Zilda Arns
Brazilian Philanthropist
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Key Takeaways
- Zilda Arns Neumann (25 August 1934 – 12 January 2010) was a Brazilian pediatrician and aid worker.
- Her humanitarian work, which also included the poor and the elderly, spanned over three decades.
- In 2015, the Archdiocese of São Paulo intended to start a diocesan investigation in order to open a beatification process.
- She was the aunt of Senator Flávio Arns.
- Those acts inspired her contemplate life as a doctor, even most of her priests or teachers.
Zilda Arns Neumann (25 August 1934 – 12 January 2010) was a Brazilian pediatrician and aid worker.
A sister of Cardinal Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns, the former Archbishop of São Paulo known for his efforts against the Brazilian military dictatorship, Zilda Arns became internationally known by founding a Catholic pastoral care for poor children. Her humanitarian work, which also included the poor and the elderly, spanned over three decades.
Arns died on January 12, 2010, as a result of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In 2015, the Archdiocese of São Paulo intended to start a diocesan investigation in order to open a beatification process.
Early life and education
Born in the rural town of Forquilhinha, Arns was one of the 13 children of Gabriel Arns (1890–1965) and Helene Arns (née Steiner) (1894–1974). She was the aunt of Senator Flávio Arns.
Two of Arns' memories were of seeing her father go door-to-door on his horse to help contain a smallpox epidemic and watching her mother arrange for a sick neighbour to be taken to the nearest hospital on the back of a cart, a journey of three hours. Those acts inspired her contemplate life as a doctor, even most of her priests or teachers.
Having studied medicine, she graduated from university in 1959, UFPR - Federal University of Paraná. Arns further studied public health, with the aim of assisting poor children in environments plagued with high child mortality rates, malnutrition and violence.
Career
After she worked in local hospitals tending to infants, she was then given charge of a string of clinics on the impoverished outskirts of the southern city of Curitiba.
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