How did you become a
Spiritist?
I became a Spiritist in
1970, when my sister moved
to the city of São Paulo and
invited me to attend a
mediumship meeting at the
Casa do Caminho Spiritist
Centre. I was very scared on
the Friday I went there and
during the meeting a Spirit
asked for many prayers
because the biggest plane
crash in history was due to
happen. When the meeting
ended, I told my sister that
I would study Spiritism if
the accident did take place.
On Saturday morning two
Boeing aircrafts crashed at
the French airport, Charles
de Gaulle. More than 250
passed away in the deadliest
plane crash until then. I
began straightaway to study
Spiritism and joined a youth
group in the Airport
neighbourhood of São Paulo.
And how did you begin to
give talks and lectures?
When I was 20 years old, in
1975, at my mother’s house I
received a message from a
friendly Spirit, who
identified himself as Dr
Maurício. He said that the
great Spiritual Benefactor,
Dr Bezerra de Menezes, said
that 12 people gathered
there had the task of
founding a Spiritist Centre.
In the following month of
January we founded the Dr
Bezerra de Menezes Spiritist
Group in the city of
Guarulhos, next to São
Paulo. I began in the same
year to give talks and
lectures. The Group has now
more than 300 pupils
enrolled in various courses
on Spiritism.
What are the musical
lectures?
I was a member of a music
group in Guarulhos, which
played in events and
weddings. I used to enjoy it
a lot, but one day the group
disbanded and only Leya and
I remained. We were already
married. In 1974, when we
were working as volunteers
at the Casa do Chico
Spiritist Group in São José
dos Campos a Spirit told us
to use our musical talent
for the dissemination of
Spiritism. The following
week, we received a phone
call with an invitation for
a talk at the Dr Bezerra de
Menezes Spiritist Group in
Guarulhos. We agreed,
provided that we sang the
lecture, not talked. And we
would only use Spiritist
songs.
And what is the public’s
reaction?
It is very clear. People
become very emotional and
many shed tears when they
listen to the melody. They
connect with the Spirit
World with more ease, thanks
to their emotions, and for
that reason they are able to
keep what they learn for a
lot longer.
Is there anything from your
experience in Spiritism that
you would like to share with
us?
We have had a warm welcome
in every Spiritist Centre we
have been to. But I was
particularly moved by
something that took place at
the Allan Kardec Spiritist
Centre in the city of
Jacareí, in the state of São
Paulo. After one of our
musical talks a young girl
came to us and said that she
had learned much more about
Spiritism that night than in
a year attending the regular
meetings.
What aspect of Spiritism
strikes you the most?
What strikes me the most in
Spiritism is on The
Mediums’ Book, chapter
XXVII, item 303, which says
that the aim of Spiritism is
the moral development of
humankind.
