Monday, July 21, 2008

Limerick-born priest gets prestige award in Brazil

A Limerick-born missionary priest has won a prestige award in Brazil for his work for human rights there.

Fr Jim Crowe, a member of St. Patrick's Missionary Society, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, was voted Person of the Year for 2007 by the readers of a Brazilian national magazine.

The magazine declared: "This Irishman is a real saint. He came to the southern region of São Paulo nearly 30 years ago and has been at the heart of a movement which has revolutionised this very violent and needy area."

It praised Fr Crowe for helping to transform the Jardim Angela suburb from being one of the most violent places in the world.

"The annual assassination for every 100,000 inhabitants was a staggering 110. Today, the region does not even figure in the UN's list of violent places," it said.

Fr Crowe, who is 62, said he was receiving this award "not just in my own name, but in the name of all the people of Jardim Angela, São Luis and Capao Redondo".

"One can achieve nothing on one's own, one can only achieve through working together."

Fr Crowe, who ministers in the Santos Martires Parish on the outskirts of São Paulo, was honoured with the Premio USP de Direitos Humanos award by the University of São Paulo for his contribution to the defence of human rights.

Fr Crowe has ministered in Brazil since his ordination in 1969.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce