Maria Túlia Bertoni:
“Our main challenge at
the moment is to get
fellow Spiritists to
understand the role of
our Federation”
The president of the
Spiritist Federation of
Mato Grosso do Sul talks
about the Spiritist
Movement in the
Brazilian state
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Born in a Spiritist
family, Maria Túlia
Bertoni (photo)
is a professional
musician. She has a
degree in Music and
teaches at
conservatories. But in
this interview she talks
about her role as
president of the
Spiritist Federation of
Mato Grosso do Sul
state:
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First of all, tell us a
bit about Mato Grosso do
Sul. |
Matro Grosso do Sul is
in the central part of
Brazil and became a
state on October 11th
1977 (when it was split
in two from old Mato
Grosso state). There are
79 municipalities in the
state and the latest
census says it has a
population of 2,449,340,
with 85.4% of the people
living in urban areas.
When was the Spiritist
Federation of Mato
Grosso do Sul founded?
After the creation of
the new state, on 31st
March 1979.
Who were the pioneers of
Spiritism in the
region?
The first Spiritist
group of what is now
Mato Grosso do Sul was
founded in 1914, in the
city of Ladário, in the
region known as Pantanal.
For Spiritists in the
states, a crucial role
was played by Maria
Edwiges Borges, who was
involved in Spiritism in
the state before its
division and was one of
the founders of the
Spiritist Federation of
Matro Grosso in 1956.
She became later the
first president of the
Mato Grosso do Sul
Federation and was our
president for 18 years,
until 1997. Maria
Edwiges was also founder
of the first Spiritist
Centre of Campo Grande,
“Discípulos de Jesus”
(or “Disciples of
Jesus”), where our
Federation was based for
first 20 years of its
existence.
How many Spiritist
Groups are there in the
state?
The latest figures, from
2012, show that we have
200 Groups across the
state, 111 of them being
members of the
Federation. To reach out
all those Groups, the
Federation has set up 10
Spiritist Regional
Unions, whose members
are elected locally. The
Federation gets together
with them and set up
priorities and a yearly
schedule of courses,
seminars etc. These are
great opportunities for
sharing experiences and
knowledge.
What are the main
challenges you face in
this process of
integration?
I can say we have
overcome most of the
challenges. But in some
cases, our main
challenge at the moment
is to get fellow
Spiritists to understand
the role of our
Federation, which is to
promote the union of all
Spiritists and the
Unification of the
Spiritist Movement.
What was the highlight
of your experience as
president of the
Federation?
I can say it was the
construction of our own
building, our own
headquarters, which
coincided with the
Federation’s silver
jubilee. After 25 years,
we, the Spiritists of
Mato Grosso do Sul,
finally gained our own
address, our own place,
which has helped us
achieve better
integration and
strengthen Spiritism in
the state.
Are there any events
coming up that you would
like to draw attention
to?
In April 2014, it will
be the 150th
anniversary of the
publication of The
Gospel According to
Spiritism. To mark such
an important date, the
Brazilian Spiritist
Federation (FEB) has
decided to have the IV
Brazilian Spiritist
Congress hosted
simultaneously by four
state capitals: Vitória,
João Pessoa, Manaus and
Campo Grande, the
capital of Mato Grosso
do Sul. Being chosen to
co-host the event is a
great joy but also
brings us huge
responsibility.
Anything else you would
like to add?
I thank you for the
invitation for this
interview, which has
given us the opportunity
to show a bit of the
work the Federation has
been carrying out in
Mato Grosso do Sul. May
Jesus bless each one of
us, workers in His
field, giving us
courage, force and
perseverance to carry on
with the task of
disseminating Spiritism.
