O Consolador:
What experiences
or events marked
you in your life
as a Spiritist?
Everything I do
and experience
within Spiritism
has marked me,
from meeting
people and
sharing
experiences to
studying and
learning. The
more I learned
about the
Doctrine, the
more I realised
everything
around us is
wonderful. I got
to know God as
the Father,
really fair and
sovereign. Once
I realised that,
the
understanding of
what I’d been
through became
clearer. It is
in the Gospel:
“Not a single
leaf will drop
from a tree
without God’s
knowledge.”
O Consolador:
How did you
begin working
with the Ivon
Costa Spiritist
Centre?
It all began in
1996, when I was
asked to work at
their bookshop,
in the city
centre. That
helped me a
great deal, as I
began to make
contact with
other spiritists
from other parts
of the city. We
chatted, we
exchanged ideas
and I was also
in constant
contact with
spiritist books.
At that same
occasion I began
working at the
Spiritist
Centre’s charity
department. Soon
after, I was
invited to join
the board of
directors. And
I’m now on my
second term as
Administration
Director.
O Consolador:
Tell us about
the foundation
of the Ivon
Costa Spiritist
Centre.
It opened it’s
doors on April,
15th,
1947, 63 years
ago, by a group
of friends who
were meeting
regularly in the
houses of
relatives to
study the
Doctrine. They
bought a plot of
land in the
outskirts of
Juiz de Fora,
where the Centre
is still based.
The city has now
grown so much
that we are no
longer in the
outskirts. One
of the original
founders, our
friend Edison
Mega, is still
with us, aged
96.
O Consolador:
What are your
main activities
and services
provided?
We work on the
religious
education of
children and
young people, we
provide
assistance to
poor families,
to pregnant
women, we have
an infirmary, we
offer daily soup
to those who
need, we also
have open
meetings,
psychic
sessions, a
library and
various study
groups. We’ve
been here for a
long time and
we’ve had the
opportunity to
set up a wide
range of
activities, with
the help and
dedication of so
many voluntary
workers.
Part II:
Interview with
Adriana Ritti
O Consolador: To
begin with, tell
us about the
city of Juiz de
Fora.
It is the fourth
largest city in
the
south-eastern
Brazilian state
of Minas Gerais,
with a
population of
about 526
thousand people.
It’s a two,
three-hour drive
west from the
city of Rio de
Janeiro. Our
main economic
activities are
industry and
services. The
city has one of
the highest life
expectancies in
Brazil. We have
a vibrant
cultural life in
the city and we
have 40
Spiritist
Centres
affiliated to
the State’s
federation.
O Consolador:
What are the
priorities in
general of the
Spiritist
Centres in the
city?
Their main
emphasis is on
the study of the
Doctrine. Juiz
de Fora has a
great number of
spiritist
institutions,
all of them very
active and
dynamic. There’s
awareness about
the importance
of knowing the
Doctrine and
following its
principles.
That’s why we
have so many
study groups and
lectures, often
with the
presence of
well-know
spiritist
speakers from
outside the
city. Juiz de
Fora is a
regional hub.
Many people from
nearby towns
come to the city
to join our
schools and
universities,
for health
reasons, for
shopping. That
has created a
habit and many
spiritists from
the region also
join study
groups and
attend lectures
in the city,
which is very
good for the
exchange of
views and
ideas.
O Consolador:
How would you
describe the
work carried out
by the Ivon
Costa Spiritist
Centre in Juiz
de Fora?
Our group has
the reputation
of being a
serious
organisation
since it opened
its doors 63
years ago. Its
founders set up
a programmed of
evangelisation
of children and
young people,
which was then
taken to many
other places,
including the
city of Rio de
Janeiro. We had
the honour of
receiving the
visit of the
great medium
Chico Xavier,
who spoke to our
brothers and
sisters and
wrote in trance
messages by the
spirits of André
Luiz, Bezerra de
Menezes, João de
Freitas and João
de Deus. CEIVA,
as our Spiritist
Centre is also
known, has
always realised
the importance
of making the
spiritist
message known to
others and that
is why it opened
a spiritist
bookshop in the
city centre. The
bookshop
eventually
became a
retailer,
distributing to
other bookshops
and nearby
towns. It also
became a well
known meeting
point for those
who want to have
a chat about
Spiritism.
O Consolador:
Tell us about
the visits you
get from
well-known
Spiritist
speakers from
across the
country.
We´ve been
fortunate to
have had with us
some of the best
known Spiritist
public speakers
and lectures,
like Richard
Simonetti,
Angélica Costa
Maia, Luciano
Alencar Cunha
and Orson Peter
Carrara. Later
this year, we´ll
have with us
Simão Pedro de
Lima and Haroldo
Dutra Dias. Our
brothers and
sisters from
many other
spiritist groups
join us for
those occasions,
which makes us
very happy and
helps improving
the integration
between all
spiritist
institutions in
Juiz de Fora.
O Consolador:
Who is the group
of friends
working with you
at the Spiritist
Centre?
We have a group
of highly
motivated
friends, who
always display
happiness to be
here working and
are full of
energy. They are
aware of their
responsibilities
according to the
Gospel of Jesus.
In each and
every job we do,
in each and
every activity,
we try to put in
our love – be it
in cooking the
daily soup, in
repairing and
looking after
second hand
clothes to be
donated, in the
infirmary, in
the music and
study groups, in
the assistance
to all of those
who knock on our
doors for the
first time
looking for help
and assistance.
Note:
The medium,
Chico Xavier,
paid a visit to
the Spiritist
Centre in 1947.
The messages he
wrote then in
trance are in
the
institution´s
archive. They
were signed by
the spirits of
André Luiz,
Bezerra de
Menezes, João de
Deus and
Venâncio Café.
In another
occasion, Chico
Xavier´s
spiritual
mentor,
Emmanuel, was
interviewed at
the Ivon Costa
by Isaltino da
Silveira Filho.
Chico Xavier
suggested twenty
questions were
prepared for
Emmanuel. The
questions and
answers will be
republished as a
book.
For contact with
the Ivon Costa
Spiritist
Centre, email
Adriana Ritti on
aritti@oi.com.br.
