D. José Dionísio Gomes Gouveia, recently ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Caracas, will preside on Sunday, September 13, over the 12 o'clock Eucharist, at the Church of the College, in Funchal. This celebration marks the first encounter of the new bishop with the Madeiran community after his episcopal ordination.
The bishop's presence in Madeira comes a few weeks after the visit of D. Nuno Brás, Bishop of Funchal, to Venezuela, held between August 11 and 16. During this trip, D. Nuno Brás was with the Portuguese and Madeiran communities in that country, strengthening the bonds between the Diocese of Funchal and the Church in Venezuela.
One of the central moments of that visit was the participation of D. Nuno Brás in the episcopal ordination of D. José Gouveia as Auxiliary Bishop of Caracas, on August 15. Of Portuguese descent, the new bishop maintains a particular closeness to the Portuguese community living in Venezuela.
Sunday's celebration at the Church of the College constitutes a new occasion for encounter and communion between the two Churches, in a context marked by the strong presence of Madeirans and their descendants in Venezuela.
