SAO PAULO, Brazil (CNS) The search continues for Fr Adelir Antonio de Carli, a Brazilian priest who strapped himself to 1000 helium balloons April 20 and floated out to sea in southern Brazil. Fr de Carli was attempting to raise money for a spiritual truck stop in the port city of Paranagua. His goal was to beat a 19-hour record of helium balloons in flight.
A Brazilian air force jet spotted a handful of balloons in the water 30 miles from Florianopolis April 22, but when rescue vessels arrived on the scene they found no sign of the missing priest.
The priest lost touch with ground personnel eight hours into his flight, after asking for help in using a Global Positioning System device he was carrying.
At St. Christopher Church in Paranagua, where Fr de Carli served, parishioners set up 24-hour shifts to pray for the priest.
Fr de Carli was also part of the highway secretariat, giving spiritual guidance to truckers throughout the port region. Paranagua is the largest grain port in Brazil, and thousands of truckers pass through the area each day.
Local media reported that Fr de Carli was an experienced sky diver and had trained extensively in the outdoors, especially in adverse situations.