A THANK YOU FROM THE MSC POSTULANCY OF THE PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO, FOR FUNDING TOWARDS THE CONSTRUCTION OF ITS FORMATION HOUSE
Fr Pablo Moura MSC writes from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where three MSC candidates, Marllon, João Pedro, and Tiago, are currently studying under Fr Pablo’s guidance as formator. With anticipated growth in the community, alongside struggles with space and structural issues, Fr Pablo and the team have needed to raise funds to support the construction of a formation house for its students.
“By 2027, we hope to welcome five Brazilian candidates and one candidate from Mozambique,” Fr Pablo writes. “This prospect is one of the reasons that prompted us to begin construction on a new house capable of housing a group of up to fourteen candidates.”
Thanks to the great friendship and generosity of our mission friends and benefactors here in the Irish Province, we have been able to contribute to the construction project, and support these hopeful MSC candidates at the beginning of their missionary journey.
Fr Pable has sent the below letter to explain more about the project and its progress. “We would also like to express our sincere gratitude for the contribution you have allocated to this project,” he writes.
BACKGROUND AND MOTIVATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW FORMATION HOUSE
In 2008, the Postulancy formation house of the Rio de Janeiro Province was moved from Belford Roxo (Rio de Janeiro) to Vila Velha in the state of Espírito Santo. The purpose of this move was to provide better conditions for the Philosophy Course at a college accredited by the Ministry of Education and to establish a missionary house within the outlying parish that the Province was taking over.
During the first year, the formation programme operated out of a rented house belonging to the Archdiocese; however, not only were the conditions of the house precarious, but it was also located in a neighborhood far from the MSC parish. Some time later, the Province acquired a house in one of the parish’s neighborhoods and made some necessary alterations to establish the formation house there. However, over the years, the house ceased to meet the demands of formation due to insufficient space and serious structural problems.
After an extensive search, we found another house with all the necessary documentation in order and located within the boundaries of the MSC parish. The house was purchased in 2024, and the renovation and expansion process began in April 2025.
With the renovation and expansion of this house, we will be able to offer higher-quality formation to the candidates of our Province and will also be prepared to welcome candidates from other MSC entities for the Postulancy stage. The house was designed to accommodate up to fourteen candidates plus the formator, as there are plans to increase the number of candidates in the Province and to receive candidates from the mission in Mozambique.
We are a Province entirely dedicated to serving parishes, social works, and MSC formation. Formation has always been one of our priorities; we seek to form Missionaries of the Sacred Heart with excellence for our Congregation and for the Church. However, our financial resources are limited; therefore, we would like to express our gratitude through this report for the contribution your benefactors has made to help move this project forward.
PROJECT REPORT
On April 22, 2025, we began construction of the formation house in Vila Velha, in the state of Espírito Santo (Brazil), which will house the postulancy phase for the Province of Rio de Janeiro.
We had purchased the lot, which included a house, and intended to expand it. However, when we began the renovation, the engineers discovered that the house did not have a structure strong enough to support a second story. To build the second story, we had to construct eighteen footings to ensure proper support. We had to demolish about 70% of the house and rebuild practically everything from scratch.
Below you can see what the house looked like before we began the work, as well as some images of the construction of its foundation.
When we started, the project was budgeted at R$ 579,658.39 (in Brazilian reais), but as new demands arose throughout the construction process, that amount nearly doubled. That’s when we began organizing events and seeking partners to sponsor this project. Therefore, we would like to emphasize here just how important and essential your contributions have been to keeping the project to build this religious formation center moving forward. We are working to ensure that it is completed by the end of 2026.
Current images of the construction site:
A THANK-YOU NOTE FROM ONE OF OUR STUDENTS
Dear benefactors,
It is with a joyful heart that I extend this gratitude to you for helping us with a generous donation to support the ongoing work of the Postulancy Formation House of the Rio de Janeiro Province.
The construction of this house has long been a dream of ours, as it represents a crucial stage in our formation. It is a house designed and envisioned to meet the needs of a seminary, offering not only a quality place to live but also dignity and a space that can accommodate the demands of the postulancy. We are very close to moving into this house, and your help is essential for us to complete the project.
On behalf of my formation community and on behalf of the future generations who will pass through this house of formation, I want to thank you; your contribution will be etched on the walls of our house and, above all, in the formation of each new Missionary of the Sacred Heart. Your contribution will help build men whose hearts are filled with the desire to follow Jesus and answer His call!
Thank you very much for believing in this dream and in our vocations. This is God’s project; may He richly bless the generosity of your hearts.
Tiago Barbosa – MSC Postulant