Roque, Mário (1916–1999)

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 17, 2021

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Mário Roque, who was a pastor, teacher, administrator, and educator, was born on December 1, 1916 in the city of Monte Azul Paulista in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The son of José Roque and Maria Bisca, he had six siblings: Luiz, Gabriel, Raul, Lídia, Altino, and Adélio. His parents came from Italy around 1889, settling in Monte Azul Paulista where his father worked as a coffee sharecropper. Around 1932, they moved to the city of São Paulo where in 1935, they encountered the Adventist message through a canvasser. On June 12 of that same year, Mário was baptized at the Central Adventist Church of São Paulo.¹

In order to be better prepared for serving God and to become a church worker, in 1938, he enrolled at Brazil College (today UNASP-SP). There, Mário simultaneously attended the technical high school with an emphasis in the sciences, graduating in 1942.² The following year, he received a call to work as a teacher at Brazil College where he served for many years of his life. In 1944, he graduated with a degree in theology, and afterwards acquired a degree in math from the Pontifical Catholic University in São Paulo.³

He married Durvalina Prates dos Reis Roque on May 6, 1944, and together they had three children: Mario dos Reis Roque, Helena Roque (Schaeffel), and Durval dos Reis Roque. Durvalina contributed to the Church as a teacher and through child evangelism in the churches.⁴

Mário Roque taught math and Bible at the Brazil College from 1943 to 1949,⁵ and was the men’s dean in 1950 and 1951.⁶ In 1952, he was appointed director of Taquara Academy (today IACS) in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where he also taught arts and math.⁷ Under Mário’s leadership, there were significant advances in the academy’s structure – the girls’ dormitory, cafeteria, and laundry were constructed.⁸

In 1955, he accepted a call to return to the Brazil College where he served as preceptor and math teacher until 1957.⁹ The following year, he was appointed as director of São Paulo Academy (today UNASP – HT) where he also served as a math teacher.¹⁰ He was ordained to the ministry at the biennial South Brazil Union that was held from January 19 to 23, 1960.¹¹

Afterwards, Mário returned to teach at Brazil College in 1967, remaining there until his retirement. During the first two-year period, he taught Christian philosophy and education for the Theology program, Bible for the commercial school, and Bible and math at the pre-university school and academy.¹² From 1969 to 1970, he was vice-director of Student Affairs.¹³ In 1971, he was appointed director of the commercial school (pre-university school and academy) serving in this capacity until 1974.¹⁴

From 1975 to 1978, he taught math and statistics for the higher education level.¹⁵ Furthermore, between 1975 and 1976, he was also responsible for the college’s security.¹⁶ He led the higher education area in 1974, 1977, and 1978.¹⁷

After decades of contribution to Brazil College, Pastor Mário Roque retired in 1980.¹⁸ However, he did not cease his ministerial activities, contributing to the foundation of the Cerquilho Adventist Church in the countryside of the state of São Paulo. Mário died in August of 1999 in the city of Tatuí in the state of São Paulo.¹⁹ He served the Seventh-day Adventist Church for 37 years in Brazil, where he is remembered as a great educator and for his administrative skills. He also wrote many articles for Brazilian and foreign Adventist magazines about education.

Sources

“Encerramento do Ano Letivo no Colégio Adventista Brasileiro.” Revista Adventista 38, no. 1 (January 1943).

“Mário Roque.” Encyclopedia of Brazilian Adventist Memory, October 24, 2013. Accessed April 13, 2020.

Nigri, M. S. “Bienais Sulinas.” Revista Adventista 55, no. 5 (May 1960).

Pasini, André Marcos. Cruzeiro do Sul Adventist Institute Memorial. 1^st ed., São Paulo, SP: National Adventist Memory Center IAE, 1988.

Stencel, Renato, and Alberto Timm. “Histórico da Faculdade Adventista de Teologia no Brasil.” Article, Instituto Adventista de Ensino, 2014.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association. Various years. https://www.adventistyearbook.org/.

Notes

Durval Roque, interview by Samara Souza, Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, May 3, 2019; “Mário Roque,” Encyclopedia of Brazilian Adventist Memory, October 24, 2013, accessed April 13, 2020, .↩
“Encerramento do Ano Letivo no Colégio Adventista Brasileiro,” Revista Adventista 38, no. 1 (January, 1943): 6.↩
“Mário Roque,” Encyclopedia of Brazilian Adventist Memory; Renato Stencel and Alberto Timm, “Histórico da Faculdade Adventista de Teologia no Brasil” (Article, Instituto Adventista de Ensino, 2014), 36.↩
Durval Roque, interview by Samara Souza, Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, May 3, 2019; “Mário Roque,” Encyclopedia of Brazilian Adventist Memory.↩
“Brazil College,” Seventh-Day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1944), 217; “Brazil College,” Seventh-Day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950), 247.↩
“Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1951), 239; “Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1952), 227.↩
“Taquara Academy,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1953), 277.↩
André Marcos Pasini, Cruzeiro do Sul Adventist Academy Memorial (São Paulo, SP: Centro Nacional de Memória Adventista IAE, 1988), 48.↩
“Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1956), 201; “Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1958), 209.↩
“Sao Paulo Academy,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1959), 255; “Sao Paulo Academy,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1965/66), 331.↩
M. S. Nigri, “Bienais Sulinas,” Revista Adventista 55, no. 5 (May 1960): 25-26.↩
“Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1968), 289.↩
“Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1970), 305; “Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1971), 314.↩
“Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1972), 287; “Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1973/74), 287.↩
“Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1976), 314; “Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1975), 292.↩
“Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1976), 314; “Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1977), 323.↩
“Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1975), 292; “Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1978), 329; “Brazil College,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1979), 337.↩
“South Brazil Union Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1981), 278.↩
Durval Roque, interview by Samara Souza, Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, May 3, 2019.↩