History of Vocations in Brazil

The crisis of vocations in Brazil is more of a historical and ideological question than a disciplinary one. When Christopher Columbus first set foot on the shores of Santos Domingos and Cabral on Brazilian soil, a whole new world awaited the Church to evangelize. The popes of the 16^th and 17^th centuries were too busy building the Basilica of St. Peter on the Vatican Hill and therefore could not give their attention to these mission lands. They therefore commissioned the kings of the Catholic European nations with the responsibility of sending missionary priests to Latin America. The kings did not want to sacrifice their intelligent and hard working priests from the universities and parishes to send them to evangelize the Indians. They therefore selected the less educated and more problematic ones to work in the missions. Brazil therefore received a pretty ignorant and corrupt clergy to work in the country. These priests simply limited themselves to baptizing and administering the basic sacraments and nothing more than this. The people of Brazil were left without any real moral or spiritual formation. There were no great names of clergyman in Brazilian history either in theology or morality.

In the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s the Protestants arrived in Brazil and started to take a lot of Catholics to their religion. The Pope was alarmed and asked for missionaries to go to Brazil and help the Church out. This appeal came from Pius XII, John XXIII and Paul VI. Many missionaries came to Brazil from various parts of the world. Half the clergy in this country is foreign born. The influx of these priests created a problem however. Many came bringing the socialist ideology with them which they implanted in this country. They did not come to preach the good news of Jesus Christ, but to impose the Marxist doctrine on the people. This has been a real thorn in the side of the Church from which she has still not recovered from. These priests have neglected true evangelization work in order to spread communist poison in the country. I have been fighting them ever since I came to Brazil in 1984. The charismatic movement which became strong in the country has acted as a barrier against Marxism and saved the Church from falling apart in the country. The movement has also given many native vocations to the Church.

We could use more priests, but the situation with vocations is getting better. To work with the poor is not something easy in Brazil. I have evangelized in the favelas during 20 years of my priesthood. I asked for priests to help me, but I dispense those who come in to spread their socialist ideologies. I do not need these types. There are also priests who simply cater to the rich class and have no wish to serve the poor. They are to be pitied and are extremely immature. If many priests from Poland go to the USA, it is because they are looking for good wages to help their families out, something they would not find in Brazil. To work in Brazil requires a dedicated heart that looks for no material compensation.

If a priest is not emotionally mature enough to live out his celibacy, he certainly does not possess the maturity to take on a spouse and marry. The immature is immature in whatever state of life he finds himself in. Marriage is not an escape latch for those who do not make it in the priesthood (what an insult to the sacrament!). A man who is mature enough for marriage is also mature enough for the priesthood and vice-versa. If the Church has not yet ordained married men, it is because she still has not sufficient proof of either the priest’s or married man’s emotional integration and maturity. Being married or not is not the solution to the vocation crisis. The vocation crisis is the crisis of our modern families which are practically destroyed. Can one expect vocations from a divorced, separated couple or one that practices abortion or birth control? If we do not save the family, we also will lose the priesthood, since it is from the family that vocations are sprung.

Father Anthony Mellace