Jovens indígenas no Seminário de Manaus: narrativas e religiosidade na formação de padres da Amazônia

Abstract

This dissertation constitutes an investigation into the evangelizing process and the relationship with indigenous peoples, taking as a starting point religious thought inthe Amazon since the colonial period with the arrival of religious Orderes and the expansion of portuguese colonialism; passing through the foundation of the São José Seminary in the 19th century, as a reflection of the processo of Romanization in the Amazon; the itinerary of Young indigenous people in the Saint Joseph seminary of Manaus in the last decades of the 20th century; and the search for new paths for the Church in the Amazon in the first decades of the 21st century , with the synod for the Amazon and the dreams of Pope Francis. Our focus is on the formation of Young indigenous people to become priests of the Church in the Amazon, taking in mind in their, original ethnic identity, their deep – rooted relationship with their place of origin and the challenges of urban society , which is in many ways antagonistic. From a methodological perspective , we opted for a historical bibliografic review on the presence of religious orders in the Amazon of in the process of evangelization of indigenous peoples and the arrival of the first centers of studies of philosophy and theology in the Amazon in the 17th century. We worked hermeneutically with the analysis of oral narratives of life stories, discerning elements that are in contrast to the oficial hegemonic historiography, with the aim of uncovering constitutive elements of indigenous identity in being a Catholic priest, since the indigenous person does not stop being who he is in order to assume the social role of “priest”. In the dialogue with Young indigenous people, there is na effort to assimilate ethnografic notions in order to grasp categories that allow for a better contextual understanding of the concepts worked. From this perspective , the objective is to glimpse the processes of religious formation, analyzing the processes of “conversion”from the perspective of indigenous persons in contact with religious Orders, historical figures and the role of the Saint Joseph seminary in the Amazonian soil of popular religiosity of the multiple religious manifestatios characteristic of the many Amazons that make up the mosaic called the Amazon. The dialogue with Young people in the Seminary, as historical subjects immersed in this historical course, reveals the new face of the Church in the Amazon. From a multidisciplinary perspective , our research is permeated by elements of sociology, anthropology, history and religios sciences, in a intrinsic dialectical and dialogic connection. In the end, the research highlights the path taken by the Church in the Amazon over the last 50 years, the concern for integral ecology, the search for new paths for the Church, the realationship with indigenous people and the problems of the current world. This movement , theologically called “conversion”, points to a paradigm shift in the Church of the 21st century. And the leading role of indigenous priests as parish priests, rectors of shrines and educators in the Catholic Seminary is a sign of new times.