The celebration began at 7:00 in the morning, with Mass celebrated in the cemetery at Meruri. The warm and expressive participation of the faithful has shown the importance that the Servants of God still have for the local population, and their affection for them. Fr João Bosco Maciel, Secretary of the Province of Brasil-Campo Grande (BCG) was the main celebrant, and the Rector of the Salesian community, Fr Andelson Dias de Oliveira concelebrated.
In the evening, the religious community made the Way of the Cross of the life of the Servants of God. This involved young people from the Volunteer groups of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians from different regions, such as Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, as well as the indigenous Boe-Bororo community.
During the ceremony, Fr Maciel, who also presided over the Way of the Cross, invited everyone to pray for the Bororo who witnessed the sacrifice of the Salesian priest and the indigenous catechist, wishing to pay tribute, with this gesture, to the Servants of God's supreme gift of their life. Currently, the indigenous people who witnessed their murder are the elders of the community, living symbols of the covenant of love also bathed in blood, between the Salesian missionaries and the Boe-Bororo. By their very lives, these elders are a concrete witness to the transformation and harmony that the Gospel message borne by the Servants of God has fostered in the community over the years.
The celebration of the 47th anniversary of the memory of the death of the Servants of God Fr Lunkenbein and Simão Bororo reinforced the value of keeping alive the memory and the legacy left by them for everyone who was there. At the end of the celebrations, the Meruri community promised to continue to honour their history, to celebrate their faith and love for others, and to be inspired by their example to do the same.
