Fazenda da Esperança is a therapeutic community that has been working since 1983 in the recovery process of people who seek the release of their addictions, especially alcohol and drugs. Its reception method contemplates three determining aspects: the Work as a pedagogical process; Coexistence in family; and the Spirituality to find the meaning of life.
The farm has its doors open in all Brazilian states to welcome men and women weakened by drug use, turning pain into joy. The number of communities in the world has already surpassed one hundred structured units in countries of Asia, Africa, America and Europe, under continuous growth due to the globalization of the serious social problems that plague mankind.
People who identify with the charism of the Farm can find their vocation in the Church by being part of the Hope Family - an International Private Association of the Faithful, recognized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, whose mission is to to bring Hope, Jesus Christ, to the greatest number of young people worldwideaccording to the words of Pope Benedict XVI.
The German Friar Hans Stapel, Franciscan of the Order of Friars Minor, OFM, in June 1979, takes office as parish priest of Our Lady of Glory Parish in Guaratinguetá / SP. When you arrive at the parish you will find Our Lady of Glory Social Work in full swing since 1970. In his new mission land, he transmits the presence of Jesus, in the midst of his community, living the Gospel.
A group is born to meditate on the Word, share experiences with one another, and live concrete acts of love, such as visiting the poor and the sick. Nelson Giovanelli Rosendo dos Santos and Iraci da Silva Leite are also part of this growing group led by Friar Hans in Our Lady of Glory Parish.
After cycling several times around a corner of the Pedregulho neighborhood, in Guaratinguetá / SP, Nelson Giovanelli, who wanted to live the Gospel concretely, decided to approach a group of twenty young people who were taking drugs there. From this courageous step, the young man wins the confidence of the little brothers and happens to meet with them often.
One user decides to borrow Nelson's bike to sell it to buy drugs. Nelson readily surrenders it, seeing in this attitude an opportunity to love concretely. In fact, the little brothers da Esquina also chose to do an act of love: they returned the clean and repaired bike!
One of the corner boys and drug users, known as Tê, is surprised by a cake to celebrate his birthday, brought by Nelson and his sister, who had made it. According to Nelson, At that moment an inexplicable mood was created. There was an atmosphere of indescribable respect and unity... I came to realize that this was precisely the moment when Jesus came to this corner. Fruit of the mutual love between my sister and me, and subsequently of the mutual love between them and us.
After living the concrete love, came the call for help from Antonio Eleutério to get out of the drug world. The Farm of Hope was born.
Other young people join Antonio Eleutério and wish to recover from drug addiction and live the Gospel, inspired by Nelson Giovanelli. Friar Hans accompanies and guides those involved in this new experience of common life in a rented house near the parish. He gives the group a lawn-mower as a source of income through work.
Friar Hans asks the people of the city of Guaratinguetá / SP to offer an area for the recovering people to deepen their new lifestyle. The land is donated in the Santa Edwiges neighborhood, near the Serra da Mantiqueira: a large swamp with a small house. The first unit of the Farm of Hope is born, where today is the Centro Masculina.
Nelson and his companions, during an international seminar in Salvador, outline the first outline of minimum rules for little brothers. From this meeting many norms of everyday life are considered obligatory, such as presence in daily meditation.
In July, 1987 was born in the municipality of Coroatá, Maranhão, amid the babassu forest, the first farm outside Guaratinguetá, named Santo Agostinho. From her birth she has been guided by Father Paulo Stapel, the twin brother of Friar Hans.
José Júlio da Silva, known as Julião, is the first inmate recovering to stay at the farm in Guaratinguetá / SP after his release permit, certainly because he found in the therapeutic community the meaning of life and a new family. It is also the first to be given the responsibility of coordinating a host group within the farm. Regrettably, on July 12 of July 1989, Julião went to work with the tractor, but during the execution of the work, the machine did not resist the traction and turned, taking his life. His memory is still alive in the house named after him at Fazenda São Libório, in Guaratinguetá / SP.
Iraci Leite and Lucilene Rosendo, known as Luci, begin in Guaratinguetá / SP, the work of welcoming women. They leave everything to follow the example of young Nelson Giovanelli.
Nelson Giovanelli takes the private vows of poverty, obedience e chastity as a consecrated lay person in the presence of Friar Hans, to live totally at God's disposal in working with the young people welcomed on the farm.
Gradually Friar Hans feels inwardly that God gives him a special vocation. The Church realizes that God's hand leads the Farm of Hope. Friar Hans receives the liberation to devote himself entirely to the work that, at this point in history, already has one more unit in Lagarto, Sergipe State.
The first nuns arrive in Guaratinguetá / SP to help in the spiritual accompaniment of the recovering. The arrival of the Congregation of German origin, Franciscans of Siessen, marks the beginning of an alliance between Charisma of Hope and other charisms of the Church; It is from this partnership that comes the prayer repeated in the meditation of the rosary in all Farms: renew your covenant between us.
Many other young people like Nelson Giovanelli, including former dependents, are touched by God and donate at the Farm of Hope. A new family of consecrated persons begins.
1998 appears in July, the first unit of the Farm of Hope outside Brazil, in Berlin, Germany.
The Poor Clares arrive at Centro Centro Farm on 12 on October 1998 to spiritually assist the welcome and closely monitor the construction of the new monastery, which will soon open on 11 August 2000.
During the Eucharistic celebration at the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida, members of the Family of Hope receive from the Archbishop of Aparecida, Cardinal Dom Aloísio Lorscheider, diocesan approval as Hope Family Faithful Association.
Start of groups of Es who meet regularly (Es - first letters of the word Hope - so those who recover on the farm are called). The term Hope alive It emerges as the most concrete inspiration for the support groups for those who underwent recovery on the Farm, as well as people who began to live the experience of the Gospel, the same as those on the Farm of Hope.
Monsignor Bernardino Marchió, a bishop affectionately called farmer bishop, proposes that the members of the Family of Hope make the vote of Hope, present in the General Statutes as a virtue that makes contemplate beyond the wounds of humanity, the victory of the Risen.
In November of 2006, the Fazenda da Esperança, in Guaratinguetá / SP, receives the unexpected visit of the president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Bishop Dom Stanislaw Rylko.
On 12 May 2007, the Farm of Hope St. Liborius - Pedrinhas, Guaratinguetá / SP, had the grace to receive the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. At the meeting, 6,000 people were received, including 2,000 young people recovering from farms around the world.
On 24 May, the members of the Family of Hope receive from Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko the pontifical recognition as Private Association of Faithful, of an international character.
On April 15 of 2014, the Farm of Hope São Libório - Pedrinhas, in Guaratinguetá / SP, receives the visit of Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, president and co-chair of the Focolare Movement, respectively, for a remarkable moment between the two charisms. linked by the spirituality of the unity of Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement. The visit was attended by more than 600 young people from the Farm and several participants via internet.
The Farms of Hope of the cities of Manaus / AM, São Joaquim do Monte / PE and Sobral / CE were appointed by their bishops as a place of indulgence on the occasion of the Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy 2015, with the opening of the Holy Door in its chapels.
On the morning of 24 July 2015, Sister Odete, from the Congregation of the Franciscans of Siessen, is murdered, the victim of a robbery inside. There were 65 years of life dedicated to God, six of them lived on the Farm of Hope, together with catechesis and spiritual accompaniment of those received.
On the afternoon of January 30, at a solemn Mass, the Church of Santo Antonio de Sant'Anna Galvão and Santa Crescência, located at Fazenda São Libório, in Guaratinguetá / SP, is elevated by Cardinal Archbishop of Aparecida, Dom Raymundo Damasceno Thus, the Sanctuary of Hope. That same day, the Holy Door of the Shrine of Hope opened.
On the morning of June 23, after the Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Custodian of the Holy Land, Friar Francisco Paton, OFM, the stained glass window that represents the Church of the Annunciation is installed. Mary's Yes, from the vitralist Lorenz Heilmair, an occasion that marked the 35 years of the founding of the Farm of Hope; The four founders of the Work, in the company of Mons. Mario Rino Silvieri, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Propriá / SE, and pilgrims of the International Missionary School were present.
In November of 2018, the Farm of Hope celebrated the 30 years of women. The celebration was held at the Women's Center Mother of Hope, Guaratinguetá-SP. On the morning of November 10, Friar Hans, founder of the Farm, presided over the Eucharistic celebration for approximately 1500 people. At night the attraction was on the Solo Show of Hope. On November 11 Archbishop Orlando Brandes, Aparecida, celebrated the closing Mass.
On the afternoon of 11 on November 2018, Friar Hans, founder of the Farm of Hope, received the International Golden Dove of Peace Award. Father Marcelino Pungulimue and the Sol Foundation delegation of the Archdiocese of Huambo in Angola presented the honor. This is the second largest peace prize worldwide, given to people and organizations that through their actions express the desire and the pursuit of peace and serenity.
The Farm of Hope welcomes people between 18 and 59 years who freely wish to recover from drugs, alcohol and many other types of addictions. It is necessary to enter into a pedagogical process of 12 months duration. Anyone who intends to meet this challenge takes the first step through a letter written in his own hand, expressing the reasons for his desire to seek new life. Anyone interested in a vacancy should send their request for help to the community nearest to their place of residence.
Thus, it allows his relatives to visit him from the third month, when relationships are resumed, in order to overcome together the problems generated by drugs and alcohol. The candidate receives an explanation of the procedures and rules to be followed to recover in one of the Fazenda da Esperança communities. On the day of the interview, documents, medical examinations and sobriety are required. The reception is made by the local coordination team and mainly depends on the personal disposition and willingness to become a "new man", demonstrated by the candidate.
The great differential of the Farm is to welcome pregnant women and mothers with their children, unlike other communities and recovery clinics. The female part considers it important for the mother to have her children around and not to distance herself during the 12 month period. These women go through an accompanying path where love transforms so many lives and the family gains even greater meaning.
.jpg "Farm Units around the world")
To locate the Hope Farm nearest you, in Brazil or abroad and for other information access the profiles of each unit by selecting the country, state and city in the table below:
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