Brazil

The Second Vatican Council—at which two brothers were invited as observers—opened the way for many contacts with Latin-American bishops. Among the invitations received, the one from Dom Hélder Câmara, Archbishop of Recife, was accepted. Father Dom Basílio Penido welcomed the brothers at the Benedictine monastery in Olinda.

The first fraternity was established in that monastery in January 1967, bringing together the Taizé brothers and the Benedictine monks. The brothers earned their living by their own work and were actively involved in the local Church. The rise of the Communidades de Base – grass-roots ecclesial communities – supported especially by Dom Luis Fernandes, Auxiliary Bishop of Vitória (Espírito Santo) and a friend of the fraternity, led to its transfer to Vitória in 1972. The brothers remained there until 1978, as the vision took shape [during which the plan matured] for a larger place that could welcome groups and individuals for meetings and retreats, while sharing in the fraternity’s daily prayer.

The place chosen was Alagoinhas, in Bahia, within a new diocese whose first bishop was a Belgian Benedictine. The diocese made available to the brothers a space well suited for hospitality on the outskirts of the city. The fraternity’s presence in that neighbourhood enabled them to participate actively in its transformation, while responding to requests for retreats, gatherings, and pastoral service in the diocese. Thanks to modern means of communication, numerous forms of cooperation developed—both within Brazil and across the whole of South America.