Monsignor José Ribeiro Martins
Monsignor José Ribeiro Martins passed away on 30 December 2008 at the Bom Jesus Clinic in Ponta Delgada at the age of 79. He was a priest deeply connected to the pastoral, social, and cultural life of the Azorean Church, recognised for his remarkable spiritual and community contribution over several decades.
He was born on 5 November 1929 in the parish of Arrifes, in the municipality of Ponta Delgada. In 1942, he entered the Episcopal Seminary of Angra, where he completed his training with distinction. He was ordained as a presbyter at the Cathedral of Angra on 30 May 1954 and, on 8 November of the same year, was appointed private secretary to the Coadjutor Bishop D. Manuel Afonso de Carvalho, beginning an ecclesiastical journey marked by responsibility and pastoral closeness.
On 13 August 1955, he was appointed vicar of the parish of Fajã de Baixo, where he developed his apostolic mission in the Parish of Nossa Senhora dos Anjos for 22 years. His presence in this community was deeply marked by a dedication to families and children; in the 1960s, he founded the Social and Parish Centre of Fajã de Baixo. Operating as a nursery and kindergarten, it provided a vital social response during a period when such support was scarce. His connection to that parish remained one of the most significant references of his pastoral ministry.
On 29 March 1967, he became an extraordinary confessor at the São Miguel Health House (Casa de Saúde), where he provided spiritual accompaniment to many patients and their families, revealing particular human sensitivity.
On 15 October 1974, he was appointed Director of the Diocesan Secretariat for Pastoral Care. On 31 October 1977, he became the Parish Priest of the Mother Church of Saint Sebastian (Igreja Matriz) in Ponta Delgada, a role he held until 2004, when he retired due to health reasons.
During his long ministry at that church, he also demonstrated great zeal for the preservation and enhancement of religious heritage, promoting the restoration of artistic elements and the care of the temple’s historical assets, contributing to the safeguarding of the cultural and religious memory of one of the city’s most emblematic churches.
He was appointed Dean (Ouvidor) of Ponta Delgada on 9 October 1984, a position to which he was reappointed in 1989. On 15 July 1993, he became an auditor of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal and, for several years, also served as the Territorial Episcopal Vicar for the island of São Miguel, performing prominent responsibilities in the pastoral organisation of the Diocese.
His journey was recognised by the Holy See; he was named Monsignor Chaplain on 30 November 1990 by Pope John Paul II and, on 10 July 2006, Monsignor Honorary Prelate of His Holiness by Pope Benedict XVI. He also received civil distinctions, including the Municipal Diploma of Merit in 2001, as part of the 455th-anniversary celebrations of the City of Ponta Delgada.
In 2004, on the occasion of his priestly golden jubilee, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Municipality. Subsequently, his name was given to a street in his birthplace as public recognition for his service to the Church and the community.
His body was transferred to the Mother Church of Saint Sebastian at 7:00 pm on 30 December, where moments of prayer, Vespers, and concelebration took place, with the participation of various parish movements. The solemn funeral rites were held the following day at 12:00 pm, presided over by D. António de Sousa Braga, followed by burial in the priestly vault at the Cemetery of São Joaquim in Ponta Delgada.
Monsignor José Ribeiro Martins remains in the memory of the Church and the people of São Miguel as a dedicated priest, close to his communities, attentive to social needs, and vigilant over the spiritual and cultural heritage entrusted to him.
