Romana

The Archdiocese of Florianópolis has initiated, with the establishment of a tribunal, the process of beatification and canonization for Marcelo Henrique Câmara, a supernumerary faithful of Opus Dei. The ceremony took place at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, followed by a Mass concelebrated by Archbishop Wilson Tadeu Jöunck.

The postulator of the Cause, Rev. Paolo Villota, came from Rome to take part in the opening of the process. At the end of the Mass, in the presence of Marcelo Câmara’s parents and brother, the act of recognition of the mortal remains of the Servant of God was read, which were transferred from the Cemetery of Itacorubi to the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where Marcelo often helped out.

In his homily, Archbishop Wilson Tadeu Jönk stressed that “it is time to put holiness in the spotlight” and “to take up this call, this vocation to be saints.” “This is what Marcellus teaches us with his quite brief life, but lived with such an intense witness.” According to the archbishop, the young Marcelo “was called to seek holiness step by step and grew in his understanding of what the life of holiness means. His life is a beautiful testimony to this in every corner of his life.” “Marcelo had a very interesting episode in his life. He was deeply moved by a conference he attended about the person of Jesus. It is not that he didn’t know Jesus, but there the Lord was presented to Marcelo in such a clear way that he became determined to serve Jesus, and to do so with all his strength.”

He stressed Marcelo’s Christian witness in every environment, including “in the university, where we know that God is often not very welcome, and in his legal career.”

“May this day when we begin the process of Marcellus’ beatification also be for us a new beginning, a moment of awakening like the one Marcellus experienced after listening to the conference on Christ,” the archbishop concluded.

The website of the diocese of Florianopolis says that Marcelo Henrique Câmara was a son and brother who was deeply dedicated to his family. He matured very early after the separation of his parents, and at the age of 10 he took on responsibility for his mother and younger brother.

In his youth, he tried to make the most of his intellectual gifts, and dedicated himself to his studies. He became a law professor, working as a substitute professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina and as a state prosecutor.

At the beginning of his university years, he took part in a spiritual retreat organized by the Emmaus Movement and obtained the grace of a deep conversion to the Gospel. In the following years he carried out an intense apostolate with the young people in the Movement and in his parish.

While taking part in Opus Dei’s means of formation, he found confirmation of his lay vocation to sanctify temporal realities, including his professional work. He died on Holy Thursday, March 20, 2008. Since then, the young man’s reputation for holiness has spread quickly.