Oratory at the service of mission

the speech “The Love of a God”, by José Joaquim de Sena Freitas

Authors

  • Rui Tavares de Faria Universidade dos Açores/CECH - Universidade de Coimbra

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23925/2236-9937.2025.72683

Keywords:

Sena Freitas, Sermon, Apostolate, Mission, Oratory

Abstract

Little known and explored in the field of literary studies, the work of Father José Joaquim de Sena Freitas (born in Ponta Delgada, Azores, in 1840 and died in Rio de Janeiro in 1913) is of particular importance for the understanding of the so-called literature of apostolate, which includes various discursive genres, such as sermons or edifying novels. In this article, we seek to present not only the man and missionary that Father Sena Freitas was, but also the speaker who constructs and conceives his speeches in the service of his missionary spirit. To achieve this, in addition to the biographical presentation and the religious journey of Father Sena Freitas, we propose an analysis of the speech ‘The Love of a God,’ delivered on the island of São Miguel in 1897, as an example of a sermon that is suitable for evangelizing the audience and reveals the singularities of an eloquence expressed in an admirable, moderate, and sober style.

Author Biography

Rui Tavares de Faria, Universidade dos Açores/CECH - Universidade de Coimbra

Professor Auxiliar Convidado do Departamento de Línguas, Literaturas e Culturas da Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade dos Açores, Ponta Delgada, Portugal; Investigador Integrado do Centro de Estudos Clássicos e Humanísticos da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal. Contato: rui.mv.faria@uac.pt

References

ANGLIN, João H. Antelóquio. In SENA FREITAS, Pe. José Joaquim. Antologia. Ponta Delgada: Instituto Cultural, 1968, p. I-XIII.

CARRILHO, Fernanda. Sermão de Santo António aos Peixes de Padre António Vieira. Análise da Obra. Lisboa: Texto Editora, 2001.

CLEMENTE, Manuel. Vitalidade Religiosa do Catolicismo Português: do Liberalismo à República. In: AVEZEDO, Carlos Moreira (dir. de), História Religiosa de Portugal, Vol. 3. Lisboa: Círculo de Leitores, 2002, p. 87-99.

GASPAR SIMÕES, João. Sena Freitas. In: GASPAR SIMÕES, João (dir. de), Perspectiva da Literatura Portuguesa do Século XIX, Vol. 1. Lisboa: Edições Ática, 1947.

LUZ, Denis. Padre Sena Freitas homem da Igreja e do seu tempo. Lumen 4 (7), p. 425-436, 1940.

LUZ, Denis. Fisionomia intelectual e moral de Sena Freitas. Lumen 5 (7), p. 551-563, 1941.

PRADO COELHO, Jacinto do. Padre José Joaquim de Sena Freitas. In PRADO COELHO, Jacinto (Coord.). Dicionário de Literatura. Porto: Figueirinhas, 1997, p. 353-354)

SENA FREITAS, Pe. José Joaquim. Antologia. Ponta Delgada: Instituto Cultural, 1968.

Downloads

Published

2025-12-12

How to Cite

Tavares de Faria, R. (2025). Oratory at the service of mission: the speech “The Love of a God”, by José Joaquim de Sena Freitas. TEOLITERARIA - Revista De Literaturas E Teologias, 16(34), 42–60. https://doi.org/10.23925/2236-9937.2025.72683

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 34 (2025): Entre a angústia e o júbilo a vida como elemento sugestivo para a religião e a arte

Section

Artigos

License

Copyright (c) 2025 TEOLITERARIA - Revista de Literaturas e Teologias

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

TeoLiteraria – Journal of Literatures and Theologies owns the copyright of all published material. The whole reproduction of the articles of this Journal in other publications or for any other purpose, by any means, requires a written permission of the editor of this journal. Partial reproductions of articles (abstracts, more than 500 words text, tables, figures and other illustrations) must have a permission written by the publisher and the authors.