José Manuel da Conceição: Brazil's First Native Evangelical Pastor

On December 17, 1865, José Manuel da Conceição became the first Brazilian-born evangelical pastor. His journey began in a devout Catholic family in São Paulo, where he was inspired by a priest uncle. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1845 but soon faced hostility for his unorthodox views, particularly his advocacy for Bible reading and his opposition to the veneration of images. Influenced by Protestant immigrants, he questioned doctrines like celibacy and the necessity of priestly intermediaries for confession.

In 1864, Conceição broke with the Catholic Church and was baptized into the Presbyterian faith, a denomination recently established in Brazil by foreign missionaries. Known as the "mad priest," he became an itinerant preacher, traveling on foot to convert Catholics. His death on Christmas Day 1873 was tragic; he was arrested as a vagrant and died shortly after release. Today, he is remembered as a symbol of religious freedom in Brazil.

José Manuel da Conceição was born in 1822 into a devout Catholic family in São Paulo. His father was a Portuguese immigrant working as a bricklayer, and his mother was the granddaughter of Azorean immigrants. The family moved to Sorocaba when Conceição was just two years old. According to historical accounts, he grew up in an environment of popular Catholicism, which was based on ritualistic practices rather than deep theological formation.

His desire to enter the priesthood was inspired by his uncle, a priest who taught him to read and write. In the 1840s, he returned to São Paulo to study theology. During this period, he became involved in Catholic activities at the Fazenda Ipanema, near Sorocaba, where the Real Fábrica de Ferro São João de Ipanema operated. It was here that he encountered European immigrants of Protestant faith, primarily English and German.

He was particularly impressed by their dedication to faith on Sundays and their avid reading of the Bible. He formed a close friendship with a Danish doctor living in the village, from whom he learned geography, history, and German. Experts believe this contact with Europeans was the catalyst for his gradual shift toward Protestantism.

Despite his growing doubts, Conceição was ordained a Catholic priest in 1845. The Church sent him to Limeira, in the interior of São Paulo, where his behavior quickly drew attention. He appeared unconcerned with the strict rigor of rituals and was a strong proponent of Bible reading—a practice then associated with Protestants. He began questioning specific Catholic doctrines, most notably celibacy.

His stance on religious imagery caused significant controversy. When a parish under his command was set to replace saint statues, Conceição reportedly suggested that the old images be broken and buried. This was viewed as a sign of disrespect by fervent Catholics, leading to accusations that he was an iconoclast—someone opposed to the veneration of images. This position aligned closely with Protestant traditions, which generally abolished such practices.

Due to the social embarrassment he caused the institution, bishops frequently transferred him to avoid scandal. He served in numerous towns, including Piracicaba, Monte Mor, Taubaté, Ubatuba, Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, and Brotas. He was never well-regarded by the Roman Catholic hierarchy.

Conceição maintained contact with Protestant pastors and laypeople, who lent him works of Reformed theology. He gradually realized he had more affinity with a non-Catholic branch of Christianity. By this time, the public had begun calling him the "padre louco" (mad priest) or the "Protestant priest." Reports suggest he debated with himself and spoke alone during sermons, adopting a confrontational posture.

He questioned the Catholic Church extensively and identified with Protestant perspectives on salvation. He adopted the historical Protestant idea that faith alone is sufficient to save sinners, contrasting with the Catholic thesis that good works are necessary. He also argued that sins could be confessed directly to God without a priest as an intermediary. He lacked patience for institutional bureaucracy and protocol.

In September 1864, Conceição resigned from the priesthood. The following month, during a visit to Brotas by the American pastor Alexander Latimer Blackford—a pioneer in establishing the Presbyterian Church in Brazil—Conceição publicly converted and was baptized. The Presbyterian Church was considered the first major Protestant church established in Brazil, having arrived with significant structure and missionaries.

On December 17, 1865, one year after his conversion, Conceição was ordained as an evangelical pastor, becoming the first native Brazilian to hold this title. This was a remarkable achievement, as most evangelical clergy at the time were foreign missionaries. His conversion occurred during the era of the padroado, a regime where the Catholic Church received government salaries, which continued after Independence until the Republic.

Romping with the Catholic Church was difficult. Conceição suffered persecution and physical violence incited by priests. However, he became an itinerant preacher, traveling on foot through the interior of São Paulo, southern Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro. He visited communities where he had previously said Mass, successfully converting many former admirers to the Presbyterian faith. He was known as a "conversionist pastor" and distributed Bibles wherever he went.

By age 51, his health was debilitated by his travels. In late December 1873, he traveled to Rio de Janeiro to rest. Late one night, he sought shelter at a train station in the Campinho neighborhood. A police officer, mistaking him for a beggar due to his poor clothing, arrested him for vagrancy. He was detained for three days until his identity was confirmed. Released without money for a train ticket, he attempted to walk but collapsed near a warehouse. A soldier took him to an infirmary where he died on Christmas Day, 1873. Experts believe he likely died from weakness and the conditions of his imprisonment, perhaps contracting pneumonia.

Today, José Manuel da Conceição is viewed as a symbol of religious freedom. His ordination date, December 17, is celebrated as the Day of the Presbyterian Pastor. His trajectory reveals the birth of religious pluralism in Brazil, carrying the idea of the freedom to change religion and ending the Catholic monopoly on the administration of salvation.

His story is emblematic of an individual's capacity to break with conventional structures through personal choice. He challenged established norms and paved the way for other Catholic priests to follow his path, including Hipólito de Oliveira Cassiano, Manoel Vicente Ferreira, and Anibal Nora. Before Conceição, all Protestant missionaries in Brazil were foreigners. He was the first to preach to Brazilians in their own language and context, making his evangelism uniquely effective.