When one wishes to become acquainted with a notable architectural work, a praiseworthy entity of apostolate or even a distinguished person, it is necessary to first equip oneself with a synthesis of the major events that involve them, bringing them closer to our understanding. For everything that transcends the limitations of the commonplace will either be viewed in a comprehensive way – with a balanced combination of facts and principles – or it will unavoidably be understood in a one-sided or truncated manner.
These brief lines, which introduce a sequence of articles relating to varied facets of the personality, life and work of Msgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias, will serve to introduce and situate the reader in the copious material that is covered in greater depth over the pages that follow.
Initial steps
Son of a Spanish father, Antonio Clá Dias, and Italian mother, Annitta Scognamiglio Clá Dias, João was baptized on June 15, 1940, exactly ten months after his birth on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the previous year.
Of an analytical and reserved nature, he preferred observing his surroundings to externalizing his thoughts – a sure sign of the strong contemplative leaning that always characterized him. Frequently affected by insomnia from an early age, his favourite pastime was to gaze upon the star-lit sky through his bedroom window.
A remarkable episode in his life occurred at age five when he entered a chapel and came face-to-face, for the first time, with the exposed Blessed Sacrament, during benediction. While as yet unacquainted with that transcendent reality, his faith inspired in him the conviction that it was a central mystery of religion, and he was captivated by the sacral and absorbing imponderable that flowed from the Host and penetrated deep into the souls of the faithful.
Enraptured and drawn in by the Eucharist, his devotion to Our Sacramental Lord would be the foundation upon which he would later build the solid bulwark of his piety.
Conflict with the evil reigning in society heightened with each passing day in the soul of young João, awakening in him the desire to support souls along the ways of virtue
Later, during his student days, he distinguished himself as the top pupil of his classes, especially in the arts and mathematics. Even so, his true enchantment lay in the narratives of Bible History and catechism lessons.
On January 26, 1948, he received the Sacrament of Confirmation, and a few months later, First Communion. Pervaded by a deepened supernatural life, he began to discern how the conduct of many of those around him, both classmates and family members, strayed far from true morality.
The clash between good and evil intensified with each passing day in his soul, awakening in him the desire to somehow reverse that oppressive situation, despite the scanty resources at his disposal, and to support his peers in treading the paths of virtue.
Out of his concern for spreading the good, he developed a taste for psychology and medicine to which he began to eagerly dedicate himself, noting how many people allowed themselves to become enslaved by egoism, and were motivated only by personal interest.
In this way, an unshakable certainty, springing from faith, took solid shape in him: “There must be an entirely good and disinterested man in the world! And someday I will meet this man.”
Providential encounter
St. Paul teaches that hope never disappoints (cf. Rom 5:5). Years went by, and on July 7, 1956, during a novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in which he participated, the longed-for encounter that would mark the future steps of his journey came about. Setting eyes on an imposing, confident and determined man at the end of the procession of Carmelite tertiaries who were leading the ceremony, he discerned at a glance, confirmed by an inner certainty, that this was the providential man who would alter the course of events: Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira.
In daily contact with Dr. Plinio, of whom he became the undisputed faithful disciple, Msgr. João imbibed the gift of wisdom so characteristic of his master’s spirituality
From then on, Dr. Plinio became the shaper of the mentality of the young João, encouraging him in the practice of virtue, stimulating him in the service of religion, and indicating the direction for him to follow. There was, between them, a most sincere exchange of ideals and dedication of wills in favour of Holy Mother Church.
Character formation
As the first fruits of his adherence to the Catholic Movement, he entered the Marian Congregations in 1957, being admitted to the Third Order of Carmel, and he soon consecrated himself as a slave of love to the Blessed Virgin, according to the method of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort.
In 1958, he was called up for military service. Although at first sight this could have been a trial, for it would necessarily distance him from the circles of Dr. Plinio’s company and from his assiduous attendance at the Carmelite Third Order, it proved to be important in the formation of his character. The discipline associated with demanding schedules and deportment forged a taste for order in his soul, giving him the conviction that only personal integrity is capable of rousing others around a just cause.
Reaching mature adulthood, the then Mr. João Clá had already benefitted from a series of personality-forming circumstances, to which would be added another factor of no less importance, due to the considerable fruit he would reap from it: music. Aware of the effectiveness of this form of art for evangelization, he honed his musical knowledge with the renowned Spanish maestro Miguel Arqueróns. From then on, he would miss no opportunity to form a choir or an orchestra with a view to the apostolate.
In his daily contact with Dr. Plinio – of whom he became the undisputed faithful disciple –, Mr. João also imbibed the gift of wisdom so characteristic of his master’s spirituality, bringing his natural and supernatural qualities into full bloom, and radiating them for the benefit of the Catholic cause in the late 1960s, upon initiating the experience of community life within a regulated regime.
Generous self-giving and fruitful apostolate
As a consequence of his generous self-giving, from the year 1975 he became the guide of hundreds of youths belonging to the Brazilian Society for the Defence of Tradition, Family and Property – TFP –, charged with the task of strengthening an uncountable number of people in the Faith. He snatched many of them from evil worldly influences, stimulating yet others to the practice of virtue in community life.
The excellent and fruitful action that Mr. João carried out with various groups of the movement founded by Dr. Plinio, gives full credence to the words of praise with which the latter described him, calling him, first and foremost, his “arch-son”.
However, with the death of Dr. Plinio on October 3, 1995, Mr. João’s life would take an unexpected turn: firstly, because almost the entire work fell upon his shoulders, given that the more salutary portion of its members found in him alone the leader capable of governing a family of souls active on five continents; secondly, for it being common knowledge that he was the repository of the most intimate desires of his father, master and guide.
Invested by Providence with the task of leading a worldwide movement, it was clear to Mr. João what path to take so that this legacy would never be harmed or extinguished: to establish it on the unshakable rock of Peter and the firm foundations of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
In 1999, he decided to found the Private International Association of the Faithful Heralds of the Gospel, which received pontifical approval from Pope St. John Paul II on February 22, 2001. As he had foreseen, it was with the blessings of the Chair of Peter that the family of souls, begun by Dr. Plinio with dire difficulty, was fortified and regained necessary energy to persevere in the ways of holiness.
After the death of Dr. Plinio, Msgr. João knew what path to take to perpetuate the work he founded: to establish it on the unshakable rock of Peter
In short order, the association extended its work to seventy-eight countries and began to carry out countless activities in parishes, through liturgical animation, the Shrine Apostolate of Mary Queen of All Hearts, Marian missions and visits to penitentiaries and hospitals, in addition to the use of mailings and the publication of this magazine.
A decade after Dr. Plinio’s death, the work had come to encompass a great number of young men and women, living in separate communities. Nourished by a deep spirituality based on daily reception of the Eucharist, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the recitation of the Rosary, they also freely followed the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Priestly vocation
These circumstances led Mr. João to consider the suitability of founding a priestly branch that would be able to provide for the spiritual needs of the members of the Heralds of the Gospel, as well as give assistance to all those who shared this charism.
His ever-increasing love for the Eucharist and the service of the altar inspired a deep-rooted desire that went far back in time – that of entering the priestly path.
On June 15, 2005, together with fourteen other members of the Heralds of the Gospel, Dcn. João was ordained a priest in the same Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in São Paulo, where he had met Dr. Plinio. With the renewal of the Holy Sacrifice of Calvary, he began to see his dream of transforming the face of the earth come true, just as his spiritual father had promised him in his heart, when they crossed paths for the very first time, decades earlier.
It was crucially important, however, to solidify the newly-initiated priestly branch with the approval of the Holy See. This came about on April 21, 2009, through the authority of His Holiness Benedict XVI: the Clerical Society of Apostolic Life Virgo Flos Carmeli was erected under the auspices of Peter, and today has more than two hundred clerical members.
As part of this institutional increase, pari-passu with the erection of the clerical society, Fr. João instigated the founding of the Feminine Society of Apostolic Life Regina Virginum, which received candidates who had long desired to share in an integral way in the charism of the Heralds of the Gospel. They attained approval from the Holy See on April 26, 2009.
Diffusion of the work
Having expanded the fronts of apostolate in the Church, with the priesthood and the institutionalization of the feminine branch, another target loomed in the founder’s sights: it was necessary to express this spiritual reality in architectural works, through churches, monasteries and other edifices.
Currently, more than fifteen years after initiating the construction of its first place of worship, the Clerical Society Virgo Flos Carmeli has various churches and oratories under its care worldwide – among them, two basilicas –, from which it is able to offer the healing of souls and the sacramental ministry, through the priests who serve it.
After his priestly ordination, Msgr. João began to see the realization of his dream of transforming the face of the earth, by the merits of the renewal of the Holy Sacrifice of Calvary
According to the appraisal of Benedict XVI, the work of Fr. João had so notable an influence on the Church that, in 2008, he named him Honorary Canon of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, in Rome, and Apostolic Protonotary Supernumerary. In 2009, the same Holy Father conferred on him, at the hands of Cardinal Franc Rodé, the distinguished Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal.
The outstanding scope of Msgr. João and his work also reached the exclusive and demanding intellectual field, through various publications and the erection of academic institutes, which provide philosophical and theological formation courses to candidates for the priesthood of the clerical society and members of the feminine society, in addition to the publication of academic journal Lumen Veritatis, of international repute.
A man who must be seen with supernatural eyes
Having concluded these preliminary considerations, we would understand but little of the essence of Msgr. João if we were to contemplate him from a merely human standpoint rather than through supernatural eyes. For when God endows a person with a providential calling, it is never for their personal benefit alone, but rather for the good of the Church and of those who come to partake in that mission, whether directly or indirectly.
Thus, the greatest gift given by Heaven to Msgr. João is not limited to what has been laid out here, that is, to material and even spiritual achievements. The supreme gift granted to him was that of being a man loved with a predilect love by the Holy Spirit and by Our Lady, who desired to configure him in everything with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The hardest battle of Msgr. João took place in the depths of his heart, where he reaped the fruits of decades of dedication; in silence, deprived of his movement, he offered everything in holocaust to God
Therefore, the most painful struggle of Msgr. João was not that of opening houses of community life, founding an association of faithful, erecting societies of apostolic life, or conducting choirs and orchestras; nor was it establishing the solid foundations of a work that, according to his long-held dream, had to be anchored on the Most Precious Blood of Christ, being one with the Church.
He waged his most arduous and glorious battle in the depths of his heart, where he – alone, with God – had to reap the fruits of long decades of entire dedication and surrender them to the Creator, in silence; he had to see himself deprived of physical movement and offer everything in holocaust to God, in consequence of a cerebrovascular accident he suffered in 2010.
“Inhabited and fortified cities”
After the apostolic labours carried out successfully for more than eight decades and the illnesses borne with heroic firmness, the moment of final victory arrived, bought at the admirable price that could only be paid by the laying down of his own life, for “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12:24).
With Msgr. João’s passage to eternity and his reception into the maternal arms of Our Lady, all that he sowed, watered and reaped is today a swelling harvest, progressively establishing itself in the vast and unified field in which the Church will produce fresh fruits.
Then it may be said: “This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now inhabited and fortified” (Ez 36:35). ◊
