Word: izildinha
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Dates: during 1963-1963
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...mirror one day, his wife saw a strange face, that of a very young girl-saintly, fair, rather sad. From his wife's description, Constantino knew instantly who it was: his own beloved sister Izildinha, who had died back home in 1911 at the age of 13. Izildinha, rumor had it, was so devout that Jesus once visited her. Again and again, Senhora Ribeiro's visions returned, and as Izildinha's fame spread, so did Constantino's business...
...Constantino owned the biggest preserve and canning factory in Sao Paulo. Several of Constantino's customers who prayed to Santa Izildinha reported a series of "miracles": a man run over by a car was uninjured because his wife invoked Izildinha's name; a tubercular was cured after doctors had given up hope; a chronically sick child suddenly bloomed with health. In 1944 Constantino's saintly connections so impressed the townfolk of Monte Alto, 250 miles northwest of Sao Paulo, that they gave him land for a big food-processing plant. In a carnival of publicity, Constantino turned...
Then he had a new idea. Why not bring over Izildinha's casket from Portugal? The townfolk of Monte Alto eagerly agreed to build a mausoleum. On the great day of her arrival in 1958, some 10,000 people lined the streets, and dozens of white-frocked little girls named Izildinha scattered rose petals ahead of the pallbearers. There were speeches and fireworks; Constantino was hoisted on the shoulders of townsmen and officially named "honorary citizen of Monte Alto...
Last October he sent a truck to Monte Alto, loaded it up with a cargo of Izildinha medals, books, banners and photos that the town had printed. Monte Alto's town fathers let him take them away-but not Izildinha. Legally and in writing, Constantino had donated her to Monte Alto. "The body belongs to us," said a former mayor of Monte Alto. "Even if she is not a saint, she is still something for the people to cling to." Recently, 5,000 citizens turned out in a mass demonstration against Constantino. "Respect Our Faith: Don't Steal...
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