Irmã Zuleica Aparecida Silvano celebrates 55 years of Mês da Bíblia

Sister Zuleica Aparecida Silvano, fsp, is marking the 55 years of Bible Month in Brazil, a tradition that began in 1971. The initiative was originally proposed by Pauline Sisters Neli Manfio and Eugênia Pandolfo to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Belo Horizonte. The project established September, the month honoring Saint Jerome, as a time for deepening biblical study.

The movement expanded from Minas Gerais to a national level under the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB). Sister Zuleica, an advisor for the Serviço de Animação Bíblica (SAB/Paulinas), is the first woman to translate a book of the New Testament from its original languages into Portuguese. She holds a master's degree from the Pontifício Instituto Bíblico in Rome and a doctorate from the Faculdade Jesuíta de Teologia (FAJE) in Belo Horizonte.