Umukho Kharã Nipetirã Ehõpeorã o’Hakū Mari Ma’mi Heripona Née! Eternamente!

(may the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere, in tukano language) São Gabriel da Cachoeira-AM, August 2025

My brothers,
I am writing to share a bit of our experience here during our mission in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, in the heart of the Amazon, which is the most indigenous municipality in Brazil, with over 24 ethnic groups and five co-official languages: Tukano, Nhengatu, Yanomami, Baniwa, and Portuguese.

I am Brother Leonardo Machado de Araújo, MSC, and I have been working at the “Mamãe Margarida” Centre, a project of our diocese (São Gabriel da Cachoeira) that welcomes children and young people with disabilities for two years.

When I arrived here, I had no idea how deep my experience would be. I faced a tough reality, but one also filled with signs of hope. Among many indigenous peoples in the past, children with disabilities were rejected. Some were hidden, and most were condemned to die soon after birth. This moved me deeply because it revealed a silent wound: life was not regarded as a gift, but as a burden.

This is where I live my daily missionary life. I feel that this mission has a special touch because I work closely with the FDNSC. Here, I teach music and Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). These are simple tools, but they have the power to broaden horizons. Music awakens joy, heals wounds, and fosters a sense of community. I have seen children who were withdrawn and inward-focused start to smile while playing an instrument or singing. Libras breaks the silence and gives voice to those who often go unheard. Teaching signs and seeing a child communicate for the first time feels like witnessing a miracle: it’s a heart opening up to life.

Here, I discover every day that it is not me who transforms, but the children themselves who transform me. They teach me to be patient, to value small progress, and to believe in the power of life. Every smile, every gesture, and every hug I receive is a sign of God’s presence. Often, I arrive to teach a class, but I return home with a full heart because I have learned from them.

I cannot deny that there are challenges. Resources are lacking, materials are limited, and prejudice remains a strong barrier. But it is precisely in these moments that I better understand what it means to be a Missionary of the Sacred Heart. Our charism calls us to be where no one else wants to be, to be the Heart of God on Earth, especially in places of pain, exclusion, and fragility. The Mamãe Margarida Centre is such a place: a space where God’s love is visible, simple, and concrete.

Loving means being present, being patient, believing in others, giving time, and caring for each life as if it were one of a kind.

I can say that this mission has become a true school of the heart for me. Here, I learn every day that loving isn’t just about speaking kindly or doing great things. Loving means being present, being patient, believing in others, giving time, and caring for each life as if it were one of a kind. What we experience at the Centre is exactly that: showing the Heart of Jesus to those who need it most.

Dear brothers and sisters, I share this testimony to express that, even amidst challenges, I feel truly fulfilled in this mission. I see that the charism of the Chevalier family remains vibrant and fruitful here in the Amazon, among the indigenous peoples and children whom the world often overlooks. The Mamãe Margarida Centre is a fragment of the Kingdom of God planted in this soil, and I am delighted to be part of this story.

I ask you to pray for us, that we may never lack the courage to stand by the little ones. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus continue to guide and support us, so that we may always be a presence of tenderness and hope.

From heart to heart,
Añū, (thank you in the Tukano language)
Heriporã heopero O’ãkohõ, Üsare ñubu’epeoya! (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, pray for us)

Leonardo Machado de Araújo, MSC