An 82-year-old religious sister was killed Saturday in the Brazilian city of Ivaí, in the state of Paraná, Brazil.
Sister Nadia Gavanski was beaten to death with a piece of wood, according to local press reports, by a man who broke onto the convent grounds Feb. 21.
A suspect was arrested by the Brazilian military police soon after the crime. According to initial media reports, the man — whose name has not been released — told police that he was under the influence of crack cocaine and alcohol when he entered the convent.
The convent belongs to the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, a religious order within the Ukrainian Catholic Church, a sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church.
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In an official statement, the order asked for “prayers for the eternal rest of our dear sister, and all who are suffering with this irreparable loss” and added that it is cooperating fully with the investigation into this “act of unjustifiable violence.”
“Her life was fully dedicated to service and to faith,” the statement said of Sr. Nadia.
The Pillar requested additional comment from the community, but has not yet received a response.
The state of Paraná is home to a large Ukrainian-Brazilian community.
Groups of Ukrainians began migrating to the South-American country at the end of the 19th century to fill a growing need for rural laborers.
Subsequent waves of migration took place during the 20th century. The cities with the most Ukrainians in the state are Prudentópolis and Ivaí. An estimated 45% of the population of Ivaí has Ukrainian heritage, with the Ukrainian Catholic Church playing a key role in maintaining the Ukrainian language and culture.
In the region, the Church has an Archeparchy of Saint John the Baptist in Curitiba, and an eparchy in Prudentópolis, which encompasses Ivaí.
The crime in Ivaí took place during a pastoral visit by the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, to participate in a meeting of the permanent synod of the UGCC.
The major archbishop began his visit to Brazil on Feb. 15, and was expected to end it with the celebration of a Divine Liturgy in Ivaí on Sunday Feb. 22.
In a video message published to commemorate the visit, Major Archbishop Shevchuk described the UGCC in Brazil as “an image of the Catholic Church today” because it lives in “perfect communion” not only with the local Latin rite Church but also with the “Mother Church in Ukraine”, thereby representing “unity in diversity”. In his message he also expresses gratitude for the solidarity shown by the people and the Church of Brazil with Ukraine, especially during the war with Russia.
Although many religious sisters live and serve in dangerous regions all over the world, murders of nuns are rare. According to data collected by pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need, two nuns were murdered in 2025, both in the same incident in Haiti. This followed two years with no fatalities of religious sisters, though in 2022 three were killed: one in Haiti, one in Mozambique and one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.