The Ministry of Joaquim Parron: An advocate and voice for the poor

Rental costs for housing in Brazil increased by as much as 132% between 2008 and 2013. The COVID-19 pandemic only intensified the crisis, which forced evicted Brazilians to build homes out of cheap materials in large settlements on the outskirts of cities all around Brazil. These “favelas,” as they are called, have been around for over a century but are now home to more than 16 million downtrodden people. These vulnerable communities are now facing eviction and demolition of their homes as the landowners file lawsuits, resulting in the forcible, sometimes violent, eviction and demolition of the favelas.

Fr. Joaquim Parron, C.Ss.R., a Redemptorist priest in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, has been on the frontlines of the housing crisis for years. He began his ministry while still studying to be a Redemptorist, an order of priests, brothers and lay-missionaries dedicated, like their founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori, to working among the spiritually and economically poor. “From them, I got this consciousness that religion, the church, should be a way to help them get dignity,” he said. 

Parron splits his time every day. In the morning, he teaches social ethics at a local Catholic university, then visits favelas in the afternoon. In scenarios where an eviction is taking place, he often works as a mediator between evictors and evictees. The presence of priests like Parron helps ease tension between the two sides and keeps things from escalating into violence. The ministry of these priests has been a constant in the resolution of this issue as they have helped to cultivate trust between the communities and the landowners by being a moral compass.

Their efficacy in their role as a mediator comes from the trust that Parron and other Catholic priests have built within the communities that they serve. Spending time in the favelas, sharing meals together, and having coffee with those living there is a crucial factor in their work. They also provide spiritual support and security, assuring the impoverished living in the favelas that they are not sinning or doing the wrong thing by inhabiting this land when they have nowhere else to go.

Seeing a need for self-advocacy training, Parron created a course for those in the favelas. “My work is not only to be on their side, but to prepare them to be leaders, to fight for their own rights without needing a priest,” he said.  “These people have a right to a home.”

Parron is always sure to spread love, respect, and justice for the impoverished. He tells those who come to him in the favelas, “God wants you to have dignity, and God is on your side. If the Lord is on your side, and you trust in him, you can organize among yourselves to fight for your rights.”

We rejoice in the missionary work of our confrere. Our joy and pride stem from two sources. It was the Baltimore Province of Redemptorists that founded the former vice-province of Campo Grande to which Fr. Parron belonged.  It is now the Province of Curitiba.  In addition, Fr. Parron has a personal connection with the Baltimore Province.  He lived at the Holy Redeemer Provincial Residence in Washington, DC and worked at St. Mary’s Parish in Annapolis, MD while pursuing his doctorate in moral theology at Catholic University of America.  May God continue to bless the people Fr. Parron serves and to bless him in his ministry. †