Father Airton Freire ( Brasil ) Sonhar é realidade. Esta é a grande verdade. Fr Airton Freire, who spoke at the Westminster Cathedral prayer group, London, in February this year, shares how he discovered …More
Father Airton Freire ( Brasil ) Sonhar é realidade. Esta é a grande verdade.
Fr Airton Freire, who spoke at the Westminster Cathedral prayer group, London, in February this year, shares how he discovered a new dimension to his faith through service to the poorest who live near the rubbish dump of Arco Verde in Brazil.
My father was an important influence in my life. He was in the army but with other friends he used to visit the poor and try and help them and as a child I used to go with him and help. I was nine years old when I first heard God call me. There was a mission by the Redemptorists in our parish and on the last day, one of the seminarians, showed us the cross, and said “who wants to follow Jesus? Hold up your cross!” and in this moment I felt I had to follow Jesus and to evangelize.
I was ordained in February 1982. But in the first two years of priesthood I suffered a great crisis in my vocation and started to wonder why I had become a priest. During this time I was studying psychology at the university and I lived in the parish house with two other priests. I was given the jobs they were too busy to do. I was often all alone and I would just get a note under my door, telling me that I had to take the First Holy Communion Class or an old person would ask me to bless their house or their statue. When I compared my life to the life of Jesus, it was so mediocre and I was very dissatisfied with my life and my service to God.
“I am hungry…”
Then one day a girl from the youth group invited me to go to Rubbish Street. This was an area on the periphery of the town where there were about 200 families who lived by recycling rubbish from the town dump, while others broke up rocks into smaller pieces for the construction industry. The pigs and the children searched among the rubbish for food to eat. This was my first experience of great poverty and it really moved me. That weekend I returned to celebrate Mass for them. For the first time I felt deeply the sense of the meaning of the words “The Lord be with you” and I realized He is among us. The gospel reading was the reading from John’s gospel “I am the Good Shepherd”. Then in the moment of Holy Communion a child began to sob and cry out “I am hungry. My God I am hungry. I want cakes and biscuits to eat.”
Why would a priest want to live with us?
I believe there is a relationship between the hunger of the people for food and the hunger for the presence of God. These people needed the presence of God and they needed justice and dignity because Jesus cares about the whole life of a person. My experience of God’s presence there was so deep that after the Mass I asked them if they would allow me to come and live with them. They were amazed. “Why would a priest want to live with us?” they said. “Nobody wants to come here – there’s no electricity or running water, or sanitation or transport.”
I spoke to my bishop about my desire and asked his permission to go and work and live with these people. “You have the fire of youth with you.” he said. “You can go as long as you return to your parish at the weekend to help the priests.” I am sure he didn’t expect me to last long, however, because of the difficulty of the life there. I built myself a house there in the same style as the others – wood and mud and pieces of plastic sheeting. I discovered, however, that the people there had many abilities. Some could cook or take care of children, others could build or were masons and others could beg. Before I began to live with them they were all working for themselves, but I encouraged them to form teams and work together. I saw that there was a possibility to change things and create better conditions for everyone. I joined the group that went to the city to beg. A priest begging was a novelty for the people in the city, and so we got more food than usual.
Fr Airton Freire, who spoke at the Westminster Cathedral prayer group, London, in February this year, shares how he discovered a new dimension to his faith through service to the poorest who live near the rubbish dump of Arco Verde in Brazil.
My father was an important influence in my life. He was in the army but with other friends he used to visit the poor and try and help them and as a child I used to go with him and help. I was nine years old when I first heard God call me. There was a mission by the Redemptorists in our parish and on the last day, one of the seminarians, showed us the cross, and said “who wants to follow Jesus? Hold up your cross!” and in this moment I felt I had to follow Jesus and to evangelize.
I was ordained in February 1982. But in the first two years of priesthood I suffered a great crisis in my vocation and started to wonder why I had become a priest. During this time I was studying psychology at the university and I lived in the parish house with two other priests. I was given the jobs they were too busy to do. I was often all alone and I would just get a note under my door, telling me that I had to take the First Holy Communion Class or an old person would ask me to bless their house or their statue. When I compared my life to the life of Jesus, it was so mediocre and I was very dissatisfied with my life and my service to God.
“I am hungry…”
Then one day a girl from the youth group invited me to go to Rubbish Street. This was an area on the periphery of the town where there were about 200 families who lived by recycling rubbish from the town dump, while others broke up rocks into smaller pieces for the construction industry. The pigs and the children searched among the rubbish for food to eat. This was my first experience of great poverty and it really moved me. That weekend I returned to celebrate Mass for them. For the first time I felt deeply the sense of the meaning of the words “The Lord be with you” and I realized He is among us. The gospel reading was the reading from John’s gospel “I am the Good Shepherd”. Then in the moment of Holy Communion a child began to sob and cry out “I am hungry. My God I am hungry. I want cakes and biscuits to eat.”
Why would a priest want to live with us?
I believe there is a relationship between the hunger of the people for food and the hunger for the presence of God. These people needed the presence of God and they needed justice and dignity because Jesus cares about the whole life of a person. My experience of God’s presence there was so deep that after the Mass I asked them if they would allow me to come and live with them. They were amazed. “Why would a priest want to live with us?” they said. “Nobody wants to come here – there’s no electricity or running water, or sanitation or transport.”
I spoke to my bishop about my desire and asked his permission to go and work and live with these people. “You have the fire of youth with you.” he said. “You can go as long as you return to your parish at the weekend to help the priests.” I am sure he didn’t expect me to last long, however, because of the difficulty of the life there. I built myself a house there in the same style as the others – wood and mud and pieces of plastic sheeting. I discovered, however, that the people there had many abilities. Some could cook or take care of children, others could build or were masons and others could beg. Before I began to live with them they were all working for themselves, but I encouraged them to form teams and work together. I saw that there was a possibility to change things and create better conditions for everyone. I joined the group that went to the city to beg. A priest begging was a novelty for the people in the city, and so we got more food than usual.
Community began to grow on Rubbish Street
Through this project community began to grow on Rubbish Street. I saw God was among us helping to restore people’s dignity. We formed an association called the “Earth Association”, which later (1984) became known as “Earth Foundation”. We made contact with a governmental agency and we received the first help to build a simple room. This was our meeting …More
Community began to grow on Rubbish Street
Through this project community began to grow on Rubbish Street. I saw God was among us helping to restore people’s dignity. We formed an association called the “Earth Association”, which later (1984) became known as “Earth Foundation”. We made contact with a governmental agency and we received the first help to build a simple room. This was our meeting room, and where the children stayed during the week, and on Sundays we celebrated the Eucharist together. The next thing we began was a nursery for the children and then other things came along.
One day my bishop called me in and said he was sending me to study with the Jesuits. In obedience I went but I felt like a shepherd without my sheep and in my second year I started receiving little messages from the people from Rubbish Street saying “Come back, the children are dying. We are hungry again.” This was the beginning of the second crisis of my priesthood. The plan was to send me abroad to study but I telephoned the bishop and told him I wanted to go back to Rubbish Street. He was not pleased and told me I was reacting emotionally and not using the talents God has given me. He told me if I went back, he would not allow me to celebrate Mass any more for them until he was convinced this was the right place for me.
I went back and for 10 months I couldn’t celebrate Mass. I used to have breakfast with the bishop, however, every month and talk about my work there and finally he came to visit Rubbish Street. The people told him they wanted me to stay because I was their spiritual father. When he heard this and saw what we were doing together he cried and told me I was allowed to celebrate Mass again.
“I felt useless and weak….”
Ten years ago I discovered I had a serious heart disease and I was told I only had two more years to live and it would be dangerous for me to continue to live on Rubbish Street, so I had to move outside to a small farm 12 kilometres away. I felt useless and weak because I could not live in the community anymore. Therefore I prayed to the Lord, “you can take 50% of the time I have to live, but let me help the people.” After this strange things began to happen. I found I would say things to people, which I didn’t understand or remember afterwards, but would be very meaningful for them. Also I found that after praying the Divine Mercy for the people, good things could start to happen to them. I also found God had given me a healing gift.
Message of God’s mercy and love for the poor spreads
As a result of this many people started coming to me. One day an Italian lady who came was so touched that she built a retreat house with 40 rooms, so people could have retreats here next to the farm. I would share with them the message of God’s Mercy and love for the poor and the vision of the Earth Foundation whose purpose is to do on earth the will of God in heaven. As a result when people returned to their homes they started up groups to support our work. In time some young people wanted to live like I had done on Rubbish Street with the poor and asked what name they should be called. I said we should be called “Servants of God” since this is the call we receive in Baptism to serve one another in Christ. There are six of these young people who are all studying philosophy and theology. The new bishop has accepted us as a new charism for the diocese at his disposal for evangelization.
Rubbish Street has become transformed
Over the years many wonderful things happened and Rubbish Street has become transformed. We have built simple brick houses, and workshops and a school. Those first children from the nursery school, twenty years later, are now teachers and nurses and they come back to help us in our foundation. We teach skills to the young people – to do carpentry and learn to be electricians and to weld, so they can get work. The people who worked recycling rubbish have become recycled themselves. We now have a primary school for 210 children, a high school for 650 children and a nursery for 100, as well as our workshops. This all costs a lot of money to maintain. Sales of my books and talks and retreat work raise most of the money but every month we need to find another $30,000 to pay all our bills.
Today can be dark but even so I sing because of the mercy of God
The Divine Mercy is very important to me and is a reminder to me of God’s Divine Mercy. Every day at 3pm, I and the Servants of God pray the Divine mercy wherever we are.
Due to my illness I know I can die at any moment. This helps me to always live in the present moment. Today can be dark, but even so I sing because of the mercy of God. It is living with the poor that has helped me to discover and understand God’s mercy.
If you would like to know more about the Earth Foundation and Association which supports the work of Fr Airton, please write to:
contato @ fundaçãoterra.org.br
Through this project community began to grow on Rubbish Street. I saw God was among us helping to restore people’s dignity. We formed an association called the “Earth Association”, which later (1984) became known as “Earth Foundation”. We made contact with a governmental agency and we received the first help to build a simple room. This was our meeting room, and where the children stayed during the week, and on Sundays we celebrated the Eucharist together. The next thing we began was a nursery for the children and then other things came along.
One day my bishop called me in and said he was sending me to study with the Jesuits. In obedience I went but I felt like a shepherd without my sheep and in my second year I started receiving little messages from the people from Rubbish Street saying “Come back, the children are dying. We are hungry again.” This was the beginning of the second crisis of my priesthood. The plan was to send me abroad to study but I telephoned the bishop and told him I wanted to go back to Rubbish Street. He was not pleased and told me I was reacting emotionally and not using the talents God has given me. He told me if I went back, he would not allow me to celebrate Mass any more for them until he was convinced this was the right place for me.
I went back and for 10 months I couldn’t celebrate Mass. I used to have breakfast with the bishop, however, every month and talk about my work there and finally he came to visit Rubbish Street. The people told him they wanted me to stay because I was their spiritual father. When he heard this and saw what we were doing together he cried and told me I was allowed to celebrate Mass again.
“I felt useless and weak….”
Ten years ago I discovered I had a serious heart disease and I was told I only had two more years to live and it would be dangerous for me to continue to live on Rubbish Street, so I had to move outside to a small farm 12 kilometres away. I felt useless and weak because I could not live in the community anymore. Therefore I prayed to the Lord, “you can take 50% of the time I have to live, but let me help the people.” After this strange things began to happen. I found I would say things to people, which I didn’t understand or remember afterwards, but would be very meaningful for them. Also I found that after praying the Divine Mercy for the people, good things could start to happen to them. I also found God had given me a healing gift.
Message of God’s mercy and love for the poor spreads
As a result of this many people started coming to me. One day an Italian lady who came was so touched that she built a retreat house with 40 rooms, so people could have retreats here next to the farm. I would share with them the message of God’s Mercy and love for the poor and the vision of the Earth Foundation whose purpose is to do on earth the will of God in heaven. As a result when people returned to their homes they started up groups to support our work. In time some young people wanted to live like I had done on Rubbish Street with the poor and asked what name they should be called. I said we should be called “Servants of God” since this is the call we receive in Baptism to serve one another in Christ. There are six of these young people who are all studying philosophy and theology. The new bishop has accepted us as a new charism for the diocese at his disposal for evangelization.
Rubbish Street has become transformed
Over the years many wonderful things happened and Rubbish Street has become transformed. We have built simple brick houses, and workshops and a school. Those first children from the nursery school, twenty years later, are now teachers and nurses and they come back to help us in our foundation. We teach skills to the young people – to do carpentry and learn to be electricians and to weld, so they can get work. The people who worked recycling rubbish have become recycled themselves. We now have a primary school for 210 children, a high school for 650 children and a nursery for 100, as well as our workshops. This all costs a lot of money to maintain. Sales of my books and talks and retreat work raise most of the money but every month we need to find another $30,000 to pay all our bills.
Today can be dark but even so I sing because of the mercy of God
The Divine Mercy is very important to me and is a reminder to me of God’s Divine Mercy. Every day at 3pm, I and the Servants of God pray the Divine mercy wherever we are.
Due to my illness I know I can die at any moment. This helps me to always live in the present moment. Today can be dark, but even so I sing because of the mercy of God. It is living with the poor that has helped me to discover and understand God’s mercy.
If you would like to know more about the Earth Foundation and Association which supports the work of Fr Airton, please write to:
contato @ fundaçãoterra.org.br