“It is convenient for a servant to be simple as a farmer, patient as a fisherman, hardworking as a labourer, zealous as a shepherd, happy as a brooklet, and good, as only in God he can be good.”

(Father Airton Freire in Exortações aos Servos)

Fr. Airton Freire, who spoke at the Westminster Cathedral (London, UK) prayer group in February this year, shares how he discovered a new dimension to his faith through service to the poorest who live in the immediate vicinity of the rubbish dump of Arcoverde in Brazil.

My father had an important influence on my life. He was in the army, but with other friends he used to visit the poor and try and help them, As a child I used to go with him to help serve the poor. I was nine years old when I first heard God call me. There was a mission by the Redemptorists in our parish and on the last day, one of the seminarians showed us the cross, and said “who wants to follow Jesus? Hold up your cross!” and in this moment I felt I had to follow Jesus and evangelize.

I was ordained in February 1982. During two years of my priesthood I suffered a great crisis in my vocation and I started to wonder why I had become a priest. During this time, I took psychology class at the university and I lived in the parish house with two other priests. I was given many jobs that these two priests were too busy to do. Therefore, I was often all alone and, I would just get a note under my door telling me that I had to teach the First Holy Communion Class, or an old person would ask me to bless either their house or their statue… These were my day to day duties. Thus, my life was mediocre when compared to the life of Jesus, and I was very dissatisfied with my life and my service to God.

“I am hungry…”
Then one day a girl from the youth group invited me to go to the Rubbish Street. This was an area on the periphery of the town where there were about 200 families who lived by recycling rubbish from the town dump, while others broke up rocks into smaller piecesfor the construction industry. Together pigs and children searched among the rubbish for food to eat. This was my first experience of great poverty and it really moved me. That weekend I returned to celebrate Mass for them. Also that weekend for the first time I felt deeply the sense of the meaning of the words “The Lord be with you” and I realized He was among us. The gospel reading was the reading from John’s gospel “I am the Good Shepherd”. Then in the moment of Holy Communion a child began to sob and cry out “I am hungry. My God I am hungry. I want cakes and biscuits to eat”.

Why would a priest want to live with us?
I believe there is a relationship between the hunger for food and the hunger for the presence of God. These people needed the presence of God and they needed justice and dignity because Jesus cares about the whole life of a person. My experience of God’s presence there was so deep that after the Mass I asked them if they would allow me to come and live with them. They were amazed. “Why would a priest want to live with us?” they said. “Nobody wants to come here – there’s no electricity or running water, or sanitation or transport.”

I spoke to my bishop about my desire and asked his permission to go to work and live with these people. “You have the fire of youth with you” he said. “You can go as long as you return to your parish at the weekend to help the priests.” I am sure that he didn’t expect my decison to last long because of the difficulty of the life there. However, there I built my house in the same style as the others: wood, mud, and pieces of plastic sheeting.

I discovered, though, that the people there had many abilities. Some could cook or take care of children, others could build structures and make masonry, and others could beg. Before I began to live with them, they were all working for themselves However, I encouraged them to form teams and work together. I saw that there was a possibility to change things and create better conditions for everyone. Then, I joined the group that often went to the city to beg. As a result we got more food than usual, since a priest begging was a novelty to the people in the city.

Community began to grow on Rubbish Street
Through this project the community began to grow on Rubbish Street. I saw God was among us helping to restore people’s dignity. We formed an association called the “Earth Association” which would later (in 1984) become known as Earth Foundation. We made contact with a governmental agency and we received first help dedicated to building simple room. This was our meeting room. Also, the children stayed in this room during the week, and on Sundays it turned into a place where we would celebrate the Eucharist together. The next thing we established was a nursery for the children, and then other things came along.

One day my bishop called me in and said he was sending me to study with the Jesuits. In obedience, I went. However, I felt like a shepherd without my sheep. Then, in my second year with the Jesuits I started receiving little messages from the people from Rubbish Street saying “Come back, the children are dying; we are hungry again”. This was the begining of the second crisis of my priesthood. The plan was to send me abroad to study but I telephoned the bishop and told him I wanted to go back to Rubbish Street. He was not pleased and told me I was reacting emotionally and not using the talents God has given me. He told me that if I went back, he would not allow me to celebrate Mass any more until he was convinced that it was the right place for me.

I went back and for 10 months I couldn’t celebrate Mass. I used to have breakfast with the bishop every month, and talk about my work there and finally he came to visit Rubbish Street. The people who lived there told him they wanted me to stay because I was their spiritual father. When he heard this and saw what we were doing together he cried and told me I was allowed to celebrate Mass again.

“I felt useless and weak….”
Ten years ago I discovered I had a serious heart disease and I was told I only had two more years to live and it would be dangerous for me to continue to live on Rubbish Street Because of that I had to move outside to a small farm 12 kilometers away. I felt useless and weak because I could not live in the community anymore. Therefore, I prayed to the Lord, “You can take 50% of the time I have to live, but let me help the people”. After this strange things began to happen with me. I found out I would say things to people, which I didn’t understand or remember afterwards, but it would be very meaningful to them. Also, I found that after praying the Divine Mercy for the people good things would start to happen to them. Therefore, I found that God had given me a healing gift.

Message of God’s mercy and love for the poor spreads
As a result of this many people started coming to me. One day an Italian lady who visited was so touched that she built a retreat house with 40 rooms, so people could have retreats here next to the farm. I would share with them the message of God’s Mercy and love for the poor and the vision of the Earth Foundation which purpose is to do on earth the will of God in Heaven. As a result when people returned to their homes they started up groups to support our work. In a time some young people wanted to live like I had done on Rubbish Street with the poor and asked what name they should be called. I said we should be called “Servants of God” since this is the call we receive in Baptism to serve one another in Christ. There are six of these young people who are all studying philosophy and theology. The new bishop has accepted us as a new charisma for the diocese at his disposal for evangelization.

Rubbish Street has become transformed
Over the years many wonderful things happened and Rubbish Street has become transformed. We have built simple brick houses, workshops and a school. Those first children from the nursery school, twenty years later, are now teachers and nurses and they come back to help us in our foundation. We teach skills to the young people – to do carpentry, and learn to be electricians, and to weld, so they would be able to get jobs. The people who worked recycling rubbish have become recycled themselves. We now have a primary school for 210 children, a high school for 650 children and a nursery for 100, as well as our workshops. This all costs a lot of money to maintain. Sales of my books and talks and retreat work raise most of money but every month we need to find another $30,000 to pay all our bills.

Today can be dark but even so I sing because of the mercy of God
I have been saved from the difficulties of my service to God due to two things: the Divine Mercy and the social work I have done with the poor people. As a sign of our need of God’s Divine Mercy, every day at 3pm I and the servants of God pray the Divine Mercy wherever we are.

Due to my illness I know I can die at any moment. This helps me to always live in the present moment. Today can be dark, but even so I sing because of the mercy of God. It is living with the poor that has helped me to discover and understand God’s mercy.

If you would like to know more about the Earth Foundation and Association which supports the work of Fr. Airton Freire, please contact: contato@fundacaoterra.org.br