José Baptista, Monsenhor

Monsenhor José Baptista Ferreira, the virtuous parish priest of the Church of São Pedro in Ponta Delgada, passed away on 15 February 1984 at the Bom Jesus Clinic, where he had been admitted following a road accident.

The illustrious priest possessed rare artistic talents to such an extent that Bishop D. Manuel Trindade Salgueiro suggested he enrol in the School of Fine Arts. This artistic flair manifested itself many times over the years at the Church of São Pedro, as well as in the Stations of the Cross paintings he created for the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

He was born on 16 February 1917 in the parish of Conceição, Ribeira Grande, and was orphaned by his father while still very young. After primary school, he attended the Liceu Central de Antero Quental before moving to the Angra Seminary, where in 1939, he received the First Tonsure and Minor Orders. On 21 May 1942, he was ordained into the priesthood by Bishop D. Guilherme Augusto da Cunha Guimarães.

On 25 December 1957, he entered the parish of São Pedro, where his impact was immediate upon noticing the church required significant repairs. Consequently, he oversaw the gilding of several altars, including the chapel of Mãe de Deus. He also reopened the chapel of São Gonçalo to worship after it had been closed for many years, establishing Sunday Mass and a children’s catechesis centre there. In 1963, he proceeded with the flagging of the Church of São Pedro’s courtyard and, in 1976, the construction of the marble flooring at the church’s entrance.

Monsenhor Baptista Ferreira was responsible for the construction of the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, completed in just two years through donations and community offerings. On 21 June 1967, the day of his Sacerdotial Silver Jubilee, Major Tomás Ivens Jácome Correia and his wife gifted him the land on Rua Barão das Laranjeiras. The church was solemnly inaugurated on 1 November 1969. By the 13th, a canteen was installed in the annex, where a nursing post was later opened. In 1979, the Parish Social Centre began operating a nursery there for children aged 3 months to 3 years.

In recognition of his devoted work, the City Council named one of the streets of Ponta Delgada in his honour.