July 28, 2025 marked the beginning of the Roman phase in the beatification process of Father Léo Tarcísio Gonçalves Pereira, SCJ, a Dehonian priest and founder of Bethânia, a community for drug addicts and marginalized individuals in Brazil.
In this time of grace as we celebrate the Dehonian Jubilee (2024–2028), our Congregation rejoices at the beginning of the Roman phase of the beatification process of the Servant of God, Fr. Léo Tarcísio Gonçalves Pereira, SCJ. On July 28, 2025, a substantial dossier containing testimonies and reports collected during the diocesan phase, held in Florianópolis, southern Brazil, was officially submitted to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. Present for this important moment were: Fr. Waldomiro Lúcio Tardivo Filho, President of the Padre Léo Institute and a member of the Bethânia Community (founded by the Servant of God); Fr. Levi dos Anjos Ferreira, SCJ, Vicar General of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart; Fr. Willyans Prado Rapozo, SCJ, General Councilor; and Mr. Paolo Villota, the postulator of the cause.
Fr. Léo Tarcísio Gonçalves Pereira, SCJ
The Servant of God, Fr. Léo was born in Delfim Moreira on October 9, 1961. He made his first profession on February 25, 1984, and was ordained a priest on December 8, 1990. He passed away on January 4, 2007, in São Paulo, from complications related to lymphoma.
As a Dehonian religious priest, he served in parish ministry and education, but he stood out above all for founding a welcoming community for people struggling with drug addiction and others in vulnerable situations. He became well-known in Brazil for his unique style of evangelization through the media, using intelligent humor infused with deep spirituality.
Fr. Léo truly embodied the Dehonian charism of love and reparation, particularly for the most marginalized. He welcomed everyone without distinction, with a generous smile and a warm embrace. Moved by the love of the Heart of Christ, he experienced a deep personal conversion and sought to share that love with those wounded by sin. Inspired by the Apostle Paul, and even in the midst of illness, he repeatedly exhorted others with the invitation: “Seek what is above!” (Col 3:1).
On March 7, 2020, the Archbishop of Florianópolis, Msgr. Wilson Tadeu Jönck, officially accepted the cause for Fr. Léo’s beatification. The diocesan phase concluded with a solemn session on June 21, 2025, at the headquarters of the Bethânia Community, where the documents were sealed by the archbishop and sent to the Vatican.
We continue our constant prayers so that the example of our confrere may be recognized by the Church and that God may be glorified through his witness of life. May Fr. Léo and Fr. Dehon, together with the many saints who have gone before us, intercede before the Heart of Jesus so that we too may remain steadfast on our path to holiness.
