Bond & Rocha Summer 2026 Update

MISSIONER NEWSLETTER – Summer 2026

Kathy Bond and Flávio Rocha, Brazil

Dear Family and Friends,

Warm Greetings from Joao Pessoa.  June is a month of festivities here in our region focused on Saint John and the corn harvest.  Many yummy corn and coconut milk dishes are prepared to share with neighbors and friends.  In the rural areas bonfires are lit on the eve of Saint John’s feast day to remember the story of St. Elizabeth lighting a fire to signal to the Virgin Mary the birth of John. 

Last year we facilitated an EcoRetreat in Ohio for a group of more than 20 people. This year we have the pleasure of announcing that we are expanding our ECORETREATS to California. This time we will focus on the spiritualities of Saint Hildegard and Dom Hélder Câmara. We ask you for help to share the news with people that you know in the Monrovia area.

This one-day retreat sponsored by the Maryknoll Affiliate California Chapters will focus on deepening our spiritualities and connections through body work, meditation, self-care, group dynamics, and reflections on spirituality in light of the lives of Dom Hélder Câmara and Saint Hildegard of Bingen.

Dom Hélder Câmara (1909-1999) was a Brazilian priest who later became the Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, in the Northeast region of Brazil. He was famous for denouncing the human rights violations done by the Brazilian dictatorship (1964-1984). Because of this prophetic stance, Dom Hélder was censored and threatened. His activism was deeply rooted in prayer and openness to the Spirit and poetry. He is recognized as one of the Herois da Patria (Heroes of the Country) in Brazil and still remembered as a prophet of our times.

Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a Benedictine nun, but equally a pioneering scientist, a theologian and a philosopher, a musician and a poet, and a physician who was particularly skilled in the methods of natural healing.  She was a mentor to many including kings and popes and coined the term “Veriditas”, greening power.  Hildegard asks us to pay close attention to the rhythms of nature, grounded in the belief that they hold the key to physical well-being and a deep spiritual life.  In this retreat, we will explore the sources of greening power in our lives.

If you are interested in participating, email Kathy at [email protected] for more information.

Fifty years in Brazil

In July we will celebrate 50 years of Maryknoll in Brazil (1976-2026).  Numerous visitors from around the world including 15 immersion trip participants, former and current Maryknoll Missioners and local partners will gather for jubilee commemorations in Sao Paulo (July 16^th) and Joao Pessoa (July 20^th). The gatherings will occur during the World Cup and that will be a great opportunity for our visitors to experience the Brazilian love for soccer. We ask your prayers for our community so we can be present, spreading healing and peace in a world with so much violence.

Viva Maryknoll in Brazil!

Thank you for your continued prayer and collaboration with our ministries.  In these times of brokenness, we ask the God of Life to continue to accompany us on a journey towards healing and peace.

Be well,

Flavio Jose Rocha da Silva and Kathy Bond

Please consider supporting our mission work in João Pessoa with a donation through the link below.

We invite you to walk with us as our “COMPANIONS IN MISSION.” Companions in Mission are friends and generous donors who give financial gifts on a regular (usually monthly) basis. For more information, visit Become a Companion in Mission. Thank you so much for your generosity!