For over a century, Franciscan friars have walked alongside the Munduruku people in the Brazilian Amazon, serving as spiritual guides, educators, and advocates. Located in the extremely remote southwest region of Pará, the São Francisco Mission is one of the only Franciscan missions dedicated to Indigenous communities in this vast rainforest. With more than 70 villages under their care—alongside two non-Indigenous riverside communities—the friars provide critical support to those often overlooked.    

Illegal logging, land invasions, and lack of access to food, healthcare, and education threaten the Munduruku’s way of life, and their very existence. The friars provide vital support, but the mission—every meal, every trip to a distant village, every shipment of supplies—relies entirely on the generosity of donors. Without this outside help, this mission would not be able to continue.

Reaching these villages is no small feat, requiring:

• A full-day speedboat ride
• A difficult trek on dirt roads
• And a 20-hour boat trip up the Cururu River

Food, medicine, and fuel must be transported from distant commercial centers, and while the mission has a small airstrip, access remains limited.

During the pandemic, the friars had to leave the mission for a year. Now, they have reestablished a permanent presence, led by Friars Sebastian Robledo (Argentina) and Amauri Pereira (Brazil), with hopes of expanding their team. 

“With great joy, we are back in the mission with two friars and hope that one more friar, very soon, will become part of the fraternity,” says Father Gil Noriega, OFM.       

With donor support, the friars continue to:

• Celebrate the sacraments in communities that rarely see a priest
• Provide catechesis and leadership training for local leaders 
• Defend Indigenous land and rights
• Promote integral ecology, protecting both the Munduruku’s culture and the rainforest   

“We thank you for all the support given so far to the formation and evangelizing activities carried out by the Custody of St. Benedict of the Amazon,” says Father Gil.