Brazil community, priests honor Sister Patricia Neihouse

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A special Mass Thursday evening (June 27) in St. Joseph the Worker Church in Teresina, Brazil, closed the novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and honored the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia for their 50 years of service to the parish.

At the end of the Mass, the celebrant, Father Jadhy Hobest, introduced a tribute to Sister Patricia Neihouse as one of the first four Sisters of St. Joseph who came to Teresina and for her continuing service here for the past 50 years. The church was packed with a huge crowd of people, filling the pews and standing in the aisles. 

First Sister Naira Regina da Silva Ribeiro spoke of Pat´s leadership qualities; next, Teresinha Sa, the head catechist and long-standing friend of the community, gave her tribute. Then 12 associates came forward to present Sister Patricia with a dozen yellow roses and a tribute by associate Maria do Carmelo Gomes de Carvalho. The celebration ended with the presentation of a very large bouquet of red roses by a very small child, gift from the Redemptorists.

Following the Mass, the Irish Redemptorists had arranged a concert by  the Teresina Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, under the direction of composer/director, Raimundo Aurelo Mel. They performed the “Missa Sancta Benedicte.”