English 
In the heart of the suburbs of Feira de Santana, in the State of Bahia, the Gospel continues to flourish through the silent courage and tenacious faith of women who, like the first witnesses of the Resurrection, allow themselves to be surprised by the voice of the Risen and become heralds of hope.
In this Jubilee year, Pope Francis invites the whole Church to take up the path of discipleship in hope. We, Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate, feel this call strongly and, like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, the women of the dawn narrated by Matthew (Mt 28:1-10), we allow ourselves to be guided by the joy of the Resurrection to sow hope in every mission land.
In Feira de Santana, our religious community, together with the MsI Lay Associates and the pastoral workers of the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe, gave life to a project that has the fragrance of spring: “Semear com Amor – Reflorescer na Missão”. In a context marked by poverty and violence, more than 200 people work directly in this initiative, which has already involved some 500 women, children, families and volunteers. Here, hope is not a slogan, but becomes flesh in everyday life.
The project was created with the aim of offering human and spiritual formation to low-income mothers, opening spaces for reflection, dialogue, prayer and community growth. But that’s not all: activities also embrace the social sphere, with courses on integrative health, restorative justice, citizenship and human rights. With a view to integral promotion, craft workshops are held as a source of income, materials are recycled, and joint decisions are made to improve living conditions.
Like the women of the Gospel, these women of the dawn rise with the sun, overcome difficulties, walk together, meet the Lord in the Word and in concrete gestures of care. Their joy is not ingenuous: it is born of shared faith, it is nourished by deep relationships, and it translates into a constant commitment to care for mankind and the common home.
The beating heart of this project is precisely the relationship, woven with patience, respect, listening and co-responsibility. This is how this community of faith humanises itself: in the continuous search for good relationships, in the culture of encounter, in the concrete possibility of generating resurrection even where it would seem impossible.
In this corner of Bahia, Easter continues. And women, once again, open the way.
Sr. Izabel Patuzzo, South Brazil
