VISIONSHARE

Friday, August 15, 2008

Santo Daime Reunion:
Family, Birthdays and Joy at Ceu de Fátima

I traveled last week, back to the São Paulo area, in order to join up with the Luíz Mendes family who were returning from Canada, and to celebrate several birthdays at the Santo Daime church in Araçoiaba da Serra.

The 8th of August was both the anniversary of the church and the birthday of Madrinha Rizelda. The day began at the flower market

making selections for the festive decorations of the church

The spiritual work was opened by Mad Fatima and Pad Sidney

and Pad Luíz

We started with the singing of the hinario of João Pereira led by Saturnino who is the caretaker of this collection of hymns

and continued into the interval with the Entertainments of the Master

Next we sang the hinario of Saturnino. Here's the hymn "We Are All Equal" which has become an anthem of friendship

The party continued after the spiritual work with cakes and birthday festivities

Then came the Forró with Pad Luíz and Mad Rizelda really giving us a show of how it's done

As dawn arrived Padrinho Luíz, who is famous in the Santo Daime movement as a storyteller, was "telling a good one" to Alessandra. Here's a little sequence that "has the flavor."

When the comitiva traveled back to Acre State and Vila Fortaleza, I stayed on in the home of Mad Fatima and Pad Sidney to visit some more with the extended family and also to attend the clinic, where both Pad Sidney and his daughter Alessandra are doctors, in order to complete my very thorough 70th year medical check-up.

(I'm happy to report that things are looking good. I'm grateful.)

At the end of my marvelous week of visits there came another grand party, this time for the birthday of Mad. Fatima.

The festivities began with the singing of the hinario of Antônio Gomez (the great grandfather of Saturnino's wife Lusirene). Here is the hymn A Rainha da Floresta (The Queen of the Forest)

and then parabéns and vivas for Madrinha

and the singing of "this is the house of our festivals"

and, of course, another cake

Yes, the Santo Daime is the house of our festivals and it's always a great to share the joys of this incredible family. At the first spiritual work of this festival I took a picture of a very expectant Ana Paula