I searched for a spiritist centre for the first time due to my curiosity. I was searching for answers to my existential questions. I now know, through the kindness of the Spiritual Benefactors, that the Spiritist Doctrine came to my live so I could prepare myself for the arrival of my daughter. We do have a lot of history between the two of us, which lead me to work on strengthening our relationship and the search for higher objectives in life. She is also a spiritist worker and we are both building up a new phase in our existence. We are consolidating our moral and spiritual links. 

O Consolador: What roles are you involved within the Spiritist Centre?  

I am working for Sociedade Espírita União dos Fiéis (SEUF) since I got to know Spiritism in 1987. I am now coordinating the Systematic Study of the Spiritist Doctrine (ESDE) and managing the Department of Doctrinal Orientation. 

O Consolador: What roles are you involved within the Spiritist Movement? 

I work as a Secretary for the Regional Spiritist Council (CRE) for the 4ª Região Federativa do Rio Grande do Sul. I am also giving lectures and facilitating courses and seminars at the Spiritist Federation of Rio Grande do Sul (FERGS). 

O Consolador: Have you got any articles published? 

I have published 4 articles at the magazine the Reincarnation, which is edited by the Spiritist Federation of Rio Grande do Sul.  

O Consolador: Have you got any feedback from it? 

Yes, I received some feedback. One even came from a person who is not spiritist, who used one the articles at her final thesis. Plus, several spiritist leaders have told us they are applying our ideas and getting positive results at their spiritist centres. 

O Consolador: You have been developing training at companies and organisations focusing on the improvement of processes. What is your main goal with these activities? 

Yes, I have been developing training at small companies in several sectors within the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The main goal of these activities is to improve processes and aggregate value to get better results via Quality Management. We always focus on valuing the individuals since nothing will work well if we forget to look at the people involved in it. The search for quality should be entrenched in the hearts, hands and minds of all individuals. It is a collective effort for the moral, individual and spiritual progress. 

O Consolador: What would you be able to share with us, in terms of your experiences? 

Every time we aim to teach and help people and organisations, we are the first benefitted from this process. The more I increase my knowledge in Quality management, the more I am able to see similarities with the Spiritist Doctrine and Jesus’ Gospel. Jesus is a Manager by excellence; a role model to be followed by everyone who wants to work with education and the management of processes. This can only reassure what we already know: the Spiritist Doctrine is everywhere; in all sciences. It presents not just and integral vision of the humankind in terms of matter and spirit but also in terms of the Universe. Every little thing we do affect the whole.  

O Consolador: What is the importance of quality for the spiritist worker and the spiritist institutions? 

It is fundamental since continuous improvements, collaborative work, effective use of the tools available are also important for Spiritism. Quality management can be applied to people as it has some similarities with the Spiritist Doctrine as human beings work in accordance with their needs such as their basic instincts to their superior motivation.  

O Consolador: You seem to be involved in lectures and seminars within the Spiritist movement most of the time. What motivates you to get involved with them? 

I feel motivated by teaching and learning; by the challenge of researching and looking for answers; by the need and will to share the knowledge I have gathered so far. Jesus said: ‘From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded’. A Christian will be recognised by his work.  

O Consolador: How do you see the economic turbulences the world is facing? How can the spiritist get prepared to deal with these challenges?           

This is a natural process that is happening within the human journey in Earth. Pride, vanity, selfishness and cupidity are still present at our hearts. Due to one’s greed, the rest of world ends up paying a high price. Through the Spiritist Doctrine we know Earth has sufficient resources to sustain and provide a good quality of life to the entire population. Therefore, the concentration of resources in the hands of a minority doesn’t allow it to be disseminated worldwide. The spiritist is also suffering the consequences of this economical crisis, as everyone else. He needs to work harder, as every human being, study and be aware of what is going on worldwide. In the workplace, it is said at time of crisis is when you can see the real entrepreneurs; those who have the right attitude to face the turbulences. This needs to be the spiritist way of thinking. 

O Consolador: Have you been debating about social inequalities?

Yes, we are always debating about it. First of all, it needs to be part of the Christian way of thinking to worry about the others, from a material, moral and spiritual point of view. Second of all, we can not pretend to be isolated from the inequalities that surround us. The development of Social Responsibility is nowadays imperative in every company.  

In Quality management, Social Responsibility is one of the fundamental points discussed. It defines the ethical and transparent attitude of an organisation. Socially responsible companies that are not just looking for profit are valued and recognised by their clients. Their good actions end up being a very competitive and powerful advantage.  

O Consolador: Can you please tell us about the spiritist movement in Rio Grande do Sul?           

It is very dynamic and in constant growth. More people are looking for the spiritist centres not just for comfort to their afflictions but also for the understanding of life. They are searching for their answers to the questions: Who am I? Where Did I Come From? Why am I Here? Where will I go after my death? The spiritist doctrine is here to enable us to answer these questions in a very logical way, with no fantasy. 

I travel around our State getting to know the different spiritist centres. They are all keeping their simplicity but growing in terms of organisation in order to attend their high demands.

There is a great emphasis in the management side of the spiritist centres. The leaders are trying to get more qualified in order to perform efficiently in terms of the doctrinal work required for the job. 

The National Federative Council (CFN) developed in 2002 an Orientation Course for the Spiritist Leaders.  In Rio Grande do Sul, the Spiritist Federation has developed many programmes involving this topic through seminars, lecturers and workshops. 

O Consolador: What type of experiences you have with management? How is it like to be working with management and being a spiritist? 

It is a joy to work with management tools within the spiritist movement. Management as a science is the result of human knowledge which was accumulated from the beginnings of civilization. Management has evolved a lot lately, assisting the management of organization processes. It involves people and contributes to the Law of Evolution. Management in all business and human organization activity is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, leading or directing and executing. 

The spiritist centre, as an organisation, should keep this in mind in order to reach the goals established. The spiritist leader is the manager of the spiritist organisation. They have the task to get the best result possible in accordance with the institution’s objectives. 

O Consolador: Can you please give us your final words? 

We would like to thank the opportunity we have to share our views on these topics. We hope these will help our colleagues, who are working to disseminate the Spiritist Doctrine. It is such a blessing as it gives us an incentive to search for our inner reform and our own happiness.