Nicola José Frattari Neto (photo) is a sociologist with a PhD in Education in the Brazilian city of Ituiutaba, in the state of Minas Gerais, where he works as a school supervisor. He is also a volunteer worker at the Seareiros de Jesus Spiritist Centre, in his hometown. He has recently published a book about a great Spiritist benefactor, entitled “Novos Casos de Jerônimo Mendonça” or “The New Tales of Jerônimo Mendonça”: 

Your recent book about Jerônimo Mendonça brings, as stated in the title, tales of the time you spent with him. What impact has he had in your life?

I spent time with Jerônimo Mendonça during my youth. I used to go to his house in the afternoon to help him, so that his mother and his sisters could take a break. But in reality I spent all the time there learning and observing, listening to everything that he had to say. As you may know, Jerônimo was tetraplegic and blind and he had serious heart problems. And yet he gave assistance to so many people who came to him, daily, with all sorts of problems. He travelled the whole of Brazil giving Spiritist talks, promoting the books that he wrote and chairing fundraising campaigns for social projects. To spend time with him was like doing a course. He had the knowledge of Spiritist Teachings in his mind and so much love in his heart. We all learned from him all the time. Any subject that came up in a conversation gave Jerônimo a cue to open a debate on the most varied issues, in the light of Spiritism. Being so close to him also gave me the opportunity to carry out my inner reform. It was really special to see that, despite being in bed all the time and in pain all day, he was always smiling and reciting poetry or singing and giving advice to people who came looking for help. And the best for me is to remember him in his human dimension. Jerônimo himself always stressed that he wasn’t a “saint.” He was an ordinary man who also made mistakes, but who was moved by a very strong determination to give his best in order to help other people. 

Remind us of a memorable moment that you spent with Jerônimo?

Once I was carrying his bed across the road with two other people. We were taking him from his house to the Seareiros de Jesus Spiritist Centre where he would be taking part in a public meeting. We had just finished the Gospel in the Home, which he did in his house in the company of family and friends daily at 7pm. All of a sudden he said, unexpectedly: “We must wait for the right time to initiate our sexual life. We must wait for the proper time, when we are more mature and we must find a balanced person for our partner. Many people initiate their sexual life when they’re far too young and they end up becoming victims of difficult situations, like abortions, violence, abuse and suffering… We must wait for the right time.” In those few minutes he gave us a lesson. We remained silent, digesting those words of wisdom, which sounded more like spiritual guidance than anything else – especially as we had discussed a completely different topic during the Gospel in the Home. 

What were the criteria you used to organise the book? Did you rely mostly on your memory? Was it a difficult process?

I never considered writing a book about Jerônimo. A few years ago – I’m not sure exactly when that happened – I decided to write down a few memories of stories and things that I lived with him, stuff that I saw and heard. The aim was to keep those memories alive for me. I wrote only a few pages. A few years later, my good friend Ala Michel introduced me to Apparecido Belvedere and Rosi Siqueira during a Spiritist congress. Apparecido was, at the time, one of the editors of O Clarim in the city of Matão. I was introduced to him as someone who came from the same town as Jerônimo. Apparecido then began talking about his friendship with Jerônimo. He told me that he’d been to Ituiutaba and Jerônimo had paid him a visit in Matão [in the neighbouring state of São Paulo]. It was a pleasant chat. He then asked me if I had written a book about Jerônimo, as though he knew about the pages I had written and kept in my drawer. I must admit that I was a bit shocked, as he sounded very emphatic. I said that yes, I had written about him. So he asked me to send him the manuscript as quickly as possible  so that he could publish it. I was very happy when I went back home and quickly began writing other chronicles about my time with Jerônimo. When I thought I had exhausted all the sources of my own memories, I had the idea of contacting friends and his family for other stories. But before his family found out that I was writing a book about him, they spontaneously contacted me to give me a personal archive of pictures. It was as though the book was ready for publication in the Spirit World and the Spirits were only passing it on to us here in the material world. 

As a medium who met Jerônimo during his life on Earth, what is your assessment of him as a Spirit?

I spent three years of my life with Jerônimo, who passed away in 1989. Even though I was no more than a shy teenager who visited him often, I noticed that he had a special affection for me. He actually seemed to have an affection for everyone he met. Years later, in 1997, I began my volunteer work as a medium and he began dictating messages, sonnets, poems and guidance to me, which he continues to do. Jerônimo has continued his tireless work in the Spirit World. He has sent messages to mediums across the country and abroad. He is one of the Spiritual Benefactors offering guidance and advice to many Spiritist Groups and mediums, encouraging them to work with Jesus Christ. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?