São Paulo, the most populous city in Brazil.
Fr. Manuel Mejía in mission in Brazil.
Former Maryknoll Lay Missioners Tony Aspholm and Beth Rademacher while missioned in Brazil.
Community Growth
Maryknoll’s presence continued to grow throughout the 1980’s. The first associate to serve in Brazil, Rev. Robert Weis, joined Maryknoll through the Associate Priest program in December 1982. He served in Brazil for roughly 12 years, primarily in the rural town of Itacajá. He most likely would have continued his work for longer, however, he died in a tragic accident while trying to cross a flooded river in a Jeep. He was buried on January 6, 1995 in Itacajá, Tocantins, Brazil among the people he served.
Following Rev. Weis, the first group of Maryknoll Lay Missioners arrived in 1984. Among them were Tony Aspholm, Beth Rademacher, Mary Reitz, and Richard Wilinski. They were quickly followed by Benny Linneman and Maryann Sorese. The addition of many helping hands expanded the Unit’s capacity to serve, which created new opportunities for the missioners. The Unit began serving in Basic Christian Communities and a variety of grassroots pastoral efforts.
Community Restructuring
The only constant is change, and the continued growth of the Brazil Unit inevitably meant positive changes for its future. In 1986, missioners made the decision to restructure. Rather than the more traditional top-down hierarchy, the new structure established all members as equals sharing in the decisions and responsibilities of the Unit’s work collaboratively. A full-time Unit Coordinator position was added to help facilitate the group of Fathers, Brothers, Associate Priests, and Lay Missioners.
It’s important to note that, by 1986, no other Maryknoll mission had attempted this type of collaboration. The Brazil Unit helped pave the way for new creative and collaborative opportunities that supported missioners in their unique missions, while ensuring a strong and supportive environment through their local Maryknoll community.
In 1989, the Unit decided to form a new pastoral group in rural Tocantins. Missioners assigned to this region worked primarily with indigenous people and helped support the growth of Basic Christian Communities.
Bro. Mark Gruenke surrounded by people and puppets, Brazil.
Sr. Carolyn Moritz in Brazil, 1995.
Community Expansion
In 1990, the Maryknoll Sisters decided to join the Brazil Unit. Their first group missioned here included Sr. Constance Pospisil and Sr. Carolyn Moritz. Their focus was on addressing the needs of local, marginalized women. Most of their work involved women’s health initiatives, including mental health and helping mothers combat infant mortality rates.
By 1993, more opportunities to serve Brazil’s people had become clear. The Unit decided it was time to create a third pastoral group in the city of João Pessoa. Maryknoll missioners continue to serve here to this day. (You can read some of their stories below!)
After careful consideration, the name “Brazil Mission Community” was adopted in 1995 to better reflect the group’s collaborative nature. In 1997, the São Paulo Pastoral Group began expanding their outreach within the city and surrounding area, while the Tocantins Pastoral Group was disbanded.
Modern Community
The Brazil Mission Community continues to serve in São Paulo and João Pessoa, with active missioners stationed in these cities today. Each Maryknoll missioner brings their own perspective and passion for mission to the people they serve and work alongside. Rather than discuss each individual project currently in motion, I’d like to encourage you to check out the content listed below.
Current Maryknoll Missioners:
Brazil Mission Community Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryknoll_brazil/?hl=en
Fr. Dennis Moorman’s Trauma Healing Ministry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yDjSwrY4vI
Sr. Euphrasia (Efu) Nyaki – Maryknoll Sisters’ Missionary Life podcast episode, The Power of Holistic Medicine (2022)
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-power-of-holistic-medicine–49776699?utm_medium=app&utm_source=widget&utm_campaign=episode-title&deep_link_value=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spreaker.com%2Fepisode%2Fthe-power-of-holistic-medicine–49776699%3Futm_medium%3Dapp%26utm_source%3Dwidget%26utm_campaign%3Depisode-title&af_channel=widget
Kathy Bond – Meet a Missioner Monday – Lay Missioners You Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9-u_BrV8c8
Flavio Rocha – Meet a Missioner Monday – Lay Missioners You Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz98PyS-slM
Kathy and Flavio – A culture of peace broadens its reach
https://mklm.org/brazil/culture-of-peace-broadens-its-reach/
Former Brazil Missioners:
The following profiles come from our digital exhibit, Compassionate Voices: Celebrating Maryknoll Lay Missioners’ Golden Jubilee.
Heidi Cerneka
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7d87a00cdda24be6981c14e76777604b
Jeanine and Marc Boucher-Colbert
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7d87a00cdda24be6981c14e76777604b
Angel Mortel
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7d87a00cdda24be6981c14e76777604b
There are numerous Maryknoll missioners whose contributions to the Brazil Mission Community are not mentioned in this post. If you’d like to learn more about these amazing individuals, please contact the Maryknoll Mission Archives for more information.
Maryknoll Lay Missioners at the Brazil Mission Community Assembly, 2001.
Fr. Gerald Wickenhauser in mission in Brazil.
Sr. Mercy Mtaita visitis a Guarani indigenous community, São Paulo, Brazil.
Maryknoll Lay Missioner Heidi Cerneka and
Former Maryknoll Lay Missioner Angel Mortel, Brazil.
Sr. Constance Pospisil in mission in Brazil.
Former Lay Missioner Lloyd Friedrich gardening, Brazil.
Interested in learning more about Maryknoll?
You can contact the Archives at:
Maryknoll Mission Archives
PO Box 305, Maryknoll, New York 10545
Phone: 914-941-7636
Office hours: 8:30 am-4:00 pm Monday-Friday
Email: archives@maryknoll.org
Website: www.maryknollmissionarchives.org
References:
Halloran, J., Conning, S., Polasek, T., & Cairns, M. (2025, February). Compassionate voices. ArcGIS StoryMaps. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7d87a00cdda24be6981c14e76777604b
Father Manuel J. Mejía, MM. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2020, February). https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/deceased-fathers-bro/father-manuel-j-mejia-mm/
Father Richard T. Ouellette, MM. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2020, February). https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/deceased-fathers-bro/father-richard-t-ouellette-mm/
Home. Maryknoll Lay Missioners. (2025, January 27). https://mklm.org/
Home. Maryknoll Sisters. (2025, May 23). https://www.maryknollsisters.org/
Missionaries of the Catholic Church: Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers. Maryknoll Society. (2025, December 9). https://maryknollsociety.org/
OSV News. (2023, October 31). Small Christian communities are a model for Church. Maryknoll Magazine. https://www.maryknollmagazine.org/2023/10/small-christian-communities-are-a-model-for-church/
Rev. Robert Leo Weis. FamilySearch.org. (2025). https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LNXJ-4LV/rev-robert-leo-weis-1930-1995
Sister Carolyn Moritz. Maryknoll Sisters. (2022, August 11). https://www.maryknollsisters.org/sisters/sister-carolyn-moritz/
Sister Constance Pospisil, MM. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2020). https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/deceased-sisters/sister-constance-pospisil-mm/
Thomas Shea Obituary. The Mercury News. (2025, November 25). https://www.mercurynews.com/obituaries/thomas-j-shea/
Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, December 21). Tocantins. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tocantins
Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, December 26). João Pessoa, Paraíba. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo%C3%A3o_Pessoa,_Para%C3%ADba
Wikimedia Foundation. (2026, January 4). São Paulo. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A3o_Paulo
