Brava: Brava parishes with new leadership from this Sunday

Friar Odair Gonçalves, from the Order of Capuchin Friars, takes office on Sunday, 6th, as the new parish priest of the parishes of São João Batista and Nossa Senhora do Monte, on the island of Brava.

Friar Odair Gonçalves was ordained on July 1, 2018, and before being appointed to this “new challenge” he was in the Capuchin fraternity of Praia, where he was a teacher at the Centro Educativo Miraflores and was also deputy trainer of the Capuchin postulants.

The 33-year-old friar is from São Domingos, Santiago, and will replace his colleague Friar Euclides Pires, who was transferred to the city of Praia to assist Father Ottavio Fasano.

Speaking to Inforpress, Friar Odair Gonçalves stressed that one might think that it is a promotion, but, at the same time, he made it clear that “it is not”, as he explained that in priestly life there are no promotions, but rather “new challenges and missions”.

And this new challenge, he added that he will embrace it with “all joy” to see what he can do together with the community of Brave for an “increasingly better” journey and to be “good Christians”.

The parish priest will be assisted by Friar Matias and, as it is a training house for the novitiates, his assistant is a novice master and the parish priest vice-master.

The inauguration will be conferred by Father Egídio Santos, vicar in the Fogo/Brava region.