Sante Uberto Barbieri
Encyclopedia
Sante Uberto Barbieri was a Bishop
of The Methodist Church, elected in 1949. A native of Italy
, he was elected Bishop by the Latin American Central Conference of the Church. He was assigned the work of the Church in Argentina
, Bolivia
and Uruguay
.
Barbieri held Bachelor's, Master's and Divinity
degrees from Southern Methodist University
. He also held a Master's degree
from Emory University
. Prior to his election to the Episcopacy, Rev. Barbieri served in Brazil
and Argentina. In 1954 Bishop Barbieri also was one of six Presidents elected to seven-year terms in the World Council of Churches
.
Bishop Sante Uberto Barbieri was born in Dueville, Province of Vicenza, North of Italy in 1902. His parents were Sante Barbieri and María Luisa Zanzotto. In his childhood he lived in Switzerland and in Germany; when he was 9 years old, his parents moved to Brazil. There he attended elementary and high school. His passion for freedom guided him to get in touch with the Methodists. When he was 20 years old, he joined the Methodist Church as one of its members, in Passo Fundo, RGS.
In 1923 at the tie of the Meeting of the Annual Conference of the Methodist Church, he was accepted as pastgor of the Annual Conference of the Southern Methodist Church in Brazil.
In 1924 he married Odette de Oliveira, from Minas Gerais; they became the parents of four children: 1 daughter and 3 sons.
The same year he married Ms de Oliveira, he started studies at the Theological Methodist Seminary in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
In 1929 , in company of his wife and his two elder children, he travelled to the USA for postgraduate studies at the Sc. Methodist University of Dallas, TX and at Emory University , Atlanta, GA, obtaining B.A., MA. and B.D. degrees.
In addition to the academic degrees he obtained at the mentioned Universities, he was awarded with the Distinguished Alumni Award and the LLD Honorary degrees from the Southern Methodist University as well as Doctor of Human Letters Honorary degree by Emory University.
He returned to Brazil in 1933 where he was appointed pastor of the Central Methodist Church in Porto Alegre as well as Professor and Dean of the Theological Methodist Seminary of Southern Brazil in the same city, and afterwards, when the Seminary was transferred to Passo Fundo.
In 1939 he was transferred to the River Plate region (Argentina and Uruguay) to teach at the Theological Seminary in Buenos Aires City. In 1942 he was appointed pastor of the Central Methodist Church of Buenos Aires; in 1948 he was elected as Dean of the Methodist Seminary of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He was elected Bishop of the Methodist Church by the Latin American Central Conference, celebrated in Buenos Aires, in 1949.
As his Bishop, he had to supervise the religious Methodist undertaking in 3 Latin American countries: Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay; so he frequently travelled from one church to another all over that vast region of Latin America.
He was re-elected Bishop for four consecutive 4-year periods. He was invited by the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church to continue to excercising the Episcopal activity for another year. After that, he was appointed the Bishop of the Methodist Church in Peru.
Since 1969 to 1973 he presided the organization of the Methodist Churches in Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru and Uruguay to become autonomous Methodist Churches.
Due to his Episcopal work in Bolivia for so many years, the Bolivian Government awarded him with “The Order of the Eagle of Los Andes” at Cochabamba City in 1969.
Bishop Barbieri was vicePresident of the World Chuches of Christian Education and Sunday School from NY until its fussion with the World Council of Churches. He was also President of the First Assembly of the Protestant Churches of Latin America (1949).
He served as Chaplain to the Meetings of the enlarged Committee of the International Missionary Council at Willingen, Germany, in 1952. He also attended a lot of ecumenical and missionary Assemblies as Delegate as well as delivering lectures at Colleges and Universities, mainly in the U.S.A.
In 1950 he delivered lectures at the Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX at Randolph Macon College, Ashland, VA and at the Union Theological Seminary in Cuba.
At the Assembly of the World Council of Churches which met in Evanston, Illinois in 1954, he was elected one of the six Presidents of the World Council of Churches. Bishop Barbieri was the first latin American man elected to fulfil this great responsibility. It was a job he held till the Third Assembly met in India in 1961. At this Assembly, he was elected as a member of the Executive Committee and of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches until 1968.
In connection with this work, he travelled a lot all aver the five continents, preaching and lecturing. He was one of the pioneers from Latin America to open the road for many others latin Americans to participate actively in the mission of the World Council of Churches. The Central Office of the World Council of Churches has his headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1969 Bishop Barbieri presided the First Sessions of Delegates from the Methodist Churches in Latin America to constitute the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches in Latin America (Consejo de Iglesias Evangélicas Metodistas de América Latina). At this time, he was elected its First Executive Secretary, post he served in until 1978.
Since 1938, Bishop Barbieri was a member of the Academy of Letters of Rio Grande, Brazil.
Up to 1983, he wrote about 45 volums of Christian commentaries, poetry, drama and religious stories in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and English. Among his literary works in Englis, it can be mentioned: “Spiritual currents in Latin America” and “Land of El Dorado”.
A group of brazilian friends interested in Bishop Barbieri’s literary works, created in 1978 the “Sante Uberto Barbieri Editorial Fund” with the intention of publishing his books. The first one published was “Coloquios Intimos” which was inspired by the Gospel of Mark; it contains 365 devotional poems. It as published in Portuguese and in Spanish.
On April 1982 he was awarded “The 1982 Upper Room Citation” at a ceremony which took place at the Central Methodist Church of Porto Alegre, Brazil. At that occasion, the “Antology of Poems and Prose” was lunched in English. The publication is available in Spanish, too.
He retired as an active Bishop in 1970, but his spiritual activity never ended. Afterwards he dedicated himself to lecturing, preaching and writing. In 1987 he received an award for his participation in a poetical contest in his own country. He presented a handful of poems under the title of “Pinceladas Poéticas”
His first wife, Odette de Oliveira died on July 24th, 1983. On August 3rd, 1984 Bishop Barbieri remarried to Delina Diaz, former Deaconess of the Methodist Church in Argentina and his devoted secretary for more than 50 years, who accompanied him till February 13th, 1991 when he was called to the Eternal Life by God, his Master and Savior.
Bishop Barbieri fixed his residence at Ciudad Jardín El Palomar in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, since 1953.
His three sons are: Stelvio (Buenos Aires), Livio (Los Angeles, CA) and Flavio (La Paz, Bolivia). His only daughter, Laura, died July 2nd, 1989.
At the time he died, Dr Barbieri had 14 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of The Methodist Church, elected in 1949. A native of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, he was elected Bishop by the Latin American Central Conference of the Church. He was assigned the work of the Church in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
.
Barbieri held Bachelor's, Master's and Divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
degrees from Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
. He also held a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
. Prior to his election to the Episcopacy, Rev. Barbieri served in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Argentina. In 1954 Bishop Barbieri also was one of six Presidents elected to seven-year terms in the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
.
Bishop Sante Uberto Barbieri was born in Dueville, Province of Vicenza, North of Italy in 1902. His parents were Sante Barbieri and María Luisa Zanzotto. In his childhood he lived in Switzerland and in Germany; when he was 9 years old, his parents moved to Brazil. There he attended elementary and high school. His passion for freedom guided him to get in touch with the Methodists. When he was 20 years old, he joined the Methodist Church as one of its members, in Passo Fundo, RGS.
In 1923 at the tie of the Meeting of the Annual Conference of the Methodist Church, he was accepted as pastgor of the Annual Conference of the Southern Methodist Church in Brazil.
In 1924 he married Odette de Oliveira, from Minas Gerais; they became the parents of four children: 1 daughter and 3 sons.
The same year he married Ms de Oliveira, he started studies at the Theological Methodist Seminary in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
In 1929 , in company of his wife and his two elder children, he travelled to the USA for postgraduate studies at the Sc. Methodist University of Dallas, TX and at Emory University , Atlanta, GA, obtaining B.A., MA. and B.D. degrees.
In addition to the academic degrees he obtained at the mentioned Universities, he was awarded with the Distinguished Alumni Award and the LLD Honorary degrees from the Southern Methodist University as well as Doctor of Human Letters Honorary degree by Emory University.
He returned to Brazil in 1933 where he was appointed pastor of the Central Methodist Church in Porto Alegre as well as Professor and Dean of the Theological Methodist Seminary of Southern Brazil in the same city, and afterwards, when the Seminary was transferred to Passo Fundo.
In 1939 he was transferred to the River Plate region (Argentina and Uruguay) to teach at the Theological Seminary in Buenos Aires City. In 1942 he was appointed pastor of the Central Methodist Church of Buenos Aires; in 1948 he was elected as Dean of the Methodist Seminary of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He was elected Bishop of the Methodist Church by the Latin American Central Conference, celebrated in Buenos Aires, in 1949.
As his Bishop, he had to supervise the religious Methodist undertaking in 3 Latin American countries: Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay; so he frequently travelled from one church to another all over that vast region of Latin America.
He was re-elected Bishop for four consecutive 4-year periods. He was invited by the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church to continue to excercising the Episcopal activity for another year. After that, he was appointed the Bishop of the Methodist Church in Peru.
Since 1969 to 1973 he presided the organization of the Methodist Churches in Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru and Uruguay to become autonomous Methodist Churches.
Due to his Episcopal work in Bolivia for so many years, the Bolivian Government awarded him with “The Order of the Eagle of Los Andes” at Cochabamba City in 1969.
Bishop Barbieri was vicePresident of the World Chuches of Christian Education and Sunday School from NY until its fussion with the World Council of Churches. He was also President of the First Assembly of the Protestant Churches of Latin America (1949).
He served as Chaplain to the Meetings of the enlarged Committee of the International Missionary Council at Willingen, Germany, in 1952. He also attended a lot of ecumenical and missionary Assemblies as Delegate as well as delivering lectures at Colleges and Universities, mainly in the U.S.A.
In 1950 he delivered lectures at the Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX at Randolph Macon College, Ashland, VA and at the Union Theological Seminary in Cuba.
At the Assembly of the World Council of Churches which met in Evanston, Illinois in 1954, he was elected one of the six Presidents of the World Council of Churches. Bishop Barbieri was the first latin American man elected to fulfil this great responsibility. It was a job he held till the Third Assembly met in India in 1961. At this Assembly, he was elected as a member of the Executive Committee and of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches until 1968.
In connection with this work, he travelled a lot all aver the five continents, preaching and lecturing. He was one of the pioneers from Latin America to open the road for many others latin Americans to participate actively in the mission of the World Council of Churches. The Central Office of the World Council of Churches has his headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1969 Bishop Barbieri presided the First Sessions of Delegates from the Methodist Churches in Latin America to constitute the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches in Latin America (Consejo de Iglesias Evangélicas Metodistas de América Latina). At this time, he was elected its First Executive Secretary, post he served in until 1978.
Since 1938, Bishop Barbieri was a member of the Academy of Letters of Rio Grande, Brazil.
Up to 1983, he wrote about 45 volums of Christian commentaries, poetry, drama and religious stories in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and English. Among his literary works in Englis, it can be mentioned: “Spiritual currents in Latin America” and “Land of El Dorado”.
A group of brazilian friends interested in Bishop Barbieri’s literary works, created in 1978 the “Sante Uberto Barbieri Editorial Fund” with the intention of publishing his books. The first one published was “Coloquios Intimos” which was inspired by the Gospel of Mark; it contains 365 devotional poems. It as published in Portuguese and in Spanish.
On April 1982 he was awarded “The 1982 Upper Room Citation” at a ceremony which took place at the Central Methodist Church of Porto Alegre, Brazil. At that occasion, the “Antology of Poems and Prose” was lunched in English. The publication is available in Spanish, too.
He retired as an active Bishop in 1970, but his spiritual activity never ended. Afterwards he dedicated himself to lecturing, preaching and writing. In 1987 he received an award for his participation in a poetical contest in his own country. He presented a handful of poems under the title of “Pinceladas Poéticas”
His first wife, Odette de Oliveira died on July 24th, 1983. On August 3rd, 1984 Bishop Barbieri remarried to Delina Diaz, former Deaconess of the Methodist Church in Argentina and his devoted secretary for more than 50 years, who accompanied him till February 13th, 1991 when he was called to the Eternal Life by God, his Master and Savior.
Bishop Barbieri fixed his residence at Ciudad Jardín El Palomar in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, since 1953.
His three sons are: Stelvio (Buenos Aires), Livio (Los Angeles, CA) and Flavio (La Paz, Bolivia). His only daughter, Laura, died July 2nd, 1989.
At the time he died, Dr Barbieri had 14 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.