Funeral Masses and Committal
Founder of the Heralds of the Gospel
“The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.” (Wis. 3:1-3)
The last homily...
On November 1, 2024, at around 2:00 p.m. (Brasília time), the body of the Founder of the Heralds of the Gospel, entered for the last time in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.
In this magnificent Basilica, which Monsignor João Scognamiglio Clá Dias himself built, he proclaimed an innumerable amount of homilies. Yet, for the first time, he laid in silence.
However, even his silence was a powerful sermon. At the solemn moment when the coffin entered the central aisle of the church, held by his spiritual children, many wept with emotion.
Taught us to love and fight for the Holy Church
As the ceremonies initiated, a retrospection into his achievements revealed the essence of Monsignor João Scognamiglio Clá Dias. The man that founded two apostolic life societies, the men’s branch, Vigos Flos Carmeli, and the women’s branch, Regina Virginum. Whose extent and importance will be reflected in the future.
“Throughout the centuries, God often allows darkness to advance in order to make the light shine more gloriously.” After these words, the speaker recalled that there are providential men whose mission is to be a light for humanity.
Furthermore, the stroke that Msgr. João suffered for 14 years was recalled. This accumulation of unimaginable sufferings that Msgr. João went through was a lesson that his spiritual children received. It was to dedicate one’s life entirely to Holy Mother Church, and thus to love and fight for the mystical body of Christ.
For great evils, great remedies
Throughout the ceremonies, there was a filial effort to describe who Monsignor João was, not only to his spiritual children, but to the Holy Mother Church. Notwithstanding, “the size of Msgr. John’s soul can only be measured by the size of the evils of the time he came to fight”.
A new Civilization
Looking at the countless endeavors of Monsignor João, a question arises. What was his goal behind such audacity?
Monsignor João himself answered once, it is to lay the foundations for a new civilization, where the love of God prevails.
