In the year of 1959 the Congregation of the Resurrection began its mission on the South American continent, in Brazil and Bolivia. The immediate impetus for opening these missions was the call of Pope Leo XIII for religious to dedicate themselves, within their possibilities, to the missio ad gentes.
Resurrectionists of the Polish Province began working in Brazil in March of 1959, while the USA and Ontario-Kentucky Provinces joined to work in Bolivia beginning in September of the same year. They dedicated themselves to parish ministry and education, building churches, chapels, ministry and formation centers, and carrying out service activities among the poor. Implementing the ideas of Bogdan Jański, they undertook these new challenges in close cooperation with the laity, concerning themselves especially in their spiritual formation.
The 27th General Chapter on July 18, 1981, decided to establish the South American Region. The patron of the Region is Fr. Jerome Kajsiewicz, C.R., the first Resurrectionist to stand on South American soil, in November 1865 in Brazil, where he spent approximately six months.
There are currently 26 members of the South American Region, involved mainly in parish ministry and evangelization movements. These members are spread among nine dioceses in Brazil and Bolivia as well as in the island diocese of Bermuda. The initial formation of young men and candidates for the Congregation takes place in Curitiba and Resende in Brazil, La Paz in Bolivia, and at the Generalate house in Rome.