Mission to the Lower Rio Branco in Roraima!
And He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Luke 9:6).
To be a disciple of Jesus is to be a missionary of the Kingdom of God; it means setting out and traveling through the villages, proclaiming the Good News and making Jesus, the Good Shepherd, better known and loved.
With this motivation, we participated in the “Lower Rio Branco” mission, undertaken by the Conference of Religious (CRB) of Boa Vista, serving two riverine communities within the geographical area of the Caracaraí Parish, in the Diocese of Roraima.
The mission took place from September 16 to 25, 2026, in Lago Grande and Terra Preta. We were warmly welcomed by the local people; we visited families in both communities to invite them to a “conversation circle” regarding the “Season of Creation” and to the celebration of the patron saint, Saint Francis, in the Lago Grande community.
During our visits and time spent with the communities, we noticed that interpersonal relationships are quite fragmented and fragile. Many adults struggle significantly with substance abuse—particularly alcoholism—which often drains the joy from life and weakens the sense of identity and belonging within the Christian community.
We also observed the presence of other religious denominations in both areas; at times, Catholics themselves seek the Word of God elsewhere because the Catholic Church’s presence is limited to a single annual visit—or sometimes not even that. It is evident that the people are thirsting for God and for His Word. Through these experiences, we are continually reminded of how much the Kingdom needs laborers, for the harvest in these riverine communities is truly abundant. Another factor posing a challenge to maintaining a greater presence is the distance involved; the only route is via the river—meaning travel by boat—at a very high cost.
We thank God for the opportunity to share something of our Pastorelle vocation with the river-dwelling communities, and to learn from them while respecting who they are and their way of life. These were days of a true school of life—Jesus’s school—teaching through practice: “Take nothing for the journey: no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that place.”
May we increasingly embrace Jesus’s mandate to set sail in His name toward other seas, other villages, and other settlements where people await missionaries, thirsting deeply for God. Go and proclaim my peace; go without looking back. I will be with you and will be your light in the mission.
Let us continue building the Kingdom in communion of life and mission—wherever Jesus the Good Shepherd calls each Pastorella, across the four corners of the world—giving the best of ourselves so that all may have more abundant life.
sr. Eunice Grespan. sjbp
Comunita Boa Vista/RR
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