Francisco de Paula Victor

After one year as a vicar in Campanha, Father Francisco de Paula Victor was appointed to Três Pontas in June 1852, first as a vicar and then as a parish priest. His arrival sparked rejection from the local white elite due to his servile origins. Faced with humiliations, he responded with absolute poverty and immense charity. During his 53 years of ministry, he transformed the parish: he had the church of Nossa Senhora d'Ajuda erected and founded the College of the Holy Family (Colégio Sagrada Família), a free school open to all children without distinction of race or class. He taught there himself. Having become deeply loved by his parishioners, he passed away on September 23, 1905, at the age of 78.

Nicknamed the "Apostle of Charity," Father Victor enjoyed a reputation for holiness that spread rapidly. His cause for beatification was officially opened in the Diocese of Campanha on July 16, 1993, following the issuance of the nihil obstat decree on August 10, 1992. The diocesan inquiry was closed on June 3, 1995, and subsequently completed in 1998. On May 10, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Father Francisco de Paula Victor, conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

On June 5, 2015, Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Father Victor, concerning the medically impossible pregnancy of a woman suffering from severe physical infertility following a novena. The beatification ceremony was celebrated on November 14, 2015, in Três Pontas, presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato. The following day, during the Angelus, Pope Francis publicly hailed the new Blessed as a model of zeal and humility for all priests.

The spirituality of Blessed Francisco de Paula Victor is based on deep humility, heroic patience in the face of persecution, and active charity towards the most destitute. As the first Black priest of slave origin raised to the altars in Brazil, he bears witness to the power of the Gospel against social and racial barriers. His mortal remains rest at the shrine of Nossa Senhora d'Ajuda in Três Pontas, where tens of thousands of pilgrims gather each year, particularly during his liturgical feast on September 23.