Fr Nicholas Wheeler, Priest Missioner

Cidade de Deus (City of God) is a neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s second largest city. The area became internationally famous via the 2003 movie City of God, which focused on the conflict between rival drugs gangs and the police.

There are hopes that the community is now moving on from its notorious past. In 2008, a major police operation clamped down on drug dealing, and since then police have remained to patrol the streets. Even so, the community faces many challenges: it is estimated that only 3 per cent of teenagers complete secondary school, while unemployment stands at 25 per cent, and the average income per household is just £50 a month

The Anglican congregation of Christ the King is small but growing and concerned to share God’s love.

Funded by Us, the Revd Nicholas Wheeler is ‘priest missioner’ in the City of God, working under the leadership of the Anglican Church of Brazil with a focus on reaching out to the poor and marginalised.

Fr Nicholas served a curacy in Wood Green before becoming chaplain to the former Bishop of Edmonton, Bp Brian Masters. After several years as Team Rector of Camden/Old St Pancras, he moved to his present post in the City of God, in March 2008 Rio de Janeiro sponsored by USPG (now US), the Anglican missionary society. This PCC supported Fr Nicholas in the past as part if its Christmas charitable giving.

Please be generous in supporting this import ant work this Lent. You can:

• use one of the Lent Appeal envelopes available in church, and don’t forget to ‘gift aid’ your gift if you’re a tax-payer and return it on the collection plate or via the Parish Office

• use the parish’s new online giving facility - it’s still new, so if you make an online donation mark it ‘Rio’ if you can, gift aid it if you’re a tax-payer and then send an e-mail to the Parish (mentioning the gift-aid status of your donation)

https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/parishofalexandrapark

“We mourn the death of Lucas, former catechesis group

member and altar server of the Parish Eternal Father, a

victim this afternoon of the violence that walks

alongside us. Lucas was shot in the chest, during a

confrontation between police and thieves in the

community of the Caratê

At this painful time we pray for his family and ask God

to welcome him into his arms...”