Parvum Opus Divinae Providentiae, Habemus Superiorem Generalis!

Great joy for the Sons of Divine Providence. We have a new Superior General.

He is Brazilian, 52 years old and his name is TARCISIO GREGORIO VIEIRA.  He is the 8th Successor of Don Orione at the head of the Little Work of Divine Providence, present in thirty nations.  The new Superior General of the Orionines was elected by the members of the 14th General Chapter which is being held at Montebello, near Tortona, with the theme “Servants of Christ and the Poor”, fidelity and prophecy in dialogue with the fringes of poverty and the New Evangelization.  

Fr. Tarcisio Gegorio Vieira was born on 25th May 1964, at Ouro Branco in Brazil, in a parish run by the Orionines.  After the normal course of formation, he made his vows on 5th January 1983 and became a priest on 22nd December 1991.  At Brasilia, he was responsible for pastoral work, formation, was the provincial secretary and also adjunct to the Apostolic Nunciature in Brazil.  In September 2001, he was called to Rome, as an official of the Congregation for Bishops until in December 2007 when he was appointed General Councillor of the Congregation.  In 2010, he returned to Brazil and became Provincial Superior of the Orionine Communities of North Brazil.

It is the first time that a Brazilian has become the Superior General of the Sons of Divine Providence.  He succeeds Fr Flavio Peloso who has guided the Congregation for 12 years. With Fr Tarcisio the Congregation begins a new stage of its journey marked by the indications of the 14th General Chapter.

The elective part of the Chapter started at 5.30 pm after an afternoon of silence, prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  After the formal introductory proceedings, the election of the superior general took place and at 5.55 pm the required number of votes were reached for him to be elected.  This was followed by a long applause by the Chapter Members.  The President of the Chapter, Fr Flavio Peloso, after having received his acceptance of the task, officially proclaimed Fr TARCISIO GREGORIO VIEIRA Superior General of the Sons of Divine Providence.  This was followed by the personal homage of the newly Elect by each Chapter Member and the other religious present in the house.

After that followed election of the Vicar General, Fr ORESTE FERRARI, who up to then had been the Superior of the Missionary Delegation, “Mother of the Church” and the Bursar General, Fr FULVIO FERRARI, who was thus confirmed for a second six-year period.

Holy Mass and a celebration supper concluded an important day of the 14th General Chapter.

In the morning of May 26, was completed the election of the entire General Council with the three other members: Fr PIERRE ASSAMOUAN KOUASSI, from Ivory Coast, currently Provincial Vicar of “Notre Dame d’Afrique”; Fr FERNANDO FORNEROD, from Argentina and Fr LAUREANO DE LA RED MERINO, from Spain.