Immersion Trip to Brazil SIMPLE DRAFT ITINERARY
FRIENDS ACROSS BORDERS
November 5 - 15, 2016
The following is the Basic Draft Itinerary planned by our Maryknoll Lay Missioners in-country guides.
Please know that this schedule has been carefully planned, but is only a general overview. More details
will be filled in as the trip approaches, but the central elements of this experience will remain and any
changes will be well communicated during the trip. Obrigado! Thank you!
Saturday November 5th – Our journey as a Community
As Catholic Christians we seek to be nurtured, challenged, and accompanied in a faith community.
We accept that we are responsible to one another. The encounter with human suffering may challenge
even our most deeply held beliefs about God. Integration of these experiences into our lives and
spirituality requires us to live reflectively, to spend time not only doing good work but to prayerfully
examine the meaning of all we discover in the world. Community calls us to live reflectively and invites
us to live lives that are fully conscious and aware of how God is manifested in so many ways.
Community also enables us to discern as a group how we are witnessing to the Gospel, how we are
accompanying the poor, — how we are responding to God’s call. In a world in which individualism
has become such a strong value and in societies which perpetuate inequalities in human relationships,
community becomes a powerful counter-cultural witness. Community is also deeply rooted in the
Gospel. Jesus did not minister alone. One of his first ministerial acts was to call together a community
of disciples which he then sent out in twos to build up other communities.
Today we initiate this journey as a community, to begin to know each other and to introduce ourselves
to the people and culture that is hosting us.
Morning
Arrival at Guarulhos Airport (All participants)
Check in to Retreat Center
Salesian Retreat Center SDB/LAPA
Rua PIO XI, 1100 - Alta da Lapa 05060-001 Sao Paulo TEl. 11 3649-0200
WWW.SDBLAPA.COM.BR
Afternoon: Lunch with Maryknoll Community at the home of Lay Missioners Kim and Greg
Fischer.
Opening prayer. Introduction of all participants, and the guides and hosts. Overview
and brief history of the Maryknoll Brazil Mission Community.
Overview of the program, introduction to Brazil, its language and some cultural
norms/tips. Time to share expectations of the trip.
Evening:
Dinner at lodgings. Brief Touchdown
Sunday November 6th– Mass at São José Operário
Morning:
Mass at São José Operário Community in Perus, in the northern periphery of São
Paulo with Maryknoll Father Dan McLaughlin.
Afternoon: Lunch at Comunidade São José Operário. Possible visit to a park.
Evening:
Dinner at lodgings. Group reflection and touchdown
Monday November 7th – Prison Ministry.
Morning:
Morning Discussion on Prison Ministry with missioners Kathy Bond and Sirikit
Noronha.
Walking tour of city center: Cathedral de Sé, Pátio de Colegio, and others.
Afternoon
Visit to the Youth Center Clamour Cavanis to learn about the Restorative Justice work
that Kim Fischer does with youth.
Evening:
Group reflection and touchdown. Dinner at Lodgings. Cultural Event
Tuesday November 8th – Afro-Brazilian History and Spirituality
Morning
Morning Visit to Parque Ibirapuera with Fr. Dennis Moorman, MM, to learn about
Afro-Brazilian Religion and par-take in morning prayer. Includes a visit to the AfroBrazilian Museum
Afternoon: Leave to visit Casa de Clara, a Center for the Elderly, Rua Serra de Jairé 316, Belem.
This is the ministry site of Lay Missioner Sirikit Noronha and Sister Isabel Arujo.
Evening:
Prayer and Reflection. Dinner at Lodgings.
Wednesday November 9th – Nossa Senhora da Aparecida
Early Morning: Travel 2.5 hours to the Basilica of Nossa Senhora Aparecida for a pilgrimage to
Brazil’s National Shrine to Our Lady of Aparecida. It is the second-largest church
in the world, after St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Throughout the day: Visit the Basilica
Evening:
Dinner out. Return to São Paulo. Brief Touchdown
Thursday November 10th –Missão Paz- Immigrants, Refugees, and Migrant Workers
Morning:
Visit with lay missioners Kim & Greg Fischer and staff of Missão Paz. Learn about what
is being done to help immigrants and refugees get established in Brazil.
Community Lunch at Missão Paz with those served by the project.
Afternoon: Walking Tour of the Liberdade Neighborhood. This is the historically Japanese
neighborhood, where immigrants from Japan starting arriving in 1912, and current
immigrant populations are Korean and Chinese. You will have a chance to view
various unique churches, gift shops, and architecture. This afternoon includes a visit
to the Immigration Museum
Evening:
Community Dinner with the Maryknoll Brazil Community. Brief touchdown
Friday November 11th –Semear o Bem
Morning:
End-Week Reflection time.
Afternoon: Visit with people of the Southern Periphery in alternative health project as part of
Semear o Bem. This the ministry site of lay missioner Flavio Rocha
Evening:
Dinner Out with Maryknoll Mission Community. Brief touchdown
Saturday November 12th – Leave for Iguaçu Falls
Morning:
Travel to Iguaçu Falls
Afternoon: Visit the Bird Park
Evening:
Group reflection and touchdown
Sunday November 13th – Visit to Itaipu Dam
Morning:
Visit to the zoo that is within the Itaipu Dam complex. Open from 8-11:30 on
Sundays
Afternoon: A tour of the Itaipu Dam to learn about Environment Issues affecting Brazil and
boarding countries. This is the world’s largest generator of clean energy, and in 1994
it was named one of the 7 Wonders of the World.
Evening:
Group reflection and touchdown
Monday November 14th Visit to Iguaçu Falls Brazil
Entire Day: Visit the Brazil side of Iguaçu Falls, named one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the
World. Group reflection and touchdown at the end of the day.
Tuesday November 15th – FAREWELL: Going Back and Building Bridges
Morning:
Closing Ritual and Evaluation
Afternoon: Depart for São Paulo
Evening:
Everyone leaves on their individual flights
Cecilia Espinoza, Maryknoll Lay Missioner
Friends Across Borders Manager
P.O. Box 307
Maryknoll, NY 10545-0307
Phone: 914-236-3474
friendsacrossborders@mklm.org
http://www.friendsacrossborders.org/
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