I first met Jose when he participated in my first Theater of the Oppressed group in a parish on the periphery of João Pessoa, Brazil, where I serve as a Maryknoll lay missioner. Jose (not his real name) was probably 20 years old and very active in the parish. He had to stop coming to our group when the young woman he was dating became pregnant. Now his priority was to maintain his new family. I lost contact with Jose after my family and I transferred to São Paulo in 2010. Last year, we were assigned back to João Pessoa and I decided to visit Jose. I found out that after I saw him last, he had separated from his wife, left the Church and moved in with some friends. One day he was so drunk...
