Umberto Fabbri: 

“The Americans are eager for Spirituality”

Our fellow Spiritist from Brazil, now based in the United States,
talks about his work and the challenges faced by the
American Spiritist Movement

 

	Umberto Fabbri (photo), comes from the Brazilian state of São Paulo, has been a Spiritist since 1978. A business administrator with a PhD in Marketing, he has lived in the United States for three years, working as a consultant. He also works as a volunteer at the KSSF – Kardecian Spiritist Society of Florida, where he gives talks and lectures. He is
the author of eight books.

Tell us about your life in the United States, including the city where you live. 

I live in Southern Florida, in the city of Coral Springs, which is between Miami and Orlando. Florida State has a population of 20 million inhabitants. Coral Springs has a population of only 120,000 people, most of them middle class. Only 20% of the town’s population is made up of immigrants, unlike other parts of Florida, such as Miami, where 51% of the people come originally from Cuba and other countries.  

How do you feel living abroad, outside your native country? What are the positives and the negatives? 

It is not easy to be away from Brazil, especially as we all miss our family and friends. But once we understand that we are all sons of God and that we are part of a universal family, we then begin to make the most of this opportunity and we are able to learn a great deal. Southern Florida is in many ways similar to Brazil, with a Latino spirit, and we feel at home here. There are always positives and negatives everywhere and in everything. But if we keep comparing all the time we will never be happy. 

What is your impression of the Spiritist Movement outside Brazil? 

I often say that in Brazil we are disseminating Spiritism, while in the US we are venturing into the wild. I did not know that until I moved here. I have met many Brazilians working in the American Spiritist Movement, full of enthusiasm, and they are real explorers. They do a great job, disseminating the Teachings not only in Portuguese, for the Brazilian community that lives here, but also in English, for the American public. 

How many Spiritist Groups are there in the area where you live? 

There are about 8 Spiritist Groups in the area. Some 50 to 100 people attend the meetings and events on average. 

What is the impact of the Brazilian Spiritist Movement in Spiritism in other countries? 

We get a great deal of support from the Brazilian Spiritist Movement, with many books published – many of them now being translated into English. We also benefit from the presence of Spiritist volunteers who come and visit us, sharing their experiences and giving us the strength to carry on with our job here. 

And what does the American people think of Spiritism? 

Those who attend the activities and meetings of Spiritist Centres in the US have a very positive assessment, as the Teachings are well founded and based on its three aspects: Philosophy, Religion and Science. What helps us a lot is the fact that Americans, despite being very traditional and following largely the two main traditional religions, are eager for Spirituality. 

What are the main challenges faced by the Spiritist Groups in the US? 

The same we face in Brazil. There is not enough money to keep the Groups going as we would like to, we lack volunteers, there is a high turnover among volunteers etc. However the drive to do more and the creativity of the Brazilians working as volunteers in the US, alongside with the help of our Spiritual Benefactors, help us overcome those problems. 

What about the effort to disseminate the Teachings, including the translation of books? How is it going? 

It is going very well. The Codification (the books of Allan Kardec) has been translated for many years, as well as the series of books dictated by André Luiz and Emmanuel and the works of the medium, Divaldo Pereira Franco and other well-known authors. There are magazines published in English and Spiritist radio programmes available too. I take part, for instance, in two programmes on BezerraOnline radio, which broadcasts in English, Spanish and Portuguese. 

Is there any particular experience that you would like to share with us? 

I would like to mention once more the determination and hard work of the Brazilian Spiritist community in the United States, working hard to disseminate the Teachings. The great Brazilian medium, Chico Xavier, himself came more than once to the United States in the 1960s, putting into practice what his Spiritual mentor, Emmanuel, had taught us: “Spiritism requests from all of us that we engage in a permanent form of charity – the charity of its own dissemination”. 

Your final thoughts, please. 

Like everyone else who is working in the dissemination of Spiritism, we in the United States need the positive vibration from our Spiritist friends in Brazil. We need their help to be able to be good ambassadors of Spiritism, but also to be able to become good ambassadors our blessed country, Brazil and the important values it conveys: tranquillity, fraternity, peace and union.