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Blessed Francisco de Paula Victor (12 April 1827 – 23 September 1905) was a Brazilian Roman Catholic priest. He is the first black Brazilian national to be beatified in the Roman Catholic Church and the first slave-turned-priest on the path to the altars. He has become known in Brazil as the "Apostle of Charity" for his charitable treatment of the poor. Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed him to be Venerable in 2012 after the recognition of his life of heroic virtue. A miracle attributed to him was approved by Pope Francis on 5 June 2015 and allowed for his beatification which was celebrated on 14 November 2015. ==Life== Francisco de Paula Victor was born on 12 April 1827 in Brazil to a former slave: Lourença Justiniana de Jesus; he was baptized on the following 20 August. His baptismal godmother was Marianna Santa Barbara Ferreira who was his mother's owner. A slave himself, his owner treated both he and his mother as equals which was uncommon at the time. Under the tutelage of Ferreira, he learned how to read and write in addition to learning the French language and the nuances of the piano. He was apprenticed to a tailor but his sole desire was to become a priest which his mother held as being unthinkable; even more so was this for black natives did not become priests. This was a prospect that others around him were quick to shoot down. He began his studies in Mariana under the guidance of Father Antonio Felipe de Araújo from 5 June 1849 and he endured much discrimination from his fellow seminarians to the point where he was treated like a slave from polishing their shoes to mopping the floors. A seminarian recognized later his merits: "Victor was patient, always patient" while another wrote that "Victor always had hope". It was because of his humble nature as well as his sheer determination to become a priest that he managed to win the sympathy of all. He was ordained to the priesthood on 14 June 1851 under Antõnio Ferreira Viçoso - future Venerable - to the surprise of his fellow seminarians. Much of the population did nit accept that a former black slave could be a priest and so refused to receive the Eucharist from him. He was sent on 18 June 1852 to Tres Pontas as a vice-parish priest and was met with both confusion and anger. At Masses he celebrated, he was subjected to offensive jokes and other humiliations hurled upon him. Despite this, he was resolute in preaching the Word of God and in fulfilling his duties as a parish priest. He was humble and patient and his determination in parish affairs led to much support from the public. Victor lived on donations alone and lived in a simple farmhouse where he soon became known for his humble and charitable nature to all those whom required aid. One of the initiatives that he led was the establishment of the "Sagrada Familia" (Holy Family) school. It was there that he taught children music and the French language, as he had once learned, and also instructed them in catechism. He died on 23 September 1905 after a cerebrovascular incident in the form of a stroke, and was buried in his parish church after his remains lay in state for a period of three days due to the widespread mourning. His remains were exhumed for canonical recognition in 1999 and were then placed in a new sarcophagus. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Francisco de Paula Victor」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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