Yeda Peres Hungria: 

“Dante Labbate dedicated his life to making The Third Revelation public”

Dante Labbate is the writer of the book Desdobramentos mediúnicos e outros fenômenos psíquicos (Mediumship and
other psychic phenomena). He was radicated in the United
States during the eighties, where he started the spiritist
movement in Massachusetts when he founded the Spiritist
group Caminho, Verdade e Vida, in Somerville

O Consolador: You are a spiritist researcher, who published many different pieces. We can find a few of them within the monthly magazine Revista Internacional do Espiritismo. You have recently spoken at Casa Maria de Magdala about Dante Labbate’s work: Desdobramentos mediúnicos e outros fenômenos psíquicos (Mediumship and other psychic phenomena). Can you please tell us more about him? 

Dante Labbate was born in Tarumirim, Minas Gerais, on 5th January 1929. He got to know Spiritism through his father, Jerry Labbate. At the age of 18 he became part of a youth group in Belo Horizonte. At the age of 20 he started to go to a group called Grupo da Fraternidade Irmã Scheilla. In this institution, he became part of physical mediumship meetings, which would also witness materialization. In these sessions the spirits Scheilla, José Grosso, Fritz Schein, Josef Gleber and Palminha would take part of. The medium Fabio Machado was also be involved on the sessions. Chico Xavier would occasionally be present and always support their work. Dante was an active enthusiast of the spiritist doctrine, who took part in the organization and implementation of different spiritist hospitals and institutions throughout Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 

He moved to the United States in the eighties and started the spiritist movement in Massachusetts when he founded the Spiritist group Caminho, Verdade e Vida, in Somerville. He helped to start and orientate other groups in Marlboro, Quincy, Peabody and Lowell, in Massachusetts, and in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was one of the founders of the The United States Spiritist Council (USSC), based in Washington, D.C. He was a trustee of USCC for three years. After being away from Brazil for twenty years, he decided to come back to his home country in 2006, with his wife Nizi. He passed away on the 1^st October of the following year, at the city of Vitória, Espírito Santo.  

O Consolador: Does the book describe his personal experiences?   

Desdobramentos mediúnicos e outros fenômenos psíquicos (Mediumship and other psychic phenomena, Fonte Viva) is his second book, in fact. It was released after his death on the 15^th November 2008 by Casa Maria de Magdala, who retains its copyrights. He describes his experiences when leaving the physical body, leading to astral projection. He also details cases of somnambulism, ideoplast, zoanthropy, trips to the past and instrumental trans-communication (ITC). Obsession, spiritual magnetism and many others cases that happened with him, his dad and other colleagues, throughout twenty years, are also described at the book. 

O Consolador: What about his first book? Does it have any connection with the second? 

Materializações luminosas – leis cósmicas em ação (Luminous Materializations – cosmic laws in action, Edition Fonte Viva, 2002) describes mediumship sessions with ectoplasmy and physical effects, which were focused on the cure of patients. In this book, the author is a careful observer of all facts; on the second one he is part of the experiences. 

O Consolador: Which of these experiences do you consider most remarkable? 

The nature of the phenomena described in the book is very relevant and instructive. Therefore, I would like to point out his work with physical mediumship to help individuals in need from the spiritual world. He provides us with an extensive amount of information about this area of mediumship, which helps us to understand how it works. 

O Consolador: Dante was a pioneer in spreading Spiritism throughout Massachusetts, United States. What kind of results did it bring to the Spiritist Doctrine?  

Dante Labbate’s life goal was to spread The Third Revelation. The spiritist centres he created inspired the formation of other groups. This helped to expand the influence of The United States Spiritist Council (USSC), promoting Jesus Christ’s message and fraternal help and advice among the groups.

O Consolador: How did the idea of publishing this book in Brazil come up?  

In August 2000, Dante revealed to us he wanted to publish his observations about the work done by the Spirits. On that occasion, we were doing a series of talks around the USA. He complained how difficult it could be to publish it due to lack of experienced collaborators. Fernando, my husband, decided to help. He got hold of his sketches, organized it and published the first book. The second emerged on the same way. 

O Consolador: What is Casa Maria de Magdala? 

It’s a private, non-profitable organization based in Estrada Washington Luiz 1956, Sapê, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is a dream of the doctor and spiritist medium René Pessa that came through. He founded this place on the 22^nd July 1991, which focuses on working with therapy for children and adults who are HIV positive.  

This institution became a countrywide reference, as it offers fraternal love, socio-spiritual help and education to its sheltered. It has two nurseries available for adults, and other areas designated to 30 children from the age of zero to 6 years old. All patients are cared by trained volunteers, who are working in six daily turns of four hours each. This place is managed by a board of directors, whose President is Professor Márcia Maria de Carvalho. 

O Consolador: What are the biggest difficulties and needs of Casa Maria de Magdala?

The main difficulty is to maintain all daily activities, due to shortage of money. We rely heavily on cash or online donations, promotion of events and book sales. On top of that, we rely on the volunteers who are also scarce. Unfortunately, we had to suspend the acquisition of equipments for our labs in the Pharmaceutical Unit Cairbar Schutel, which was inaugurated on the 13^th September 2008. We also had to call off the construction of other areas within this unit. These departments would focus on manipulating medicines which would be prescribed at these premises – homeopathy, flower remedies, antibiotics, anti-fungal drugs and others. This is on hold for now.  you please tell us your vision of the spiritist movement, as a speaker? 

I have observed we lack the study of Kardec’s work. I support the concern and effort among our colleagues within the movement to implement the study of the Spiritist Doctrine in a programmed, methodical, and systematic form. 

O Consolador: How and why did this interest for spiritist research start? 

I became interested in spiritist research by reading the work done by mediums in the USA, since it was in this country that strange phenomena attributed to the action of spirits were reported, which lead to Spiritism being initiated. I started to research these mediums in the United States. 

I came across lots of documents and realised these mediums where very humble with sublime mediumship talents, whose objectives were to love towards others, and the evolution of the spirit. They were criticized for being illusionists but they endured these challenges and worked continuously with abnegation. I was touched by their efforts and now I try to pay homage to these missioners, who deserve our respect for their work.  

O Consolador: Where can we purchase this book? 

The Editorial Group Universo das Letras (henrique@universodasletras.com.br) is responsible for wholesale business and distribution of this book. Their number is (0055-11) 3736-0715. For retail sales please contact Casa Maria de Magdala, at the number (0055-21) 2616-2233, or Regilda Medeiros at (0055-21) 2619-5031, who is responsible for the bookshop. 

O Consolador: Is there anything else you would like to say or tell us about?  

I would like to mention what the spirit Emmanuel told us: “The biggest help we can give the Spiritist Doctrine is to make it public”. I would also contribute to it saying: through disciplined study of the Spiritist Doctrine, self-discipline, and a Christian behaviour.