New Province Brasil Sul-Amazônia

On 18 April, the Superior General and his Council approved the union of the District of Amazonia with the province of Rio Grande do Sul, creating the new province, called Brasil Sul-Amazônia, which will begin running on 8 Dec. 2015.

The province of Rio Grande do Sul, founded in 2002, has 18 colleges, 10 community centers, 8 schools, 1 university (PUCRS) and 1 hospital. It also has religious communities, formation centres and houses for encounters. Its area is the state of Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal District.

The district of Amazonia, created in 2002 as a mission of the three provinces of Brazil, has always been linked to the province Rio Grande do Sul. There are currently 19 brothers and a lay missionary woman working in five States of the Amazon region of Brazil (Acre, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Roraima). The Marists do not have their own works in the Amazon but rather carry out their mission, under contract, in schools and universities and manage projects for the formation of leaders, indigenous communities, pastoral insertion, promoting vocations and volunteering.

A process that began with the provincial chapter of Rio Grande do Sul in 2012 resulted in the unification of two administrative units. This chapter recommended that the provincial link with the district be increased to promote the mission in the region.

This process culminated in the last chapter of the district held in Dec. 2014 when the Brothers of the Amazon approved the dissolution of the district’s structure and chose the unification with the province of Rio Grande do Sul.

The new administrative unit will officially open this December with the celebration of the first Provincial Chapter, which will involve the Superior General. The first provincial and the elected Council will take up possession during the chapter.