– Brought to you by: Fr.Ricardo Teixeira
Having the opportunity to hold the celebrations in English in the Penha de França Church I was asked to write a few words. My name is Ricardo Teixeira; I am a member of the congregation of Priests of the Sacred Heart – Dehonians.
I’m a priest for 10 years, 4 of them in China. Now, coming back to Portugal, I get embarrassed every time people ask me to talk about that time in mission. Because of my missionary experience, I am asked to give testimonies and conferences.
The most embarrassment comes when people call me brave for this experience and I know that the brave and the courageous are the Christians who are in that country and others that are adverse, and maintain their faith.
I admired them when I saw them making long distances to go to church. Where, with effort, they built magnificent churches; for their audacity, they called themselves Christians even though they could lose their jobs, property, and social recognition because of this affirmation. The courage was not mine, the truly brave are those who today, here too, continue to declare themselves as Christians.
Thank you for the opportunity once again to be able to remember the courage of these, our brothers.