Padre Raul

Frei Raul de Jesus, the religious name adopted by Father Raul de Sousa Medeiros, passed away on 20 June 2005 at his residence in Ponta Delgada at the age of 76. He was a dedicated director for nearly 50 years of the Casa do Gaiato homes in the Azores.

He was born on 1 June 1929 in the parish of Arrifes, in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, into a family of farmers. Due to fragile health, he was steered away from hard labour on the land, which allowed him to dedicate himself to his studies. He entered the Seminary of Angra but returned for health reasons, later completing his education at the Liceu de Ponta Delgada.

He received his Priestly Ordination at the Cathedral of Angra on 20 May 1956 and celebrated his First Mass at the Church of Nossa Senhora da Saúde, in Arrifes, on 29 June of the same year. After his ordination, he served for two years as the director of the João Baptista Machado de Távora Orphanage on Terceira Island.

Strongly influenced by the work of Father Américo, he joined the “street work” and the Casa do Gaiato of São Miguel as the right-hand man of Father Elias, the institution’s first leader. In 1974, following the death of Father Elias, he assumed the leadership of the Casa do Gaiato, where he had between 70 and 80 children under his care, as well as the Calvário, an institution for terminally ill elderly patients.

He was a co-founder of the Institute of the Apostles of the Street (Instituto dos Apóstolos da Rua), later renamed the Institute of the Queen of the Apostles (Instituto da Rainha dos Apóstolos), serving as director and superior from 12 March 1963 until his death. He created the Institute’s Novitiate, founded the Pius XII Seminary in Ponta Delgada and in Aljustrel, as well as the Apostolic School as a missionary institute. He further expanded the Institute’s charism with the Father Américo Village in Camacha, Madeira Island, and opened new Casa do Gaiato homes in Faial and Terceira, always counting on the support of the Sisters Slaves of the Divine Heart of Jesus.

His dedication to Father Américo’s work also took him to the Azorean communities settled in the United States of America, where on 26 March 1994, he was honoured for his service to the Casa do Gaiato homes and to the Azorean elderly. In 2001, the Ponta Delgada City Council distinguished him with the Municipal Diploma of Merit in recognition of his work for the community.

Frei Raul de Jesus was also the director of the monthly newspaper O Apóstolo da Rua from the death of its founder, Father Elias, until the publication ceased in 2002. In that year, he left the Casa do Gaiato, handing over responsibility for the institution to Bishop D. António Sousa Braga. In the final years of his life, he dedicated himself to prisoners and the sick, maintaining regular visits to Vila das Capelas and to the children who were part of his life’s work.

The funeral took place at 12:00 PM on 21 June, following a funeral mass at the Matriz Church in Ponta Delgada, followed by the funeral procession to the São Joaquim Cemetery. The ceremony was attended by family, friends, and numerous members of the communities and institutions he helped transform, witnessing the profound admiration and recognition for the life and work of Frei Raul de Jesus.