Comoro, 23 September 2019
While paying his last respects to Fr. João de Deus, S.D.B., at the Salesians of Don Bosco chapel in Comoro, President Francisco Guterres Lú Olo voiced the gratitude of the State for his contribution to the national liberation struggle, expressed in the presidential decree that will be published tomorrow.
At the time, the Head of State offered his condolences to the Salesian family for their great loss.
Fr. João de Deus was born in Mirandela, Bragança, Portugal, on 15 April 1928. In 1958, he was sent on mission to Timor-Leste, where he remained until his death, on 22 September 2019, at the Guido Valadares National Hospital, following illness.
He established the Fatumaka Technical School of Agriculture in 1963 and supported the development of Catholic missions in Baucau.
In 1975, with the start of the civil war, the Portuguese government ordered the evacuation of all Catholic missionaries from the Portuguese Timor. Fr. João de Deus, however, decided to stay in the country, despite the threats to his safety.
After the dismantling of the support bases in 1978, the Catholic Church was the only institution that remained with the people during the Indonesian occupation. In order to support the resistance, the Portuguese missionary built orphanages in Baguia, Laga, and Quelicai, which took in war orphans. Even after the restoration of independence, he continued to make his committed contribution.
In 2012, he was awarded the Medal of the D. Martinho Lopes Order. This order was created by the State to recognise and thank the participation of the Catholic Church in the national liberation of Timor-Leste.
PR Media.