OUR STORY IN BRAZIL

29 June 2010

Translated into English
5 November 2010

Pierre Ettien is welcomed by the Community in Belo Horizonte

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In 1994, a friend of Laurent Fabre, Father Michel Forge d'Arc was working as a priest in Brazil; he arranged for Edilene and Fernando de Souza to come to France to attend a training course with the Chemin Neuf Community at Hautecombe Abbey.

Edilene and Fernando, who were engaged to be married, returned home to Brazil for their wedding and then came back to Hautecombe as helpers in the Community; it was there that their daughter Nathalie was born on 29 May 1996.

They then returned to Brazil in 1996 and set up their home in Joao Pessoa, the capital of the state of Caraiba in the north east of the country.

In 1998, thanks to Enio, Laurent met Cardinal Serafim who arranged for the Parish of Santa Margarida Maria Alacoque in Belo Horizonte to be run by the Chemin Neuf Community. Father Serge Clemente arrived on 8 December 1998 to be the parish priest. Edilene and Fernando joined him as also did Father Philippe Berger and Béatrice Bourat. Some time later they were joined by Henri and Marie-Thérèse Delporte.

Father Philippe Barrucand is returning to France today after having been the parish priest since 2005; he is being succeeded by Father Pierre Ettien who has already received a warm and joyful welcome - very characteristic of Brazilians - from the parishioners and by the Community...