Mosteiro do Encontro
Mandirituba Founded in 1999
Mosteiro do Encontro is a monastery of Benedictine nuns located in Areia Branca dos Assis, in the municipality of Mandirituba, in the state of Paraná, Brazil. It belongs to the Congregation of the Benedictines of the Queen of the Apostles and was founded by the Notre-Dame de Béthanie Monastery of Loppem, in Belgium. The three founding sisters arrived in Curitiba in January 1964; the community moved to Mandirituba on December 23, 1999.
The nuns live by prayer, silence, and work. Their guest house welcomes visitors who come to share in the liturgy and prayer life of the monastery. Sunday Mass is open to the public, and a shop sells jams, shortbread cookies, and religious articles. The current church was dedicated in 2008.