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The farewell letter of a 96-year-old great-grandmother is touching hearts across social media networks in Brazil. Eleonora Gonçalves Cari, from Cascavel, Paraná, died recently.
After sensing her coming departure for the Father's eternal embrace, she wrote a touching farewell letter to her children and family in which she emphasizes the legacy of the Catholic faith.
Dona Eleonora's text was shared on Facebook by Father Jorge Ricardo Lindner with permission from one of her granddaughters, Regina Cari.
The letter quickly spread. Another priest who shared it on the social network was Father Gabriel Vila Verde, who said:
Read the entire message that Mrs. Eleonora insisted on leaving in writing for her family:
“My dear sons, daughters, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons and great-granddaughters. May God bless you dear ones!
"I feel that the hour is coming for me to leave and go to God, and I want to ask all of you to feel consoled and comforted by God's designs, since you know that God gives and God takes back.
"I don't want any of you to despair, because all of you, as far as possible, have done for your mother everything you could do and for that I thank you and travel happily to the afterlife. I ask forgiveness of each one of you if I have sometimes hurt or irritated you, correcting you without deserving or if I have failed at some point. I forgive you for your failures.
My children, I ask you not to abandon the Church, not to abandon your faith. Participate, pray, ask Our Lord Jesus Christ for mercy with love, courage and dedication. Each of you must remember that you were baptized and that is why you are all Christians, and that you were consecrated to the Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Blessed Mother.
"My children, seek to love each other, visit each other, and serve each other in your needs.
Don't abandon each other, be loving and helpful. I'll be praying for and watching over each one of you, if God allows me. Pray for your father and mother, that God will forgive our sins and give us eternal rest. So be it.
"Goodbye, kisses and hugs to everyone. See you soon. Do not despair, we will soon be together, my children.
"I was happy to have been born into the Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ. I'm happy to be Catholic. And I am happy to die in the Church of Jesus Christ. Do not abandon your faith. There is only one faith and one baptism.
Rattlesnake, July 2, 2021
Eleonora Gonçalves Cari
