Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil – Following the passing of Tomiko Itooka of Japan on December 29, LongeviQuest has confirmed that 116-year-old Inah Canabarro Lucas of Brazil is now the World’s Oldest Living Person.
Additionally, the title of Japan’s oldest living person now belongs to 115 years-old Okagi Hayashi, a resident of Gifu Prefecture.
Inah Canabarro Lucas was born in São Francisco de Assis, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil on June 8, 1908, to parents João Antônio Lucas (1870–1923) and Mariana Canabarro Lucas (1878–1954). While she has claimed to have been born on May 27, 1908, research found that she was likely born 11 days later. As a child, she was so skinny that many people didn’t think she would survive childhood. She is the great-granddaughter of General David Canabarro (1796–1867), one of the leaders of the Ragamuffin War (1835–1845).
She began her religious journey at the age of 16, studying at the Santa Teresa de Jesus boarding school in Santana do Livramento, Rio Grande do Sul. She was baptized in Santana do Livramento on 21 April 1926, at the age of 17. Later, she moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, where she was confirmed in the Catholic Church on 1 October 1929, at the age of 21. In 1930, she returned to Brazil to teach Portuguese and mathematics at a school in Tijuca, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. In July 1932, she renewed her vows for the first time in Rio de Janeiro, followed by her second renewal a year later. On July 27, 1934, at the age of 26, she took her perpetual vows (Profissão Perpétua) and became a nun. In the early 1940s, she returned to Santana do Livramento, where she continued her vocation as a teacher in July 1942.
She worked in Itaqui on two separate occasions. Her first tenure began in February 1949, and she stayed there for more than a decade before returning to Santana do Livramento in March 1961, where she worked as a professor and secretary. She then returned to Itaqui in March 1979. However, in February 1980, she took a position at the Provincial House in Porto Alegre. She retired in 1995.
Sister Inah (left) in an undated photograph. (Source: Courtesy of the family)
In 2018, upon celebrating her 110th birthday, Sister Inah received an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis. The blessing was accompanied by a certificate, which was later proudly displayed in the community’s souvenir corner where she resides.
One of her passions is football. A devoted supporter of Sport Club Internacional, she explains that she chose this club because it represents the people: “Whether rich or poor, it doesn’t matter—it’s for the people!” she says. When asked about the secret to her longevity, she attributed it to the Lord, saying that He helped her live these many years. “He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything,” she remarked.
Photographer: Carlos Macedo/ LongeviQuest
In addition to being world’s oldest living person, Inah Canabarro Lucas is also the 20th oldest person in recorded history. She became the oldest living person in Brazil on January 23, 2022, following the death of 116-year-old Antonia da Santa Cruz. She later became the oldest validated living person in all of South and Latin America after the passing of 114-year-old Colombian Sofia Rojas on July 30, 2022.
Sister Inah is also the second-oldest nun in documented history, surpassed only by Lucile Randon (Sister André) of France, who passed away in January 2023 at the age of 118 years and 340 days. She is the last known living person born in 1908 and one of only three surviving individuals born in the entire decade of the 1900s.
LongeviQuest representatives, including América Research President Fabrizio Villatoro and Senior Researcher for Brazil Iara Souza, met Sister Inah at the age of 115 in February 2024. (video below)
LongeviQuest extends heartfelt congratulations to Sister Inah on being recognized as the world’s oldest person. We wish her continued health and happiness. It was a true honor to meet her in person last February and hear her incredible life story directly from her. Her journey is a profound inspiration to us all.
(Featured image by photographer Carlos Macedo / LongeviQuest)
