Dom Aurélio Granada Escudeiro
His Most Reverend Excellency, Lord Dom Aurélio Granada Escudeiro, the 37th Bishop of Angra and honorary citizen of the city of Angra do Heroísmo, passed away in Ponta Delgada on 28 August 2012, at the age of 92.
Born on 19 May 1920, in Alcains, he completed his studies at the Seminaries of Gavião, Alcains, and Olivais. Even before his ordination, he served as a teacher at the Gavião Seminary.
He received the Holy Ordination of Priesthood on 17 January 1943, at the age of 22. He celebrated his first Mass in Alcains on 24 January 1943.
Over 20 years, his work was multifaceted, serving as a parish priest in Gavião (1943-1944) and Ortiga, Mação (1944-1948), as a teacher of Religion at the Liceu de Castelo Branco (1948-1952) and two other colleges, and, primarily, as a major driving force behind the work of Catholic Action.
On 18 March 1974, at the age of 53, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Angra, with the Title of Drusiliana, by His Holiness Pope Paul VI. He received the Holy Episcopal Ordination as Bishop on 26 May 1974, at the age of 54, from the hands of Dom António Ribeiro, Patriarch of Lisbon. On 30 June 1979, at the age of 59, he was appointed Bishop of Angra, taking office on 20 August 1979. The papal bull of appointment was issued by Pope John Paul II. He resigned on 9 April 1996, at the age of 75.
Dom Aurélio Granada Escudeiro was a major promoter of the devotion to the Lord Holy Christ of Miracles (Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres). To this end, he invited Bishops and Cardinals from various parts of the world to preside over the festivities in São Miguel. He also ordered the preparation for the introduction of the beatification process of the Venerable Mother Teresa d’Anunciada, for which he obtained the “nihil obstat” from the Portuguese Episcopal Conference.
He was a bishop who also gave special attention to the Pilgrims (Romeiros). He was responsible for the visit of Pope John Paul II to the islands of Terceira and São Miguel in April 1991. The Prelate oversaw the entire reconstruction process following the earthquake of 1 January 1980, which struck the islands of Terceira, Graciosa, and São Jorge, requiring a massive effort to recover churches and other ecclesiastical assets. The Cathedral, which was severely damaged, was reopened for worship in 1985 in a ceremony presided over by the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, Dom António Ribeiro.
On 30 June 1996, Dom Aurélio Escudeiro was succeeded in the Diocese of Angra by Dom António de Sousa Braga, after which he established his residence in Alcains.
On 29 June 2009, he received the Municipal Medal of Merit from the Municipality of Ponta Delgada, the city where he eventually settled in May 2011.
The body lay in state at the Church of São José in Ponta Delgada, with the funeral rites presided over by Dom Augusto César, Bishop Emeritus of Portalegre. His funeral was held on the island of Terceira, where ceremonies were presided over by Dom António Sousa Braga at the Cathedral, followed by interment in the family vault at the Livramento Cemetery in Angra do Heroísmo.
