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From Xaverian Mission Newsletter, by Fr. Tony Lalli, s.x.May 2011
“I feel enlivened when I work with them. They add life to the celebration,” says
Father Tony Lalli, SX, commenting on his ministry to the New England Brazilian
community. “They are a very celebratory people.”
Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Holliston, MA, has been a magnet for Brazilian
immigrants since arriving here in the last few decades. Father Francis
Signorelli, SX, Director of the Shrine, describes the pilgrimage of thousands of
Brazilians to the shrine each year. “They begin with a candlelight procession
that is outside and then they have dinner with their traditional foods, folklore
dances, and liturgies.”
“It has become a national day for the Brazilians, says Fr. Tony, “and they do a
whole day of celebration, religious and national.”
Fr. Francis is available for the community in many ways. “They make an
appointment to come to see me for confession or spiritual direction. They seem
to be in search of assistance because they feel kind of alone and neglected,
particularly the Brazilians of re-cent immigration. They look to priests for
assistance. They are very dedicated and high-minded, very religious and very
creative in the expression of their faith.”
Fr. Tony ministers in parishes in the surrounding towns of Milford, Framingham,
Marlborough and especially in Hudson, MA. He states, “They have no priest. The
one that they had went back to Brazil. Some Sundays I say 3 or 4 Masses, one or
two in English, one for the Portuguese and one or two for the Brazilians.”
“Besides liturgical celebrations, I also do a lot of personal contact,” Fr. Tony
continues. “These are young people who came the last few years. They came
looking for work so they can better the situation of their families in Brazil.
Many times they have various problems, legal or visas, difficult family or
marriage situations. I try to be understanding and helpful.”
Fr. Tony has worked with Brazilians for over thirty-five years, first as a
missionary in Brazil, so he knows the conditions both in their former country
and their new adopted one. “Among themselves they are very united, but I don’t
think they find much acceptance here. The two communities of Americans and
Brazilians are separate. Even with the Portuguese, they have little in common
except the language. They do not share much. This for me is very worrisome.”
“It is like they are second class Catholics. They have so much to contribute.
They can certainly contribute to more lively celebrations, and a sense of
community. They are very close. But they do not feel close to the American
community here.”
A moving example of the Brazilian “sense of community” is that they took up
collections for the people of Japan on their own even before there was an
official Church response. “They made a raffle. They made a festival. All the
money gathered was sent to the relief campaign. I suggested that they send it to
CRS. They did it on their own,” says Fr. Tony. “Our American community can learn
from the Brazilians. They can teach us a lot about being Catholic, being
Christian, being a Christian community.”
