Br. José de Assis Elias de Brito Provincial of Brasil Centro-Norte

In a letter sent to the Brothers of the Province, Brother Ernesto Sánchez, Superior General, announced the appointment of Brother José de Assis Elias de Brito as Provincial of the Marist Province of Brasil Centro-Norte, for a first term of three years. Br José de Assis will replace Br Ataide José de Lima, Provincial since 2015.

In the letter, the Superior General thanked Br. Assis for his generosity in accepting this mission of leadership in the service of his Province and underlined his confidence in his service: “your experience of several years as Provincial Councillor as well as your time of service in UMBRASIL and, in recent years, as Director of the Marist College of Natal will be of great help in your service of leadership”.

Br. Ernesto also thanked Br. Ataide: “His dedication and commitment, as well as his teamwork, have been of great help. His collaboration with the other Provincials in Brazil and South America is very valuable. He also thanked the Provincial Council and the different provincial animation groups.

Br. Assis will begin his mandate with the inaugural celebration of the Provincial Chapter, scheduled for 17 December this year.

Br. Assis

Br. José de Assis Elias de Brito or Br. Assis, as he is known, was born on 15 October 1979 in Araçagi, Paraíba State. He is a Marist alumnus, who did his primary studies at the Colégio Marista Pio X, in João Pessoa.

He assumed his journey as a Marist Brother in 1999, when he entered the Aspirancy in Nísia Floresta. He did his Pre-Postulancy in 2000, in Fortaleza; Postulancy in 2001, in the city of Natal and Novitiate in Fortaleza. He made his First Profession in 2003 and, the following year, he joined the Juniorate in Belo Horizonte. In 2009 he took perpetual vows. He graduated in Pedagogy from the Catholic University of Brasilia and in Theology from the St. Thomas Aquinas Institute in Belo Horizonte. He has a postgraduate degree in Educational Management from the Catholic University of Brasilia, and another in Theology of Religious Life from the Higher School of Theology and Franciscan Spirituality. He studied Religious Education and Pastoral School at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, and Catechetical Methodology at the Salesian University Centre of São Paulo. He is a board member of the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance. He is currently pursuing an MBA (Master of Business Administration) in Project Management at the University of São Paulo.

In his mission, as a Marist Brother, he was Director of the Champagnat Marist College in Taguatinga, Coordinator of the Consecrated and Lay Life Area of the Mission Area of UMBRASIL. He was Vice-President of the Brazilian Union of Education and Teaching and of the North Brazilian Union of Education and Culture, from 2013 to 2015. He was also Provincial Councillor for two consecutive terms, from 2013 to 2018. For some years, he was part of the Marist Apostolic Spirituality Network of the American Continent.

He is currently Canonical Animator of the Marist Community of Natal, member of the Committee of the South America Region, Director of the Marist College of Natal and participating member of the Provincial Committee of Corporate Governance of the Sponsors UBEE-UNBEC. In the state of Rio Grande do Norte, he is advisor and coordinator of the State Council of the Association of Catholic Schools.