KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE

In Itacoatiara, Brazil, the Association Dom Jorge continues the work begun by Scarboro missioner Bishop George Marskell

By Michael O'Kane
March 2003

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"I hope to see the day when people have enough to eat, just salaries, better working conditions, title to their land; because this is what God wants-fullness of life for all people."

This was the dream of the late Bishop George Marskell, Scarboro missioner and Bishop of the Prelacy of Itacoatiara, Brazil. Hoping to keep this dream alive, a small group of laity in the Prelacy have formed the Association Dom Jorge to continue some of the pastoral initiatives that Bishop George began. These initiatives include:

• Legal assistance and defense of poor farmers threatened with expulsion from their lands;
• Adult education classes and a mobile library for children and adolescents living in poor neighbourhoods;
• Medical assistance to the poor, and preventative health education;
• Visitation and defense of prisoners languishing in jails.

The Association embodies a vision of Church as "The People of God." This was the vision of Church to which Bishop George devoted his life among the people of the Amazon for 37 years. And it is a vision that the Association's founding members hope to see flourish.

Dona Sylvia Aranha de Oliveira is president of the Association. She has worked in the Prelacy of Itacoatiara for the last 32 years as a pastoral agent in the village of Silves and as director of Centrepi, the training centre of the Prelacy.

Dr. Anelore Folz de Oliveira's medical practice in the late 1960s focused on programs for people afflicted with leprosy and tuberculosis. She works with the poor from the interior and in the poor neighbourhoods of Itacoatiara. She is the treasurer of the Association.

Emmanuel Altamar de Souza was for many years the director of the youth pastoral. Now a lawyer, he volunteers his legal services to the Association for obtaining land titles for poor farmers and for upholding the legal rights of prisoners.

Carlos Correa, Christina Alvorcem and Zeni Cavalcante complete the Association's directorate. All are teachers and are actively involved in the local Church and community. All volunteer their time and services to the Association.

The Association Dom Jorge, formed in June 2001, has a membership of 120 local people. In their first year, they have staged health education seminars, evening literacy classes for adults, and a visitation program for prisoners. A mobile library makes the rounds in the poor areas of the city.

Membership donations and voluntary work have helped the Association to acquire land and begin construction on an educational centre. This project helps to make Bishop George Marskell's dream a reality. It needs our financial help and any donation you make through Scarboro Missions will be forwarded to keep this dream alive.

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