SCJ MARTYRS pt. 5
Option for the Poor - The Fishermen's Friend
Father Paul Punt, SCJ
(1913-1975)
In December 2000, SCJs in Brazil received the following invitation:
The Mayor of Tamandaré (Pernambuco, Brazil), Paul Guimarães dos Santos, has the honor of inviting you to concelebrate Mass on December 15, 2000 at 6:00 PM in the Colonia dos Pescatori [Fishermen's quarter] on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the death of Fr. Paulo Punt. After Mass in the plaza there will be the dedication of a monument in his honor.
Who was this confrere who is still fresh in the minds of the inhabitants of Tamandaré? Frs. Luis Carlos M. Sousa, SCJ, and Peter Neefs, SCJ, of the North Brazilian SCJ Province testify that he was an example to his fellow SCJs of one who stood in solidarity with the weak and poor in society.
Father Paul was born in Holland in 1913 and left his native land in 1936 to strengthen the SCJ presence in Northeast Brazil. After his ordination in 1941, he worked in parish ministry. In 1968 he came to Tamandaré and, in addition to his parochial work, took up the fishing trade. He was sensitive to the difficult situation faced by the fishermen and the poor among whom he lived.
Father Paul helped the people organize themselves into a cooperative. He became its president. Being a coastal city, Tamandaré was an entry point for smuggled liquor and household electrical products. When Father Paul became aware of this, he saw the dangers this posed for his parishioners. On various occasions, he denounced the smugglers. Because of this he made many enemies and was frequently harassed by them.
In an effort to get him out of the city, he was accused of being a communist, which during the time of the military dictatorship in the country was a very serious accusation. But the national authorities recognized that these accusations were groundless.
At various times Fr. Peter Neefs, SCJ, provincial superior, fearing for Father Paul's life, tried to persuade him to leave Tamandaré. Though he knew the mortal risk to his life that he was taking, he was convinced that Tamandaré was the place where he should be.
Father Paul was also preoccupied with improving the level of education for the people of Tamandaré. He helped to rebuild the local public school and served as its director for many years.
With his many activities Fr. Paul did not see the dangerous web being weaved around him.
December 15, 1975 was a festive day. It was graduation day at the local high school. At the end of the day after the conclusion of the ceremonies the assassin headed toward Fr. Paul and mortally wounded him with three deadly shots. While the local police authorities called it a crime of passion, the people knew that the assassin was used to silence the voice of Fr. Paulo.
Adalberto Lopes a judge from Rio Formoso forwarded the proceeding to the higher court in Recife because he saw the sinister forces that wanted Fr. Paul murdered. He saw that it involved local political leaders as well as some federal officials as well.
It is important to realize that those murderous bullets did not succeed in destroying Fr. Paul in the minds and hearts of the people of Tamandaré. That was demonstrated on December 15, 2001 some 25 years after his death when people gathered to celebrate his life among them. In a mark of gratitude the city has erected a bust of Fr. Paul in the public square. Furthermore at the Mass marking this occasion celebrated under the netting of the fishermen's cooperative who held him in such esteem, a member of the local Protestant clergy, at the conclusion of the liturgy, said that in order to know the community and the history of the city one had to know the life of Fr. Paul because of the high regard in which he was held.
