Ares, Júlio Miñán (1897–1973)

Júlio Miñán Ares, canvasser, pastor, evangelist, and manager, was born September 17, 1897, in the city of La Coruña, in the state of Galiza, Spain.¹ He was the only child² of José Miñán Soares and Catharina Ares Roca.³ His mother died when he was five years old, and shortly after that his father married a widow who had a son of the same age. Due to a poor relationship with his new brother, Júlio decided to run away from home when he was 12 years old. With the intervention of several friends he soon returned home, but the relationship with his family didn’t improve. When he was 17, he left home for good and boarded a ship of Uruguay’s merchant navy where he worked as a cook. That was how Júlio got to South America. He remained in Montevidéu, Uruguay, for a brief time and then went to the city of Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.⁴

In Porto Alegre he had some experiences that changed his life. While working in a candy factory he became acquainted with a young woman named Nila Maia, who was the supervisor of the company. One day she invited him to assist in a worship service of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He became interested in learning more about Adventist beliefs and soon they began studying the Bible together. In the meantime, they also started dating. Soon after they were both baptized into the Adventist Church.⁵ It was not long before the couple decided to marry. This happened in the 1920s in the city of Porto Alegre. Seven children were born from this union: Noemi, Betty, Miriam, the twins Rachel and Dalila, Rachel Dalila and Aristarco.⁶

Soon after the wedding Júlio felt the desire to dedicate his whole life to God’s service.⁷ In 1923⁸ he entered the theology course at Brazil College and graduated in 1925.⁹

While studying, Júlio paid for his fees by working as a cobbler¹⁰ and selling denominational books, an activity in which he was outstandingly successful.¹¹ He also taught a canvassing class to the students of Brazil College who wanted to learn his sales techniques.¹² Because of his ability in this area, before his graduation¹³ he was invited to work as canvassing director at the Bahia Mission.¹⁴ He accepted the invitation and took over this position at the end of 1925,¹⁵ working until the beginning of 1928.¹⁶ That year he also worked as an evangelist in the city of Juiz de Fora, state of Minas Gerais.¹⁷

At the end of 1928 he received an unexpected appointment from the Seventh-day Adventist South European Division to work as canvassing director for the Portuguese Mission in Portugal.¹⁸ Júlio played a pioneering role in the establishment of the local publishing ministry. When he arrived in the country in December, he learned that there were no canvassers nor even many books to sell. Along with other servants of the Portuguese Mission, he started praying for the young people to become canvassers for the Church. Gradually, with God’s help, a lot of young people became involved in this ministry. After three years the number of canvassers equaled ten percent of the members in the mission.¹⁹

While working in this field, Júlio also preached the Adventist faith in the Madeira Island, in Portugal. Local evangelistic work had been started at the initiative of J. G. da Silva who had asked for help from the Portuguese Mission, since he wished for his faith to be disseminated in his homeland. Canvassers were sent to the city of Funchal, the main urban center of the island, and Júlio was responsible for preaching the first series of evangelistic meetings there.²⁰ Pastor E. P. Mansell continued the evangelism and the first church on the island was organized in Funchal in 1932.²¹

Also that year, Júlio was transferred as a licensed pastor to the city of Burgos, in the province of Burgos, belonging to the Spanish Mission.²² While he worked there, in 1934, he went through the difficult experience of losing his twin daughters, Raquel and Dalila, to a measles epidemic.²³ In addition, he and his family were confined to their home for about 30 days because of the Spanish Revolution headed by General Franco.²⁴ After being set free, they went to Portugal where he served as a pastor in the Lisbon Church during 1935.²⁵

The family returned to Brazil in 1936 when Júlio became a licensed minister in the Rio-Espírito Santo Mission.²⁶ In this mission he served as a pastor in the cities of Vitória, capital of the state of Espírito Santo,²⁷ and Campos dos Goitacazes, in the state of Rio de Janeiro.²⁸ Here he taught at the local Adventist school.²⁹ In 1938 Júlio was ordained to the ministry.³⁰ In 1940 he was transferred to the Bahia Mission where he worked as a pastor until 1942.³¹ After that he accepted an invitation to work in the Rio-Minas Gerais Mission where he stayed until 1944.³²

Júlio Miñán Ares retired in 1945 as a minister in the East Brazil Union Conference.³³ After his retirement he moved to Bahia where he stayed until he was stricken by an illness and returned to Rio de Janeiro.³⁴ During his retirement, he served as an elder and Sabbath School teacher at the Central Rio de Janeiro Church.³⁵ He also canvassed and was frequently invited to preach in various churches of the Rio-Minas Gerais Mission.³⁶ On September 8, 1950, he received his Brazilian citizenship after sending a request letter to President Getúlio Vargas.³⁷

During retirement Júlio made academic, artistic, and literary contributions. He wrote several articles with scientific themes which resulted in the production of two collections. The first collection, named Maravilhas da Ciência (Wonders of Science), contained the following: Wonders of Science; The Dead Sea Scrolls; Mysteries and Surprises of the Atom; Harmonies of Nature; Mysteries of Biology; and Glossary. The second collection, called A Conquista do Espaço (The Space Conquest) is composed of the following: The Space Conquest; Scientific Achievements of the International Geophysical Year; Our Solar System; Constellations and Nebulae; Cosmic Puzzles; and The Stars Differ in Glory.³⁸

On September 6, 1967, Júlio’s wife, Nila, died and was buried in the city of Rio de Janeiro in the São Francisco de Paula Cemetery.³⁹ During this period Júlio was coauthor and technical collaborator of the PEON Encyclopedia (Educational Program of National Orientation), a collection produced in 1968 by the Brazilian Ministry of Education to be used in high schools.⁴⁰ He died on October 13, 1973, at the age of 76 at the Silvestre Adventist Hospital in Rio de Janeiro and was buried next to his wife.⁴¹

Notes

1. Biographical data collected by Samuel Vallado (Collection of the National Center of Adventist History/Ellen G. White Research Center: UNASP-EC), 1.↩

2. Betty Miñán Gomes, interviewed by Mayla Graepp, Ellen G. White Research Center, Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, August 25, 2016.↩

3. Biographical data collected by Samuel Vallado, 1.↩

4. Ibid., 3.↩

5. Ibid., 3.↩

6. Betty Miñán Gomes, interviewed by Mayla Graepp.↩

7. Biographical data collected by Samuel Vallado, 3.↩

8. Júlio Miñán, “Nossos Jovens - Como a Educação Cristã me Auxilia em meu Trabalho para o Mestre,” Revista Mensal, v. 21, no. 9, September 1926, 10.↩

9. Biographical data collected by Samuel Vallado, 3.↩

10. Ibid.↩

11. F. C. Varney, “A Colportagem no Rio de Janeiro,” Revista Mensal, v. 20, n. 11, November 1925, 13; and Zeroth, J. M., “A Colportagem em 1924 no Rio Grande do Sul,” Revista Mensal, v. 20, no. 3, 8.↩

12. C. L. Bainer, “Curso de Colportagem no Collegio,” Revista Mensal, v. 20, no. 11, November 1925, 13.↩

13. Varney, 13.↩

14. “Nas Linhas de Fogo,” Revista Mensal, v. 21, no. 5, May 1926, 14; and Miñán, Júlio, “Já Morreu!” Revista Mensal, v. 21, no. 06, June 1926, 10.↩

15. Varney, F. C., “Bahia Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1926), 173.↩

16. “Bahia Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1928), 196; and Margarido, Manoel, “Cursos de Colportagem nos Estados do Norte,” Revista Mensal, v. 23, no. 1, January 1928, 14; and “East Brazil Notes,” South American Bulletin, v. 4, no. 5, May 1928, 3.↩

17. Saturnino M. Oliveira, “A Colportagem em Minas Gerais,” Revista Mensal, v. 23, no. 10, October 1928, 10; and biographical data collected by Samuel Vallado, 3.↩

18. “Portuguese Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1929), 155; and Miñán, Júlio, “As Maravilhas de Deus em Portugal,” Revista Adventista, v. 26, no. 10, October 1931, 10.↩

19. Júlio Miñán, “As Maravilhas de Deus em Portugal,” Revista Adventista, v. 26, no. 10, October 1931, 10; and Kotz, E., “How Shall They Hear Without a Preacher? from the South American Division,” Review and Herald, v. 106, no. 4, January 24, 1929, 4.↩

20. Júlio Miñán, “As Maravilhas de Deus em Portugal,” Revista Adventista, v. 26, no. 10, October 1931, 10-11.↩

21. Ibid., 11; Júlio Miñán, “Primeiro batismo na Ilha da Madeira” Revista Adventista, v. 27, no. 12, December 1932, 9; Júlio Miñán “Notícias,” Revista Adventista, v. 27, no. 6, June 1932, 7.↩

22. “Spanish Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1933), 203, 348; and biographical data collected by Samuel Vallado, 3.↩

23. Júlio Miñán, “Sob Suas Asas Estou Descansando,” Revista Adventista, v. 29, no. 6, June 1934, 8-9.↩

24. Biographical data collected by Samuel Vallado, 3.↩

25. Betty Miñán Gomes, interviewed by Mayla Graepp.↩

26. “Rio-Espírito Santo Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1937), 177.↩

27. Betty Miñán Gomes, interviewed by Mayla Graepp; and Miñan, Julio, “Victory in Victoria,” South American Bulletin, v. 12, no. 11, November 1936, 5.↩

28. Betty Miñán Gomes, interviewed by Mayla Graepp; and Brown, J. L., “Convention in Campos,” South American Bulletin, v. 15, no. 6/7, June/July 1939, 7.↩

29. Betty Miñán Gomes, interviewed by Mayla Graepp.↩

30. “Rio-Espírito Santo Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1938), 179; and “Rio-Espírito Santo Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1939), 183.↩

31. “Rio-Espírito Santo Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1941), 184; and “Bahia Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1942), 138.↩

32. “Rio-Minas Gerais Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1943), 147; and “Rio-Minas Gerais Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1944), 144.↩

33. “East Brazil Union Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1946), 151.↩

34. Biographical data collected by Samuel Vallado, 3.↩

35. Ibid., 5.↩

36. Ibid., 3.↩

37. Ibid., 2.↩

38. Ibid., 4.↩

39. Betty Miñán Gomes, interviewed by Mayla Graepp.↩

40. Biographical data collected by Samuel Vallado, 5.↩

41. Ibid., 2.

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