Rejoice: The Pope?s Message is the Theme of the Directors? Project

A realistic and up-to-date vision of what it means to be a saint: this is the purpose of Pope Francis’ 2018 Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exultate (Rejoice and Be Glad) which was proposed by the Commission on Identity and Mission to the 30 participants from the Province of Brasil Centro-Sur, the Grupo Marista and the FTD Educación, as the theme for Gaudete Project.

For Lidia Moura, Dean of the School of Medicine of the PUCPR, projects like this are very important because of their content. She believes that nowadays it’s easy to find technical information anywhere, including the internet, but what is lacking is information on ways to apply it to life.

Concluding at the end of Easter Week, the Project had three stages. The first, “Base Camp”, took place in February, with the directors coming together for a day of reflection led by Fathers Joachim Andrade and Vilson Groh.

In March and April, the directors took part in “distance learning” activities as the second stage of the Project, called Preparation for The Ascent. They received weekly messages on their cell phones containing the beatitudes listed by Pope Francis, along with challenging questions for personal reflection.

The final stage, called The Summit, was held in Corupá on April 16 and 17. It consisted of time for reflection and discussion of commitments, and was facilitated by Br. Natalino de Souza, executive secretary of UMBRASIL.