A Brazilian nun who is officially the oldest living person on the planet at 116, attributes her longevity to her faith.
Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas from Brazil was given the honour following the passing of 116-year-old Tamiko Itooka in Japan.
She told ACI Digital that one of the secrets of her longevity is prayer: “I pray the rosary every day for everyone in the world.”
She sets times for waking up, speaking and, most notably, praying.
Sister Inah lives in the city of Porto Alegre in the Santo Enrique de Ossó Shelter which is next to the Provincial House of the Teresian Sisters of Brazil a community where she was accepted at the age of 19 in 1927.
According to her 84-year-old nephew, Cleber Vieira Canabarro Lucas, she had been experiencing some health issues recently, but now she is fine.
“Logically, the condition of her health at 116 years of age is already a little complicated: She no longer hears well, she has great difficulty speaking, her vision is very poor, but she goes on with her life with the plans that God gave her,” he said.
Sister Inah was said to have been so skinny during her youth that some doctors worried she wouldn’t survive her childhood.
“She was always a little nun who prayed a lot and dedicated herself to prayer all her life,” Cleber added, noting: “her kindness in always wanting to do good to others, her good humour — typical of her personality, her optimism, and her determination in life.”
“I’m young, pretty, and friendly — all very good, positive qualities that you have too,” Sister Inah tells visitors who come to her retirement home, according to The Associated Press which wrote that she is also well known for cracking jokes.
As a teacher, she taught Portuguese, mathematics, science, history, art, and religion in Teresian schools in Rio de Janeiro, Itaqui, and Santana do Livramento, a city on the Uruguayan border where she is much loved because it was where she spent most of her life.
A notable achievement was the creation of the Santa Teresa School marching band in Santana do Livramento.
The band featured 115 musical instruments and performed in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina.
She also collaborated in the creation of the renowned Pomoli High School marching band in Rivera, Uruguay which adjoins Santana do Livramento.
Sister Inah is the second-oldest nun in recorded history.
Photo: LongeviQuest
