Inah Canabarro Lucas

BIOGRAPHY

Inah Canabarro Lucas was born in Sao Francisco de Assis, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil on 8 June 1908, to parents João Antônio Lucas (1870–1923) and Mariana Canabarro Lucas (1878–1954). While she has claimed to have been born on 27 May 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.

Canabarro Lucas 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.

At the age of 110, she began having some mobility difficulties and had to start using a walker. In 2018, upon celebrating her 110th birthday, she received an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis. The blessing was accompanied by a certificate, which was later displayed in the community’s souvenir corner where she resides. On 25 January 2021, at the age of 112, she received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, making her one of the oldest people to receive the vaccine. She credits her longevity to God. In October 2022, she contracted COVID-19 while she was hospitalized, but was later able to recover from the disease in November, making her one of the oldest known survivors of the disease.

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.

RECOGNITION

On 2 January 2022, at the age of 113 years, 208 days, Canabarro Lucas surpassed the age of Luzia Mohrs to become the oldest Brazilian ecclesiastical person ever.

On 23 January 2022, following the passing of 116-year-old Antonia da Santa Cruz, she became the oldest (documented) living person in Brazil. On 30 July, following the passing of Colombia’s Sofia Rojas, she became the oldest validated living person in the whole of both South and Latin America.

On 16 February 2024, the LongeviQuest team visited her at the age of 115, officially recognizing her as Brazil’s oldest living person and the world’s oldest nun.

On 22 February 2024, following the passing of American Edie Ceccarelli, she became the oldest living person in the Americas and the world’s third-oldest living person, behind María Branyas Morera (Spain) and Tomiko Itooka (Japan). After Branyas Morera’s passing on 19 August, she moved up to second place.

On 29 December 2024, following the passing of 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka (Japan), she became the World’s Oldest Living Person, at the age of 116 years, 204 days.