蹤獲扦 is mourning the death of Brother Rog矇rio Renato Mateucci, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paran獺 (PUCPR) in Brazil and a close friend of the 蹤獲扦 community.
Brother Rog矇rio died Oct. 16 in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to an announcement from PUCPR and the Congregation of the Marist Brothers.
Many in the 蹤獲扦 family will remember him from May 2025, when he served as the keynote speaker at one of the universitys spring commencement ceremonies. Drawing on a story he encountered at the New England Holocaust Memorial, he told graduates about two friends in a concentration camp, Gerda Weissmann Klein and Ilse, and how Ilse found a single raspberry, wrapped it in a leaf and risked everything to give it to her friend.
What is your raspberry? he asked the Class of 2025. What risks are you willing to take to offer affection and make life easier for those around you?
He closed with a wish for the graduates: May you have the courage to say yes to the life that persists in you.
Watch Brother Rog矇rios 2025 蹤獲扦 commencement address:
A Champion of Partnership
Brother Rog矇rio was a true champion of the partnership between 蹤獲扦 and PUCPR, said Paulo Mussi Augusto, Ph.D., 蹤獲扦s associate vice president for global education, who worked at PUCPR for nearly three decades before joining 蹤獲扦. He deeply believed that by working together, our institutions could make a real difference in the lives of our students. Beyond being a university leader, he was a profoundly human person, committed to educating the whole person and, above all, to creating a place where everyone felt welcome.
Brother Rog矇rio spoke and acted with a rare gentleness and had a remarkable ability to listen, always making room for others to be heard, Mussi Augusto continued. He loved beauty and found it where art and science met. As a man of faith, he was steadfast, slow to judge and always willing to give people another chance. His legacy will continue to inspire all of us who had the privilege of knowing him.
Under Brother Rog矇rios leadership, PUCPR deepened its partnership with 蹤獲扦, including the American Academy, a program that allows Brazilian students to earn associate degrees from 蹤獲扦 in Brazil at the PUCPR campus and then complete a four-year degree in Brazil or the United States. The partnership helped 蹤獲扦 earn the Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization.
PUCPR canceled classes on Oct. 17 and 19 at its Curitiba, Londrina and Toledo campuses and scheduled a memorial Mass at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 at its Jesus Mestre Chapel, streamed on .
