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Mateus Moreira | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Martyr | |
| Died | 3 October 1645 Cunhaú, presentCanguaretama,Portuguese Empire |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | March 5, 2000 byPope John Paul II |
| Canonized | October 15, 2017 byPope Francis |
| Feast | 3 October |
| Patronage | Rio Grande do Norte[1] Eucharistic Ministers[2] |
Mateus Moreira (d. 3 October 1645) was a Portuguesemartyr, fromColonial Brazil, of theCatholic Church.[3] He wasbeatified on March 5, 2000 andcanonized on October 15, 2017, along with the otherMartyrs of Natal.[4]
Mateus Moreira was apeasant andlaysacristan who was atMass on October 3, 1645 whenDutch government troops under the command of Jacob Rabbi executed all the faithful who were at Sunday Mass, presided over byAmbrósio Francisco Ferro who was also martyred. Mateus Moreira had his heart torn out from his back as he exclaimed, "Praise theBlessed Sacrament."[5][6][7]
The celebration was held inSt. Peter's Square in theVatican in the presence of thebishop of Natal, Mossoró and Caicó, and about a thousand Brazilians.
At the 43rd General Assembly of theCNBB in Itaici/São Paulo in 2005, Mateus Moreira was stated as "Patron of the Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharistic Communion". In December 2005, the CNBB reported that theHoly See'sCongregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments had approved the Moreira as the patron of ministers.[8]
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