"He was a simple, beautiful, dedicated priest,” recalled Fr. Al Svobodny,O.M.I., a close friend of Fr. Bruce. “500 people attended his funeral.”

Fr. Bruce Heit,O.M.I., may have passed on, but he will always be remembered for the extraordinary way he changed lives. Both in the U.S. and in Brazil, his kindness, humility, faith, and steadfast dedication showed forth in serving those most in need.

Bruce was born to Joseph and Margaret in Arkansaw, Wisconsin. Bruce and his four sisters, Carmel Oshima, Mary Jane Eidenschink, Julie Schmidt, and Marlene Dehardt grew up on a dairy farm.

The Catholic faith was an important part of home life, and St. Joseph’s Parish was a second home to the Heits. “If the church doors were open, we were probably there,” reminisced Mary Jane.

Bruce was an altar boy, and spent a lot of time with the parish priests, who happened to be Oblates. They were not only spiritual role models, but good family friends of the Heits and mentors for Bruce. “Grandma was the priests’ housekeeper for years,” said sister Mary Jane. “[The priests] would always come over for Sunday night dinner.”

Discerning his vocation

Bruce decided to become an Oblate during his senior year at Helmwood High School. His decision was a combination of years of witnessing his parents’ faith and devotion, as well as his friendship with the Oblate priests at St. Joseph’s parish.

Bruce was ordained on December 19, 1964. “Our parents were very proud of him,” said Mary Jane. Still, Joseph and Margaret’s joy was mixed with some anxiety when they heard that Bruce’s first assignment would be Recife, Brazil.

Bruce must have sensed their concern, and wrote a letter explaining his passion for becoming an Oblate missionary. In the letter, Bruce reminisces about growing up as a “little farm boy” who milked cows and picked up eggs. As he reflected on his first assignment in the then wild and primitive country of Brazil, Bruce wrote, “I thank God He has made me good enough to be part of this elite group of missionaries. I hope it will make you proud that your only son has received the honor of being a foreign missionary.”

With the Brazilian people: 1965-2006

When Bruce left for Brazil in 1965, little did his family, friends, or fellow Oblates know that he would spend the next 40 years living and working there. “Bruce was always busy with Masses and meetings and getting people organized so they knew their rights,” said his sister, Mary Jane. “They all loved him.” Fr. Bruce and the Oblates’ dedication went far beyond Masses and meetings. Fr. Bruce spent many years in Brasilia Teimosa, a poor neighborhood in Recife that is situated between a river, a busy road, and the Atlantic Ocean. Brasilia Teimosa means “stubborn little Brazil.” It was named years ago
when Brazilian slaves escaped their masters and settled in this pocket of land. It frequently floods, and there was no electricity or running water when Fr. Bruce was there. The government tried using violence and threats to coerce the Oblates and the poor to leave so that hotels and a yacht club could be built on the land. Fr. Bruce and fellow Oblate Fr. Jim Kohmetscher stood by the people, even when their own lives were at risk. After the area was left without a bishop, Fr. Bruce was invited to be “the bishop-without-a-miter” formore than a year!

The poor of this area are now a tight-knit community. Neither property owners nor government officials have been able to evict them. Today, the neighborhood which has water, electricity, and infrastructure, has been renamed “Brasilia Vitoriosa,” which means victorious little Brazil! Much of this is due to the dedication and love of Oblates like Fr. Bruce. Fr. Bruce also spent many years
in Maraba, a port town in the state of Para. In a letter to sister Carmel, Fr. Bruce talked about his experiences in a clinic in Maraba that was near his residence. “Many times the hospital is so crowded the patients flow into our residence,” Bruce wrote. “I have delivered babies on sidewalks, and buried infants in our backyard.” During his 40 years of service in Brazil, Fr. Bruce lived out his vocation
as a Missionary Oblate in almost every way imaginable. To some, Padre Bruce was the parish priest. Others knew him as an environmental activist, teacher, medic, friend, and tireless worker for the spiritual and material needs of the indigenous people. For Bruce, he was simply doing what he
loved and living out his vocation. “Bruce enjoyed coming home and seeing us,” said Carmel, his sister, “buthe could never stay too long. What he once wrote us sums it up: ‘When I get back to Brazil and that poverty greets me at my door, then I know that I am truly home.’ ”