Our guest this week, Rodrigo Raniere de Oliveira (photo), is from the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in the North-east of Brazil. He was born in Currais Novos and lives in the town of Acari, where he works as a certified accountant. He is also an active member of the local Spiritist Movement and currently holds the post of president of the Grupo Espírita Sementes do Cristo (Seeds of Christ Spiritist Group), in Acari. He also works with the Spiritist Federation of Rio Grande do Norte.

When and how did you become a Spiritist?

As a child, I always remember my father doing the Gospel in the Home. I was brought up as a Spiritist and my connection with Spiritism flourished as I grew up.

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

Acari is inland, in a region known as Seridó, some 210 Km from the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal. It is known as the birthplace of the late Brazilian Catholic Archbishop, Dom Eugênio Sales. It was granted an award in 2015 (Inovacidade) as Brazil’s cleanest city.

How strong is the local Spiritist Movement?

The Grupo Espírita Sementes do Cristo (Seeds of Christ) is the only Spiritist City in town. We run study groups and we organised a yearly event, with talks and lectures, which is held at the City Council building. It’s quite popular with the local community and many people attend every year.  

Which aspect of the Spiritist Teachings strikes you the most?

Divine Justice. In Spiritism we find the answers for questions that we’ve been asking ourselves since times immemorial: Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? What are we doing here? Why do we go through pain and suffering?

What is the main focus of your Spiritist Centre? Is it the study and dissemination of Spiritism? What has changed with the coronavirus pandemic?

Before the beginning of the pandemic, our Spiritist Centre focused on the study of Spiritism according to the guidelines of the Brazilian Spiritist Federation. We ran the ESDE course, as it’s known, as well as a weekly study group focusing on The Gospel According to Spiritism and public talks and lectures, which were followed by healing for those who wanted to receive it. With the pandemic, we had to suspend those activities. We have changed our approach, focusing instead on live online broadcasts with Spiritist speakers.

Please tell us about the channel the Seeds of Christ Group keeps on YouTube, called Estudando Kardec (Studying Kardec).

In the channel, we provide daily material to help understand the core works of Allan Kardec. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I introduce the study of The Mediums’ Book, The Spirits’ Book and Heaven and Hell. On Tuesday, the study is coordinated by Gilberd Soares, focusing on Genesis. And on Fridays, Rosana Silva coordinates a study group on The Gospel According to Spiritism.

What, would you say, are the highlights of the channel?

The highlights are all the material we produce, as the consistent and in-depth study of Spiritism is essential for all of us, human beings, in our daily lives. To access the Estudando Kardec YouTube channel, please click here.

Is there anything you would like to add?

I’m also a member of the Seridó Espírita YouTube channel, where every Wednesday at 1800 local time (2100GMT) I present a programme called “Falando de Espiritismo”, or “Speaking of Spiritism,” with guests joining in from across Brazil.  

Please leave us your final thoughts.

I would like to express my immense gratitude for this opportunity to share our efforts with your readers. We don’t have a huge project, but this is a small light in a sea of darkness. The Brazilian Spiritist Movement needs, more than ever, to strengthen its foundations through the study of the works of Allan Kardec. We bear that in mind and we do like small ants: we do our share of the work, as part of the great goal that is to make Spiritism, Christ’s Promised Consoler, available to more and more people who need it.