Brazil – 100 years of “Fr. Joso”, a great Salesian of Don Bosco

05 November 2021

(ANS - Niterói) - On Sunday 31 October, the Salesian community of Niterói and the "St John Bosco" Province of Brazil-Belo Horizonte (BBH) - with the vast group of past pupils and faithful who were assisted by him, family and friends - paid homage to their longest-lived and illustrious member: Fr Josué Francisco de Paula, affectionately known in the exercise of his didactic and pastoral ministry as “don Joso”.

Due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the Eucharistic celebration, presided over by the BBH Provincial, Fr Natale Vitali, and concelebrated by numerous other Salesians, had limited access. But, it nevertheless kept what it could in no way lack: great simplicity and the typical Salesian joy. The affection and gratitude via messages from those who followed the live broadcast thanks to social networks, resounded in the heart of Fr Joso, like an echo of every moment lived in the consecration, in the gift of himself and ministry to those whom God had entrusted to him.

“May don Joso still remain among us as a living witness of faith, perseverance and fidelity to the call of the Lord! And may Mary Help of Christians never cease to show herself to him as a loving mother, especially in this time of harvest. It’s a time to remember and praise God for the happy life she has been able to cultivate in him,” commented the Salesians of Niterói.

Fr Josué Francisco de Paula was born on 31 October 1921 in Resenda Costa, in Mato Grosso, Brazil, as the son of Francisca Augusta and José Francisco. He entered the Salesian aspirantate of Lavrinhas at the age of 14, completed his novitiate in Ipiranga, where he made his first profession in 1941, and was ordained a priest in the church of Mary Help of Christians in São Paulo on 8 December 1950.

In his long and fruitful pastoral ministry, he often occupied the role of a teacher in Salesian schools. Having been a great teacher and friend of the young, today, his past pupils remember with nostalgia, his lessons, given in a particular way, with a touch of modernity, always superseding the established standards. “He knew how to be a teacher in the classroom and a friend in the courtyard, like an authentic Son of Don Bosco,” they recalled.

In addition to being an excellent educator and spiritual director, he had also always been a lover of Salesian history, who, over the years, had collected many photos and documents that today form a vast and important historical material for the Province and the Congregation.

He was also a precursor in understanding the importance of accompanying paths for Christian couples. He always remained active also in the social ministry, knowing fully well on how to motivate the young people he had accompanied to work in the service of the neediest.

As part of the celebrations, a video homage to Fr Joso was also shown, which accessible here

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