Celebrating Solidarity

Because He lives, I can believe in tomorrow!

On May 1, 2025, at 3:00 p.m., at the Nossa Senhora do Rosário Parish in Faria Lemos, Bento Gonçalves/RS, a memorial mass was held for the victims of the floods and landslides that occurred one year ago on May 1, 2024.

The Holy Mass was presided over by the Vicar General of the Diocese of Caxias do Sul, Father Leonardo Pereira, and the priests of the Pastoral Region of Bento Gonçalves. The celebration was enlivened by the local orchestra and choir.

We, the Little Pastor Sisters of the Community of Bento Gonçalves, were present, as was the Provincial Superior, Sister Vanda Terezinha Bisato, who came especially to participate in this moment.

Many people, coming from different regions of the city, were present. It was a celebration lived with much pain, participation and hope; in an atmosphere of gratitude for so much solidarity and for the volunteers of the municipality and of Brazil, who spared no effort to help on that occasion.

The opening song: “Because he lives I can believe in tomorrow” invited everyone to rekindle their faith in the resurrection during this Easter season. During the Eucharistic Prayer for the deceased, we remember the 17 people who died in the municipality of Bento Gonçalves, victims of the floods and landslides. To the sound of the song ‘O Silêncio’, a family member of each deceased person took a flower to the altar and placed it next to the picture of Pope Francis.

Civil and military authorities, as well as municipal, state and national entities, also attended, helping to rescue the people and rebuild the building. In response to this ecological disaster, our Province, General Team, and the Diocese, through numerous initiatives, helped the families that were affected.

After the mass, we were invited to go to the front of the church, where a public tribute was paid by the municipal authorities who planted a plane tree, in memory of the fact that it was used to sustain the vines in this region. In this location, they also built a garden and placed a plaque with the names of the deceased, and another plaque honoring all the people and entities that helped in this time of grief. At the end, the representative of the State Government said: Yes, we suffered, but we did not lose hope!

May we, in this Jubilee Year, increasingly rekindle Hope and gratitude to God for being with us at every moment of our lives.

Sr. Adriana Cortelini, sjbp