Then outgoing Timor-Leste President Francisco Guterres bestows the Ordem da Liberdade medal on Fr João Felgueiras SJ
Portuguese missionary Fr João Baptista Felgueiras SJ was recently honoured by the presidents of Timor-Leste and Portugal for his dedication to the people of Timor.
On 18 May, Fr Felgueiras was awarded the Ordem da Liberdade (Order of Liberty) by then outgoing Timor-Leste President, Francisco Guterres Lu Olo, in recognition of his contribution to nation building. Two days later, he was conferred the Ordem de Camões by the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on the 20th anniversary of Timor-Leste’s restoration of independence. President de Sousa paid tribute to the priest’s role in the diffusion of the Portuguese language and culture in Timor.
Fr João Felgueiras SJ with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa | Photo by Miguel Figueiredo Lopes
The awards came a few weeks shy of Fr Felgueiras’ 101st birthday on 9 June. Born in Guimarães, Portugal in 1921, Fr Felgueiras entered the Society of Jesus in 1942. He was ordained a priest in Burgos, Spain in 1950, and after several years of doing apostolic work in Portugal, he was sent to Timor, arriving in Dili in 1971.
Half a century later, and now 100 years old, Fr Felgueiras’ passion to serve in God’s mission remains as relentless as the day he arrived in his adopted country. He stayed in Timor through the conflict in the 1970s, choosing to spend his life with the Timorese people. “I will continue to contribute to Timor, the land, and the people that, spiritually, will be ‘the light of the East’ for its faith and fidelity,” he said.
Fr Felgueiras is the only remaining Portuguese Jesuit missionary in Timor-Leste. The Timorese and the Jesuits in Timor are blessed to have him, and are grateful to his community, friends, family, and supporters, who have wholeheartedly cared for him all these years.
Being one of the oldest Jesuits, Fr Felgueiras has always believed in the presence of the Lord amidst the people. Whenever he hears news reports of crisis or calamities, he always says: “O Senhor também está no barco (The Lord is also on the boat).” This is an encouragement for us to be brave in faith to face all difficulties. [Timor-Leste Jesuit Region Communications Office]
