Saint Dulce Lopes Pontes
I was born as Maria Rita in Salvador de Bahia in 1914. After my mother died I lived with my aunt. One day, my aunt and I visited some of the poorest parts of the city and what I saw shocked me deeply. I decided to dedicate myself to the fate of the poorest of the poor. I felt God called me to religious life, and I entered the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. Thus I became sister Dulce. During my life, I founded a workers union, a clinic, a school, a cinema, a library... Many people started to seek my help. Eventually, I myself developed serious health problems and I spent 16 months in hospital, where Pope John Paul II visited me. I died in 1992. After my death the President of Brazil nominated me for the Nobel Prize.