Schism in the Presbyterian Church of Brazil

Because of my grandfather’s role as Sunday School Superintendent in the Presbyterian Church and his interest in founding the YMCA in São Paulo, he became involved in a controversy that became important in the schism that later occurred in the church. My grandmother was also very concerned about this disagreement, because she was emotionally close to the four main parties in conflict; the director at the American School where she taught, her friend and fellow teacher, her cousin who was pastor of the church, and her husband-to-be. In the summer of 1892 when the problem became a crisis, she was spending her vacation at her sister’s home, and corresponding with my grandfather, who was in São Paulo.

She writes to her grandchildren about the issue:

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“One day the mail brought me three letters about a strong disagreement or incompatibility between the Director of the American School, Dr. Lane, and one of the professors, Remigio de Cerqueira Leite. Even before I left, trouble was brewing in the Big City [São Paulo] between the North American missionaries in the American School and the Brazilians from the Presbyterian Church of which my cousin Eduardo was pastor. Your grandfather, the Sunday School Superintendent, and I, a Sunday School teacher, as well as a teacher in the American School, had become involved in this misunderstanding.

Prof. Leite, who had been teaching at the school for many years (he had been my teacher and that of my sisters before me) and was also an elder of the Church, was planning to leave the School because of incompatibility between him and Dr. Lane, who was not as strict in his religion. He was going to be a professor at the Government Normal School, getting ten or twelve times more than he got at the American School, and he certainly needed and deserved this money. I am sure the Professor was intending to advise the Director about his leaving the School before the end of the vacation, but it seemed to me that the Professor ought to have advised the Director when he began looking for another place. When Dr. Lane heard of it, he sent Prof. Leite his dismissal before he could resign.

This caused a great commotion and many felt it was an insult to the Professor. The trouble ceased to be personal; it became a conflict between the Americans of the school and the Brazilians of the church; it was seen as an offense to the Brazilian church and later became very important in the history of the Brazilian Presbyterian Church.

The letters were from Dr. Lane, Senhor Remigio, and the Moço Louro. [This is the way she refers to her husband-to-be in her writings to her grandchildren. It means blond young man.] You know which letter I opened first. The Moço Louro told me all that could be told quickly, and all his sympathy was with the professor and the church, not because he was Sunday School Superintendent, but because it seemed to him that they were right. Also, he was more in contact with the Brazilian church because he came to work for Brazilian young men. My Moço Louro was wondering what my position was going to be, and rather thought I would take the Brazilian side too. He thought that Dr. Lane was very wrong in dismissing the professor who for so many years had given much of his time to the Missionary School, receiving very little for his work. I saw between the lines that the Moço Louro thought I ought not to go back to the School— maybe he had a reason!

The second letter I read was from Senhor Remigio, the dismissed professor, containing the church paper with the letter dismissing him and the comments of those who sympathized with him, all marked for me to read.

The third was from Dr. Lane. He knew that I would hear about the trouble and he wanted to explain his position. He told about this disagreement with the professor and with other Brazilian dirigentes (leaders) in the Presbyterian Church, my cousin Eduardo being one of them. He added that Dona Adelaide who had been in charge of the first grade since the beginning of the Missionary School, as she was one of the early converts, had sent her resignation because of the dismissal of the professor. Her resignation was going to be a surprise and would cause much comment among the Brazilians. And then Dr. Lane added: ‘I am looking for you, minha filha, [my daughter, here a term of affection] to come back and take your place here where you are much needed. I know you will not fail me!’ Pardon me, my dear Dr. Lane, I think considering all the professor had done for that school, you ought to have let him have the privilege of resigning.

Now, my grandchildren, those two dear friends of mine are resting in their graves and I cherish the memory of their friendship to me just as much of one as of the other. Dr. Lane was like a father to me, and Senhor Remigio, besides having been my teacher and dear friend, at this time was almost engaged to my sister Cacilda, his pupil. I don’t blame one more than the other, in fact, I don’t want to judge any of them, but I am telling you this for you to see my predicament. But after I read the letters, I knew what I was going to do, and that was to do nothing differently. I would go back and take my place in the school, and go to the same church where I was used to going.

In my letter to my Moço Louro I said that Dr. Lane and the American School meant more to me than I could explain to him—in fact I thought I would be very ungrateful if I left it for such a motive—and the disagreement between the two men or between Americans and Brazilians would not change my mind. I mentioned in my letter some of the reasons I had to be faithful to the School, and my Director. You can imagine how anxious I was until his answer came; and believe me, in his answer he said I was right and he wouldn’t talk about the case anymore. It was just the beginning of many times when I had to reconcile in my own life the conflicts between Brazilian and American beliefs about behavior.

In the same mail there was a little package containing a small copy of the New Testament with the Psalms. On the front page was: “To Dona Chiquita from her friend M.A.C. Christmas 1892.” Well the mail never came all the time I was in Caracol — about two months — without a letter with the printed envelope address, and sometimes more than one. We agreed to begin to read the New Testament the first of the year 1893. In this way we would be in communion with each other through the Word of God while separated; and he asked me to help him choose a psalm to take the place of the one the Sunday School recited by heart just before being dismissed, and I suggested Psalm 121 — “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills” — one of my favorites.

It did not take long for the church to be divided into two very strong groups; those against the Masonic Order left the Synod, and constituted an Egreja Independente Presbyteriana, (Independent Presbyterian Church) while the one connected with the Board was then called Egreja Presbyteriana Synodal. There were lots of reasons why this split took place; like nationalism, personalities, etc. but the poor Masonic Order took all the blame.[i]

Although I do not agree with the motive of this separation, I think it worked out fine because the native church discovered that they could support themselves. Thirty years have passed and they are carrying on the work. The evangelical forces are contributing greatly to education in Brazil. The Escola Americana, founded in the days of the Empire in São Paulo has been recognized by national Brazilian educators as the cradle of the new system of education. Mackenzie College, which now has a fine engineering course, was connected with that.