Abstract
The beatification and canonization processes, received by the bodies of the Catholic Church, follow a long procedure, with canonical resolutions that seek to recognize the extraordinary life of the candidate, investigate their reputation for holiness and the possible miracles attributed to them. However, unlike institutional guidelines, in different spaces and temporalities, believers also attributed sacredness to individuals for supposed graces / miracles achieved or an identity with elements that involve narratives of personal sacrifices. From the proposals of the Cultural History of Religions, we analyze the creation of a reputation for holiness to three characters in Recife, wh were venerated by members of multiple social strata during the 20th century. From the narratives presented in newspapers, we understand how part of the population gave meaning to worships that were far from a recognition of the Roman ecclesiastical hierarchy. In this sense, we analyze the construction of devotions without the intervention of the Church in a moment of readaptation of the relations between the political and the religious field or from a social identity construction started by common citizens.
Keywords:
reputation for Holiness; devotions; 20th century; Recife
Thumbnail
