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Otávio do Espírito Santo

Photo courtesy of the Brazilian White Center – UNASP.

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Espírito Santo, Otávio do (1900–1983)

By The Brazilian White Center – UNASP

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The Brazilian White Center – UNASP is a team of teachers and students at the Brazilian Ellen G. White Research Center – UNASP at the Brazilian Adventist University, Campus Engenheiro, Coelho, SP. The team was supervised by Drs. Adolfo Semo Suárez, Renato Stencel, and Carlos Flávio Teixeira. Bruno Sales Gomes Ferreira provided technical support. The following names are of team members: Adriane Ferrari Silva, Álan Gracioto Alexandre, Allen Jair Urcia Santa Cruz, Camila Chede Amaral Lucena, Camilla Rodrigues Seixas, Daniel Fernandes Teodoro, Danillo Alfredo Rios Junior, Danilo Fauster de Souza, Débora Arana Mayer, Elvis Eli Martins Filho, Felipe Cardoso do Nascimento, Fernanda Nascimento Oliveira, Gabriel Pilon Galvani, Giovana de Castro Vaz, Guilherme Cardoso Ricardo Martins, Gustavo Costa Vieira Novaes, Ingrid Sthéfane Santos Andrade, Isabela Pimenta Gravina, Ivo Ribeiro de Carvalho, Jhoseyr Davison Voos dos Santos, João Lucas Moraes Pereira, Kalline Meira Rocha Santos, Larissa Menegazzo Nunes, Letícia Miola Figueiredo, Luan Alves Cota Mól, Lucas Almeida dos Santos, Lucas Arteaga Aquino, Lucas Dias de Melo, Matheus Brabo Peres, Mayla Magaieski Graepp, Milena Guimarães Silva, Natália Padilha Corrêa, Rafaela Lima Gouvêa, Rogel Maio Nogueira Tavares Filho, Ryan Matheus do Ouro Medeiros, Samara Souza Santos, Sergio Henrique Micael Santos, Suelen Alves de Almeida, Talita Paim Veloso de Castro, Thais Cristina Benedetti, Thaís Caroline de Almeida Lima, Vanessa Stehling Belgd, Victor Alves Pereira, Vinicios Fernandes Alencar, Vinícius Pereira Nascimento, Vitória Regina Boita da Silva, William Edward Timm, Julio Cesar Ribeiro, Ellen Deó Bortolotte, Maria Júlia dos Santos Galvani, Giovana Souto Pereira, Victor Hugo Vaz Storch, and Dinely Luana Pereira.

 

 

First Published: June 14, 2021

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Otávio do Espírito Santo was born on November 20, 1900, in the city of Aracaju, state of Sergipe, Brazil. When he was 18, the Federal Government awarded him a scholarship for studying mechanical engineering in the United States.1

After returning to Brazil from the United States, he was baptized as an Adventist believer in the mid-1920s. Not long after his baptism, he was appointed as director of the Instituto Profissional Coelho e Campos, an important non-denominational vocational school in Aracaju. The school aimed to develop the local economy and train professionals for working in the mills and industries. Otávio was the school director from 1927 to 1930, where he was also named a full professor through a public tender. Subsequently, he was elected state deputy, but with the political situation in the country caused by the national coup of 1930, he was arrested and removed from the exercise of his public offices. After being released, he moved to the countryside of the state of Bahia.2

In 1937, the Taquara Academy (today Cruzeiro do Sul Adventist Academy), which was established by Pastor Abraham Classen Harder, came to be administered by the Adventist Church, and Otávio was invited to be its new director. During his term, the school was made official under government laws, the Bergold’s Sanatorium was acquired and renovated, and the bakery and cafeteria were built.3 He was the school director until 1941,4 and taught Drawing, Mathematics and Portuguese from 1941 to 1942.5 Afterwards, he led the Educational department of the Rio Grande do Sul Conference from 1941 to 1943, and the Sabbath School and Youth departments in 1943.6

In 1944 Otávio do Espírito Santo accepted the call to work at the Brazil Publishing House, where he served for 10 years as book translator and editor of Vida e Saúde (Life and Health) and O Atalaia (The Watchman). In 1952 he wrote the book Páginas Poéticas (Poetic Pages), published by Companhia Gráfica Novo Mundo.7

At the end of 1956, he faced great health problems and almost died but recovered. In 1957, he was acquitted by judicial decree of the charges from the lawsuit back in the 1930s and was reappointed as full professor of the Sergipe State School, former Instituto Profissional Coelho e Campos. A short time later he was renamed as its director, where he worked until his retirement.8 Over this period, he also led evangelistic efforts in the city of São Cristóvão from 1960 to 1962, resulting in many baptisms.9 Subsequently, Otávio taught at Northeast Brazil Academy in 1963, leaving this position to be the first director of Itaquara Academy, state of Bahia, serving there from 1964 to 1967.10

After his retirement, Otávio moved to the state of Rio de Janeiro. On November 15, 1973, he celebrated his golden wedding anniversary with Micol Gueiros Santos, who served by his side as a Portuguese, English, and French teacher. Together they had one daughter named Kelita Souza. Sadly, his wife passed away two years later, on December 19, 1975.11 In March 1976, Otávio married Vitória Nardelli Nascimento, who was his companion until his death on December 19, 1983, at the age of 83, in Barra Mansa, state of Rio de Janeiro.12

Otávio do Espírito Santo is remembered for his contributions to the educational and publishing work of the Adventist Church in Brazil. He was also an active church member, holding leadership positions and conducting many evangelistic conferences. In this way, he contributed to the spreading of the Adventist message from northern to southern regions of Brazil.

Sources

“Dr. Otávio do Espírito Santo obituary (1900-1983).” Revista Adventista, year 79, n. 03, March 1984.

J. F. Luduvice. “Micol Gueiros Santos obituary.” Revista Adventista, year 71, n. 02, February 1976.

José Bessa Filho. “Expressão de Gratidão.” Revista Adventista, year 84, n. 07, July 1988.

Malta, Marina Oliveira. “O Ensino Profissionalizante em Sergipe: contribuição do Instituto Profissional Coelho e Campos. MA thesis, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, 2010.

“Nossa História: conheça a história dessa instituição,” IACS Website. Accessed on February 06, 2020, https://iacs.org.br/o-iacs/#historia.

“Otávio do Espírito Santo.” Adventist National Memory Center, September 16, 2013. Accessed May 22, 2020, http://www.memoriaadventista.com.br/wikiasd/index.php?title=Ot%C3%A1vio_do_Esp%C3%ADrito_Santo.

Octávio do Espírito Santo. “Impressionante Experiência!” Revista Adventista, year 52, n. 08, August 1957.

Octávio do Espírito Santo. “Impressionante Experiência!” Revista Adventista, year 55, n. 09, September 1960.

Octávio do Espírito Santo. “O Trabalho no Sítio Siragi em S. Cristóvão, Sergipe.” Revista Adventista, year 57, n. 03, March 1962.

“Outro Decênio Fecundo.” Revista Adventista, year 64, n. 11, November 1969.

Santo, Otávio do Espírito. Páginas Poéticas. São Paulo, SP: Companhia Gráfica Novo Mundo, 1952.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, various years.

Notes

  1. “Dr. Otávio do Espírito Santo (1900-1983),” Revista Adventista, year 79, n. 03, Mach, 1984, 22-23.↩

  2. Espírito Santo, Octávio do, “Impressionante Experiência!-1,” Revista Adventista, year 52, n. 08, August 1957, 28; “Dr. Otávio do Espírito Santo (1900-1983),” Revista Adventista, year 79, n. 03, Mach, 1984, 22-23; Marina Oliveira Malta, “O Ensino Profissionalizante em Sergipe: contribuição do Instituto Profissional Coelho e Campos (MA thesis, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, 2010), 96; Espírito Santo, Octávio do, “Impressionante Experiência!-2,” Revista Adventista, year 55, n. 09, September 1960, 31.↩

  3. “Nossa História: conheça a história dessa instituição,” IACS Website. Accessed on February 06, 2020, https://iacs.org.br/o-iacs/#historia; “Otávio do Espírito Santo,” Adventist National Memory Center, September 16, 2013, accessed May 22, 2020, http://www.memoriaadventista.com.br/wikiasd/index.php?title=Ot%C3%A1vio_do_Esp%C3%ADrito_Santo.↩

  4. “Rio Grande do Sul Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1938), 185; “Taquara Academy,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1942), 234.↩

  5. “Taquara Academy,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1942), 234; “Taquara Academy,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1943), 245.↩

  6. “Rio Grande do Sul Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1942), 144; “Rio Grande do Sul Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1944), 151.↩

  7. “Dr. Otávio do Espírito Santo (1900-1983),” Revista Adventista, year 79, n. 03, Mach, 1984, 22-23; “Brazil Publishing House,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1951), 309; “Brazil Publishing House,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1954), 317; Otávio do Espírito Santo, Páginas Poéticas (São Paulo, SP: Companhia Gráfica Novo Mundo, 1952).↩

  8. Espírito Santo, Octávio do, “Impressionante Experiência!,” Revista Adventista, year 52, n. 08, August 1957, 34; Espírito Santo, Octávio do, “Impressionante Experiência!,” Revista Adventista, year 55, n. 09, September 1960, 31.↩

  9. Espírito Santo, Octávio do, “O Trabalho no Sítio Siragi em S. Cristóvão, Sergipe,” Revista Adventista, year 57, n. 03, March 1962, 25.↩

  10. “Otávio do Espírito Santo,” Adventist National Memory Center, September 16, 2013, accessed May 22, 2020, http://www.memoriaadventista.com.br/wikiasd/index.php?title=Ot%C3%A1vio_do_Esp%C3%ADrito_Santo; “Outro Decênio Fecundo,” Revista Adventista, year 64, n. 11, November 1969, 16.↩

  11. Luduvice, J. F., “Micol Gueiros Santo,” Revista Adventista, year 71, n. 02, February 1976, 22; and Brazilian Encyclopedia of Adventist History, http://www.memoriaadventista.com.br/wikiasd/index.php?title=Ot%C3%A1vio_do_Esp%C3%ADrito_Santo.↩

  12. “Dr. Otávio do Espírito Santo (1900-1983),” Revista Adventista, year 79, n. 03, March, 1984, 22-23.↩

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UNASP, The Brazilian White Center –. "Espírito Santo, Otávio do (1900–1983)." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. June 14, 2021. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=2GHY.

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UNASP, The Brazilian White Center –. "Espírito Santo, Otávio do (1900–1983)." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. June 14, 2021. Date of access October 15, 2026, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=2GHY.

Copy to clipboard Download Word File

UNASP, The Brazilian White Center – (2021, June 14). Espírito Santo, Otávio do (1900–1983). Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. Retrieved October 15, 2026, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=2GHY.

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