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Floriano Xavier dos Santos

Photo courtesy of Brazilian White Center - UNASP. 

Santos, Floriano Xavier dos (1927–2017)

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: July 20, 2021

Floriano Xavier dos Santos, pastor, teacher and administrator, was born on September 10, 1927 in Dom Pedrito, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.1 Son of João Pereira dos Santos and Loreta Xavier dos Santos, he was the brother of Romeu, Julieta, Iracema, Doraci, Afoncina and Eroncilda.2 Still at a young age, Floriano went through trying situations. At a certain point, his mother contracted smallpox and, soon after his mother died,3 he went to live with a lady called Maria do Carmo Louzada, who was part of the local small Adventist group.

After this occurrence, his father had to take care of the seven children alone. Maria do Carmo showed great concern and offered to take care of Floriano, to which his father agreed. However, overwhelmed by depression, his father got sick and died within a year, leaving Floriano orphan of father and mother at the age of five.4

He began his primary studies at seven years of age in his hometown, where he also completed it.5 Afterwards, he went to study in a parish school in Campestre, Rio Grande do Sul, where his brother Romeu was a teacher. At that time schoolteachers were paid by the local church and, in general, wages were very low. For this reason, most of them divided their working day between the classroom and the land, which was provided by the church for them to cultivate.6

Floriano lived there for four years, two of them studying and working on the plantation, and two as teachers in Romeu’s place, while he went to study in Taquara Academy (now IACS). On returning to Campestre, his brother told him that he had a place for him at this school, which at the time provided lower secondary education. Floriano was already excited about the life of a teacher and farmer and said that he would no longer like to study; moreover, he did not have resources to pay tuition costs. By his brother´s persistency, Floriano took the admission test and passed. He joined Taquara Academy in 1944, where he studied until completing middle school.7

In 1952 he went to Brazil College (now UNASP-SP), where he completed high school and Theology in 1957. While a student at Brazil College, he met a nineteen-year-old student and primary school teacher called Iracema Leite Ferraz. They got married on July 1, 1954, in a ceremony held on the campus. From their marriage were born: Telma, Tania, Júnia and Marcelo.8 Later he also studied Philosophy at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUC), in Curitiba.9

Floriano began denominational work in 1958, when he was appointed as an assistant to Pastor Sesóstris César at the Central Adventist Church of Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul. During this year he also helped Pastor Geraldo de Oliveira in a series of conferences held in the city of Cachoeirinha do Sul, and Pastor Enoch de Oliveira in meetings that took place in Porto Alegre.10 In 1959, he was appointed as district pastor of Santo Ângelo, Rio Grande do Sul, where he served for two years. In 1961, he pastored the district of Santa Maria, in the same state, and in 1962 the district of Londrina, in the state of Paraná.11

In 1963, he accepted a call to lead the Education and Youth departments of the Paraná Conference, positions he held until 1964.12 From 1965 to 1967, he remained at the head of the Education department and, in 1968, he also led the Public Affairs department.13 For his great administrative skills, in 1969 Floriano was appointed as president of the conference, leading it until 1971.14

The following year, he was director of the Education department of the South Brazil Union Conference.15 In 1973, Floriano was elected president of the Rio Grande do Sul Conference, a position he held until 1976.16 Afterwards, was president of the former São Paulo Conference from 1977 to 1978, which covered the entire state of São Paulo. During his term, he proposed the conference’s division into two fields: São Paulo Conference and East São Paulo Conference, which was accomplished in 1977.17

In 1979, he served as secretary of the South Brazil Union Conference18 and, from 1980 to 1985, he led the far-reaching East Brazil Union Mission, which at that time included Alagoas, Espírito Santo, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe, the former East Brazil Union and Rio de Janeiro Conferences, and the Bahia, Minas and Northeast Missions.19 In 1986, he was appointed as department leader for Public Affairs and Religious Liberty; 20 and, the following year, for the position of field secretary, which he held until his retirement in 1991.21

After his retirement, Pastor Floriano was chaplain for the Golden Cross health insurance group until 1996, which is administered by the Adventist philanthropist Milton Afonso.22 Floriano Xavier died on August 9, 2017, in the city of Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo,23 leaving an important contribution to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Brazil as a pastor, teacher, administrator and department leader for over 30 years.

Sources

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

Zuntini, Daniel Melão. “Uma Pesquisa Sobre a Vida e Ministério do Pastor Floriano Xavier.” Monography, Instituto Adventista de Ensino, 1999.

Santos, Floriano Xavier dos. “Breve Relato de Minha Vida.” In Minha Vida de Pastor: cinquenta e três pastores jubilados falam de sua vida e de seu ministério. Edited by Tercio Sarli. Campinas, SP: Certeza Editorial, 2007.

Timm, William and Renato Stencel. “Histórico da Faculdade Adventista de Teologia no Brasil.” Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo, 2014.

Notes

  1. Floriano Xavier dos Santos, “Breve relato de minha vida,” in: Minha vida de pastor: cinquenta e três pastores jubilados falam de sua vida e de seu ministério, ed. Tercio Sarli (Campinas, SP: Certeza Editorial, 2007), 149.

  2. Daniel Melão Zuntini, “Uma Pesquisa Sobre a Vida e Ministério do Pastor Floriano Xavier” (Monography, Instituto Adventista de Ensino, 1999), 2.

  3. Zuntini, 3; and Floriano Xavier dos Santos, 149, 150.

  4. Zuntini, 3; and Floriano Xavier dos Santos, 150.

  5. Zuntini, 3.

  6. Floriano Xavier dos Santos, 151.

  7. Zuntini, 6, 7; and Floriano Xavier dos Santos, 151, 152.

  8. Zuntini, 12; and Floriano Xavier dos Santos, 152.

  9. Floriano Xavier dos Santos, 152; William Timm and Renato Stencel, “Histórico da Faculdade Adventista de Teologia no Brasil” (Article, Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo, 2014), 37.

  10. “Rio Grande do Sul Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1959), 163; Zuntini, 14.

  11. Zuntini, 14, 15.

  12. “Parana Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1964), 203; and “Parana Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1970), 207.

  13. “Parana Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1966), 210; and “Parana Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1968), 212.

  14. “Parana Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1970), 225; Zuntini, 15.

  15. Zuntini, 16.

  16. “Rio Grande do Sul Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1973,74), 237; and “Rio Grande do Sul Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1977), 264.

  17. “São Paulo Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1978), 272; Zuntini, 17.

  18. “South Brazil Union Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1980), 269.

  19. “East Brazil Union Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1981), 268; and “East Brazil Union Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1986), 274.

  20. “Executive Committee,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1987), 17; Zuntini, 17.

  21. “Executive Committee,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988), 17; and “Executive Committee,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1991), 17; Zuntini, 17, 18.

  22. Zuntini, 18.

  23. Daniel Baia, to Camila Chede Amaral Lucena, Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, May 27, 2019.

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UNASP, The Brazilian White Center –. "Santos, Floriano Xavier dos (1927–2017)." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. July 20, 2021. Accessed February 15, 2025. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=DGOA.

UNASP, The Brazilian White Center –. "Santos, Floriano Xavier dos (1927–2017)." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. July 20, 2021. Date of access February 15, 2025, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=DGOA.

UNASP, The Brazilian White Center – (2021, July 20). Santos, Floriano Xavier dos (1927–2017). Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. Retrieved February 15, 2025, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=DGOA.