Padre Eugénio Rita

Father Eugénio Coelho de Rita, one of the most virtuous figures of the Azorean clergy, passed away on 12 September 1983 at the Bom Jesus Clinic in Ponta Delgada, aged 68. He was born on 31 January 1915, on the island of Corvo, and was ordained a priest in 1940 at the Sé Cathedral in Angra do Heroísmo.

That same year, he was appointed interim parish priest at the Matriz das Lajes das Flores, later moving to the parish of Lomba in the same municipality between 1941 and 1942, before being stationed on the island of Corvo. On 30 June 1954, he was named Vicar Oeconomus of the parish of Corvo, where he served as parish priest for over forty years.

As a priest, he was always observant of hierarchical guidelines and the religious doctrines he took pride in teaching and projecting wherever he went. He was a highly respected man, intelligent, cultured, and an excellent orator, though limited to the environment in which he lived for many years: the small, isolated island of Corvo, which he served with immense pride.

Due to the popularity he enjoyed on Corvo and the extensive knowledge his experience of island life provided, he was frequently called upon to assist in cases of illness and primary accidents, especially when there was no resident doctor, a situation that occurred on many occasions during his time. He kept a well-stocked supply of medicines in his own home to serve the people of Corvo, who sought his help for health reasons in an era when the island had no pharmacy.

He was exceptionally helpful and dedicated to serving people, whether they were locals or visitors, always striving to present a positive image of his birthplace, defending and promoting it with great pride. In a sense, he acted as Corvo’s diplomat, being one of the island’s most well-known figures abroad. In 1983, he was decorated by the President of the Republic, Ramalho Eanes, with the rank of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit, and in 2009, he was posthumously awarded the Autonomous Insignia of Civic Merit by the Regional Government of the Azores.

His funeral took place following a Requiem Mass at the Matriz Church of Ponta Delgada, proceeding to the São Joaquim Municipal Cemetery, where he was interred.