Next Saturday, October 16th, Brother Francisco Gleison Oliveira, ss.cc., will be ordained a deacon. The ceremony will be presided over by Dom Luiz Mancilha Vilela, ss.cc., Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Vitória do Espírito Santo, at 9:00 AM, at the São Damião de Molokai Parish, Nossa Senhora de Fátima Church, in Patrocínio, in the Alto Paranaíba region of Minas Gerais.

The Holy Mass will be open to the public, but can also be followed on the parish's social media channels. Facebook, or through the channel of Parish of Saint Damien of Molokai. The broadcast will be done by the Parish's PasCom team and in coordination with the brothers of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts; the celebration will also be simultaneously retransmitted by... Padre Eustáquio Channel.

The diaconate in the Catholic Church can be of two natures: transitional or permanent. In the case of Brother Gleison, this period is transitional, that is, a stage in preparation for priestly ordination, which is why this moment is so important in his life and in the life of the Church.

Brother Francisco Gleison Oliveira was born in Bela Cruz (Ceará), on May 22, 1988. Son of Francisco Cleiton Oliveira and Maria de Fátima Morais, he joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts in 2014. He completed his Theology studies in 2016 at the Jesuit Faculty and did his novitiate in 2017 in Chaclacayo – Peru, professing his first vows on January 27, 2018, in the chapel of Casa Anchieta in Boracéia-SP.

In 2019 he was sent to the community of Catuji, Minas Gerais, working pastorally in the Parish of Saint Michael the Archangel. He made his Perpetual Profession on January 16th of this year.review here) at the Sanctuary of Health and Peace in Belo Horizonte and in July was appointed to the community of Patrocínio-MG.

Learn about the life testimony of Brother Gleison Oliveira, ss.cc.

I am Brother Francisco Gleison Oliveira, ss.cc., I am 33 years old and I am from Bela Cruz in Ceará. From a very young age I felt in my heart the desire to be a priest, a result of the faith I received from my parents, which strengthened as I grew up and especially when I joined a children's choir in my city at the age of 11. After that I became an altar boy and later a radio announcer, presenting a Catholic program. I remember with great affection the joy of going to church to serve as an altar boy or going to the radio to transmit the Word of God to all the people who listened to us.

One day after Corpus Christi Mass, the priest in my town gave an announcement inviting young people to enter the seminary. I felt it was my opportunity. I went to talk to the priest and he asked me: How old are you? I replied: 15 years old. He said: You are young, you can't yet. But you can participate in vocational meetings and after high school you can enter. I was very happy and anxious. And so it happened. After high school, at 18 years old, I entered the seminary. I completed my degree in philosophy.

After a while, I felt a desire in my heart to return to my city to be closer to my family. I worked as a teacher, a census taker for the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), and a technician for the Municipal Department of Education. But the flame of vocation remained burning in my heart. In 2012, I learned about the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts through Facebook, via a consecrated religious brother. I remember asking him: "Does your Congregation have a saint?" And he replied: "Yes. We have Saint Damien of Molokai." Great was my surprise, because I knew the story of this great man, apostle of the lepers, who gave his life on the island of Molokai to give dignity to those poor sick people. I felt it was time to give my definitive "yes" to God.

I then began to be mentored, from a distance, by my mentor at the time, until October 2013, when I traveled to Belo Horizonte to get to know the Congregation. The following year I officially entered. I began studying theology, completing it in 2016. In 2017 I went to Peru for my novitiate experience. On January 27, 2018, I professed my vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, officially becoming a consecrated religious. Afterwards, I was sent on a mission to the Jequitinhonha Valley, remaining there until the beginning of July of this year, when I moved to the city of Patrocínio, the region that is the cradle of our presence, initiated almost 100 years ago by our Dutch brother and now Blessed Father Eustáquio, a missionary of Health and Peace.

I am currently preparing for my diaconal ordination, which will take place at Our Lady of Fatima Church on October 16th. Finally, I am grateful to God for having called and chosen me for this vocation, in which I am very happy. I can tell you, young person, that it is worthwhile to follow Jesus Christ, whether as a consecrated religious or a priest. May the Lord always bless us and give us courage to witness His love to all people.

Health and Peace!