The History of Redemptorists in Brazil

The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, founded by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, is present in 79 countries and has more than 5,000 members. It is a true army of missionaries dedicated to changing the world by following the steps of its founder!

For internal organization purposes, the Congregation has been divided into large Regions around the world: Conferences, Sub-Conferences and smaller groups, which are the Provinces and Vice Provinces. Currently there are around 50 Provinces, 20 Vice Provinces, and more than 20 Missionary Regions all over the world.

In Brazil, there are around 600 Redemptorist Missionaries scattered in 25 States and the Federal District, except only for the State of Roraima. They are organized into 05 Provinces: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Campo Grande, Goiás and Porto Alegre, and into 04 other Vice Provinces: Manaus, Bahia, Fortaleza and Recife.

The Province of Sao Paulo is the largest in the Country, with more than 200 missionaries.

In Sao Paulo, the most populous State in Brazil, with more than 45 million inhabitants, the Redemptorist Missionaries have since 1894 been in charge of looking after the Image of Our Lady of Aparecida, the Patroness of Brazil. The Image of the Black Virgin was found in 1717, during a miraculous catch of fish in the Paraíba do Sul River.

Currently, the original Image is kept in the National Sanctuary of Aparecida, in the State of Sao Paulo, in the city of Aparecida. This is the largest Marian Sanctuary in the world, and welcomes more than 12 million pilgrims every year.

Also in that city, the Missionaries have built a pioneering communication complex with the Editora Santuário publishing company, the Aparecida Radio and TV Network, and the A12 portal.

All through those years of evangelization, the Saint Missions have made Redemptorists famous in the Country, because they have become known as Fathers who offer great sermons.