«In a meeting of the Town Council which took place on the 26 of February 2010 Fr.Miguel Ángel Peralta Soret was granted the freedom of the town and declared an Honorary Citizen of Labrea. The official paper, Article 1 of the Legislative Decree nº 03. approved by the Town Council states that this was awarded in recognition of the extraordinary services rendered to the town and people of Labrea. This was the how the news reached the other members of is community.
Miguel Angel Peralta no longer lives in Labrea. At the end of January he moved to another town on the river Purus called Tapaua. The Labrea community immediately sent him the news and their congragulations.. Fr. Peralta was totally taken by surprise and got in touch with the Chairperson of Labrea’s Town Council and it’s Mayor to thank them for such an honour.
And so on the 7th March the religious of the Recollect community were called to receive the diploma of recognition, Fr. Garcia Corcuera being the one who accepted it in Fr. Peralta’s name. This happened during the celebration of the anniversary of Labrea’s foundation in the presence of various State politicians and other known personalities. On several occasions the Chair of the Town Council mentioned Fr, Peralta, highlighting their friendship and thanking him for his counsel and cooperation on various matters and also wishing him every good wish in his new work place.
Centro Esperanza
Fr.Miguel Ángel Peralta, born in Villafranca, Navarra (Spain), arrived as a missionary in Labrea in October 1988. Labrea is in the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. He spent the first seven years in the parish of Canutama. From here he went to Labrea where he spent 13 years ministering to the people. At first he continued the work in progress but by intuition and discerning the more urgent problems of the population, he felt the need to strengthen and energise the Centro Esperanza. He was convinced the education of children, adolescents and young people was one of the best ways for a population, used to despondency and low self esteem, to take those surer steps to achieve true human, cultural, and social progress and prospects of employment. This year there are 360 children registered in the Centro Esperanza. This Augustinian Recollect missionary also saw the need to aid the hungry. His insistence in asking for help from Spain brought about the provision of dozens of houses for those families who, leaving the misery of life along the river banks and having no means at their disposal needed places to live. Taking all this into account as well as his pastoral dedication it is only just that the authorities in Labrea should recognise all that has been accomplished.
Since 1925
We should nevertheless add that the Town, together with Fr. Miguel Angel Peralta also recognises the dedication of the Recollect Fathers since 1925 and the work of the Augustinian Recollects Missionary Sisters who joined them in that remote and captivating region of the Amazon rainforest in caring for the most abandoned. All missionaries have offered up their hopes and spent their energies there; some have given their lives in the course of living out their calling. Among these we have Fr. Jesus Pardo, Augustinian Recollect and the Recollect Missionary Sister Cleusa Carolina Rody Coelho whose 25th anniversary of assassination is celebrated this year.