On August 11th, 2023, the Congregation of the Missionary Servants of the Poor rejoiced over the Priestly Ordination of another son of Blessed James Cusmano. He is Leandro dos Santos Pereira, a 37-year-old young Brazilian who embraced religious life 9 years ago and matured his vocation to the conferring of the second degree of holy orders. A lawyer by profession, with some experience in politics as a town councillor in his city, he is a religious priest forever. The Eucharistic celebration, with the solemn rite of ordination, took place in Igarapé, a small town in the hinterland of Minas Gerais, the second largest state in Brazil: it was presided over by Most Rt. Rev. Francisco Cota de Oliveira, Bishop of Sete Lagoas, who with the laying on of hands and the prayer of consecration, conferred the Sacrament of Holy Order on the Servant of the Poor. Several priests and deacons were present, including Fr. Ronald Dias Ignacio, representative of the Congregation’s General Government.
We take the opportunity for a brief interview with the newly ordained priest:
Father Leandro, how did you mature your choice at the age of 28?
I have always attended the parish, supported by my family of Catholic faith, and from an early age I understood the importance of God in one’s life. Vocation is not discovered overnight; it is a gift we receive in baptism and grows with time. Sometimes I struggled with myself to resist my call, but I could not stifle God’s call. Between 2014 and 2015 I became aware of my deepest and most authentic desire: to become a priest and enter the Congregation founded by Father James Cusmano. During that time, I confronted Fr. Francisco de Assis dos Anjos, then parish priest of Igarapé, and he accompanied the discernment necessary to understand God’s desire for me. Until I discovered it coincided with what I intimately recognized as a natural gift. By the time I was 29, I was in the seminary.
Was it easy to give up a career in law and prospects in politics?
I did not abandon my ideals, rather I purified them. A person who encounters Christ in his life is comfortable wherever he is called to live. Christ does not impose anything, Christ proposes or rather, Christ seduces us with love and truth. The same ideals that made me fall in love with politics, that led me to choose law school to develop special skills in the service of justice, and that motivated me to practice law, are still alive in my heart and in my way of being. The common good, God’s justice and social peace have always been present in Jesus’ preaching, and Fr. James Cusmano also lived this purpose intensely!
Today I am not a party member and I will no longer be a political candidate, but as a religious, it will be my duty to fight for a better society and to propose, in communion with the bishops and the Church, comparisons and paths that improve the quality of life of people. As for Law, I have not neglected that either: currently I study Canon Law in Rome and I will always be obedient and available to help with civil and canon law those in the Church who need it.
How was the period of formation leading to the priesthood?
Formation lasted 8 years: for 2 years I studied Philosophy in Curitiba (Brazil) and for another 3 years I studied Theology at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. In 2018 I began my novitiate period, made my first religious Profession, and in 2022 I confirmed my commitment before God and the Church with my perpetual Profession of vows. On February 5th, 2023, I was ordained a Deacon in Rome.
The Church is very attentive and demanding in formation because it is well aware of the responsibility of ordained ministers. God calls, but it is the Church that elects those whom it deems fit for service. Ordination is not a degree; it is not an honour for the holiest and it is not an honorific title within the Church. Ordination is a mandate granted to ordinary people who exercise the “power of service”: to put oneself at the service of others, this is what the Church teaches in its rich tradition and this is how I will try to live out my ministry.
The vows of chastity, poverty and obedience are very challenging. How do you see this reality in today’s world?
In today’s world, faithfully living one’s vocation and fulfilling the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience requires considerable commitment. To better understand this dynamic of renunciation, we can look at marriage in parallel. Every choice implies renunciation: in order to live out fidelity to its commitment, the married couple experiences a different form of chastity, poverty and obedience.
Similarly, poverty in religious life does not only mean ascetic self-pride, but rather living by sharing material and spiritual goods and using resources for the common good of the religious community. Finally, obedience means listening to the Other and others and making decisions jointly, following the agreed path.
In religious life, vows are not a limitation on individual freedom, but are tools used by the Church to point to the true and most significant sign of Christ: readiness to serve God and neighbour. In an age when making major commitments, such as marriage or religious life, requires courage, persisting and remaining faithful in the commitment of ministerial priesthood requires and witnesses to an act of deep faith, a collaboration with divine grace in the knowledge that we are never alone.
What advice would you give to those thinking of consecrating themselves in religious and priestly life?
I will try to answer rationally: every vocation is embedded in an intimate spirituality, recognized in the heart as a divine voice working in silent hiddenness. Only God enters this very personal place of progressive discovery and maturation. The question each person must ask about his or her vocation is this: am I willing to embark on this journey and confirm my yes, every day? I have been trying to say my yes daily until today and I ask God for the grace to be able to do so until the end of my earthly life. This is what I say to myself and repeat to those who recognize the call to consecrated life: say yes, today!
Often people stall in accepting their vocation with faith and confidence or stifle it in fear of not persevering. Well, none of us can be if we are not open to grace: the will alone is not enough. It is essential, therefore, to trust God and what He wishes to work in us.
Leave us a message…
First, I would like to express a deep feeling of gratitude to God for the gift of life and even more so for the privilege of being called to the priesthood. I want to sincerely thank my parents and family for their constant support and caring presence in my journey, as well as my friends for their love and support in this vocational journey.
Special thanks also go to our Superior General, Father Salvatore Russo, and the entire Congregation of the Missionary Servants of the Poor, along with the formators who welcomed me and believed in me.
We are all called to love God, not because He needs our love, but because love is His essence, and we, created in His image and likeness, when we correspond to His love, recover our deepest identity. To love our neighbour is to put ourselves at his service, especially those most in need, just as the blessed founder, James Cusmano, did. Therefore, I have chosen to live my ordination by referring essentially to the passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians: “Put yourselves at the service of one another through charity” (Gal 5:13). This is my greatest goal and purpose in priestly life.
I thank all those I have met on my journey and invite them to live with love, to serve others with charity, to respond generously to God’s call in their lives. May His love guide our every step to be instruments of hope and goodwill for the world. Thank you and may God’s grace be with you always.
