Santana, Aurino Alves de (1930–1997)
By The Brazilian White Center – UNASP
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: July 19, 2021
Aurino Alves de Santana was a renowned pastor in Brazil.
Aurino Alves de Santana was born on June 15, 1930, in the city of Glória do Goitá, countryside of Pernambuco state, Brazil. He was the only child born to Severino Santana and Maria Alves de Almeida. He spent his childhood without the companion of a mother, due to her early death shortly after his birth.1
Aurino learned of the Adventist message as a teenager, through a cousin called Sebastião Santana, the same one who encouraged him to enter an Adventist educational institution. In this way, he attended high school at Northeast Brazil Junior College (ENA), located in the city of Belém de Maria, Pernambuco.2
While a student there he met Maria Tavares (better known as Mariinha), born on July 19, 1935, in Macaparaná, Pernambuco. They were married on February 27, 1961, in the church of the Northeast Brazil Junior College, in a ceremony officiated by Pastor Nilton Gomes. Together they had two daughters: Ayte Mércia Alves, born on September 7, 1962, and Ayde Mísia Alves, born on December 25, 1965. Mariinha contributed to her husband's ministry by assisting the children and youth ministry, music ministry, social work and other areas at the districts where they passed by. By the time of their marriage, Aurino began the Theology program at Northeast Brazil Junior College, graduating in 1964. During vacations, he was a committed canvasser.3
Aurino began his pastoral ministry in 1965, and dedicated almost 30 years of service to the Northeast Mission. He was a district pastor in eleven cities of the Brazilian Northeast: in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoró and Currais Novos; in the state of Pernambuco, Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Caruarú, Carpina, Arcoverde, Macaparaná, Abreu, Lima and Timbaúba; in the state of Sergipe, Lagarto; and in the state of Paraíba, Patos. His work at Currais Novos stands out for having started an Adventist school there.4
In 1993 he was removed from pastoral activities because of a cancer in the parathyroid glands, which caused him to have osteoporosis. At the time, he lived in the city of Timbaúba, Pernambuco, the last district he worked in. Later he moved to the city of Carpina, but frequently traveled to Recife in order to get treatment for the disease. Aurino passed away in Carpina on April 8, 1997, from respiratory and renal failure, in addition to a metastasis of parathyroid carcinoma. He was buried in this same city, at the São Sebastião cemetery. The funeral ceremony was held by pastor Mozaniel Viana, together with the local pastor, Gilson José da Silva.5
Aurino Santana is remembered as a pastor who frequently visited the brethren and encouraged them to develop their talents on behalf of God’s work. He also was a great singer and used this ability at the end of sermons. In many places where Aurino served, he made effort to improve the church buildings. He also is remembered for having a charitable spirit, since he was always ready to help a member’s needs.6
Sources
“Falecimentos.” Revista Adventista, year 93, no. 06, June, 1997.
Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1967.
Notes
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“Falecimentos,” Revista Adventista, year 93, no. 6, June, 1997, 28; Mércia Lüdtke, to Ryan Medeiros, Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, November 1, 2019.↩
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Ibid.↩
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Ibid.↩
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“Northeast Brazil Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1967), 201; Mércia Lüdtke, to Ryan Medeiros, Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, November 1, 2019.↩
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Mércia Lüdtke, to Ryan Medeiros, Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, November 1, 2019.↩
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Ibid.↩