FRANCISCAN CATECHIST SISTERS IN ITAPORÃ (1964-1983):

CATECHIZING AND EDUCATING AS A MISSION

Abstract

The objective of the article is to address the presence and missionary activity of the Franciscan Catechist Sisters (1964-1983) in the rural area of Itaporã, in the former south of Mato Grosso (until 1977)/ Mato Grosso do Sul (after 1977), more precisely in the school mixed rural initially named as “São Francisco School” (1955-1974), and, finally, as “Francisco de Assis School” (1974-2003). The theoretical-methodological perspective of Cultural History and thematic Oral History is adopted. Several sources were used, such as: written documentation of and about the school, oral testimonies of former students and/or former teachers of the school, correspondence exchanged with nuns and books by memoirists. The results indicate that the nuns represented trust for the students' families, since, at that time, most people who lived in the region declared themselves Catholic and, for them, having people of the same religiosity in charge of their studies, it was considered a privilege, as , commonly, rural school teachers were lay people. Education and religion were thus allied. The nuns established relationships of respect with the population through their catechetical and pedagogical actions in the region. The classroom was seen as a civilizing process endowed with Christian values in search of an exemplary society, according to Christian morals.