Ana Silvia Pozzi:

“The good mood, happiness
and the dedication of all in
our Spiritist Centre are really contagious…”

The President of the Comunhão Espírita Bezerra de Menezes, in the town of Campo Lindo Paulista, talks about her early days in Spiritism and the activities carried out at the Spiritist Centre

	Ana Silvia Pozzi (photo), from the Brazilian state of São Paulo, became a Spiritist in 1996. She lives in Campo Lindo Paulista, where she works as a dentist. She is a volunteer member and current President of the Comunhão Espírita Bezerra de Menezes. In this interview, she talks about Spiritism in a small town and her involvement in the study
and dissemination of the Teachings:

How did you become a Spiritist? 

I went to a Spiritist Centre for the first time in 1991 to seek treatment for a very bad back pain, which failed to respond to any medical treatment. I did not accept Spiritism at the time, but I agreed to go to Fonte de Luz (which is linked to an Afro-Brazilian spiritual religion but also hosts talks on Spiritism), where they do healing. I carried on attending regular meetings in the Catholic Church, however. When our son Marcelo was born in 1993, he needed emergency surgery. He was only two months’ old and that led us to question many issues. That is when someone recommended that we read The Gospel According to Spiritism. In 1996 se began attending regular Spiritist meetings in the city of Jundiaí and in 1999 we finally joined the Comunhão Espírita Bezerra de Menezes, in Campo Lindo Paulista, which was founded 9n 1975 by a group of friends. 

The Spiritist Group you attend is known for the harmony between its members. What is the secret for that? 

The good mood, happiness and dedication of all in our Spiritist Centre are really contagious… That is a characteristic of our group. We also highlight the importance of transparency, honesty and respect in order to overcome the problems. We also try to put into practice those values. We have enormous gratitude for this Spiritist Centre, where we have received so much. 

In its 40 years, the organisation has already expanded its headquarters and its range of activities many times. Tell us a bit more about that. 

In 1975, they built a 40 square metre-room on the ground floor. Around 1995, they added a first floor, with 60 square metres. In 2005, we felt we needed more space and we built two extra rooms in each floor, each one with 60 square metres. In 2015, we expanded our area by 30 square metres. The top floor has a conference room for 150 people. We need now to modernise the stairs to make access easier for everyone. All that has been possible thanks to the continuous growth of interest for Spiritism in the area. 

Tell us a bit more about the town where you live.  

Campo Lindo Paulista became an independent municipality in 1964. It used to be part o Jundiaí. The area was named by the first inhabitants, who found a vast “beautiful field” (campo lindo in Portuguese) here. There are 79,892 inhabitants in Campo Lindo. Of these, 39,134 say they are Catholics; 23,643 say they are Protestant Evangelicals; and 1,209, Spiritists. 

What is the main activity carried out by the local Spiritist Groups? 

It is fraternal assistance, our counselling: helping those who come to us in need. And also helping disseminate the Teachings through talks, seminars and study groups. 

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

The Comunhão Espírita Bezerra de Menezes is ready to welcome all your readers with a warm embrace. I would like, finally, to express my gratitude to God and to Dr Bezerra de Menezes, to my dear family, to my friends in this blessed organisation and the friends I have met through Spiritism.