Zilda Arns
Zilda Arns Neumann (née Steiner Arns) | |
|---|---|
 Arns on June 1, 2004 | |
| Born | Zilda Steiner Arns 25 August 1934 Forquilhinha, Santa Catarina, Brazil |
| Died | 12 January 2010 (aged 75) Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
Zilda Arns Neumann (25 August 1934 – 12 January 2010) was a Brazilian pediatrician and aid worker.
A sister of
Arns died on January 12, 2010, as a result of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[2] In 2015, the Archdiocese of São Paulo intended to start a diocesan investigation in order to open a beatification process.[3][4]
Early life and education
Born in the rural town of
Two of Arns' memories were of seeing her father go door-to-door on his horse to help contain a smallpox epidemic and watching her mother arrange for a sick neighbour to be taken to the nearest hospital on the back of a cart, a journey of three hours.[6] Those acts inspired her contemplate life as a doctor, even most of her priests or teachers.[6]
Having studied
Career
After she worked in local hospitals tending to infants, she was then given charge of a string of clinics on the impoverished outskirts of the southern city of Curitiba.[6]
Arns was the founder coordinator of Pastoral da Criança (Pastoral Care for Children),[7] an organization for social action of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil. The Care for Children has one of the largest programs in the world devoted to child health and nutrition. The program has about 260,000 volunteers and has reduced infant mortality by more than half in over 31,000 urban and rural communities of intense poverty.
Arns also coordinated Pastoral da Pessoa Idosa (Pastoral Care for Elderly Persons), and social action organisms of the Episcopal Conference of Brazil.
As a Catholic, Arns condemned contraception. Her approach was based on familial
Personal life
Widowed since 1978, she was a mother of five and grandmother of nine. Arns was killed by the
Awards and honours
She was awarded with several honorary citizen titles throughout Brazil. She was also recognized as a Public Health Heroe by Pan American Health Organization[9]
See also
References
- ^ Downie, Andrew (13 January 2010). "Legendary Brazilian aid worker among the victims of Haiti earthquake". Retrieved 25 October 2016 – via Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ Folha Online – Mundo – Fundadora da Pastoral da Criança, Zilda Arns morre em tremor no Haiti (in Portuguese)
- ^ https://www.lastampa.it/vatican-insider/en/2013/08/11/news/life-comes-first-the-story-of-zilda-arns-1.36061839/
- ^ http://www.fides.org/en/news/34109-AMERICA_BRAZIL_Missionary_found_dead_in_Haiti_an_example_to_propose_also_for_sanctification
- ^ Câmara reúne alemães em sessão solene
- ^ a b c Zilda Arns – The Daily Telegraph obituary
- ^ Statement by Doctor Zilda Arns Neumann, national founder and coordinator of the Pastoral Care for Children Archived 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Haiti Earthquake, the Day After from UN Dispatch Archived 2010-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Pan American Health Organization. Public Health Heroes. Dr. Zilda Arns Newmann.
External links
Media related to Zilda Arns at Wikimedia Commons
- Zilda Arns – The Daily Telegraph obituary
- Aftermath
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