Padre Cícero

The Reverend Father Cícero Romão Batista ("Padre Cicero")
Padre Cícero in 1924, aged 80
Orders
Ordination	30 November 1870
Personal details
Born	(1844-03-24)March 24, 1844 Vila Real do Crato, Ceará, Empire of Brazil
Died	July 20, 1934(1934-07-20) (aged 90) Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, United States of Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Sainthood
Venerated in	Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church Folk Catholicism
Canonized	1973 by Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church
Attributes	Black cassock and cappello romano, book, walking stick
Patronage	Juazeiro do Norte
Shrines	Capela do Socorro, Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brazil

Father Cícero Romão Batista, known as Padre Cícero (Crato, March 24, 1844 – Juazeiro do Norte, July 20, 1934), was a Brazilian Roman Catholic priest who became a spiritual leader to the people of Northeastern Brazil. In the course of his ministry, he was accused of heresy by Church officials, eventually becoming suspended but not formally excommunicated.

Batista has been declared a saint by the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church. He was listed in the Top 100 Greatest Brazilians of All Time in July 2012. Reconciliation with the Roman Catholic Church happened in December 2015.

Batista was born in the Municipality of Crato, Ceará, in 1844, the son of Joaquim Romão Batista and Joaquina Vicência Romana. When he was six years old, he started to study under Rufino de Alcântara Montezuma. In his youth, he took a vow of chastity, made when he was twelve years old. This was influenced by his reading the life of St. Francis de Sales.

In 1860, Batista went to school in Cajazeiras, but because of the untimely death of his father in 1862, he had to return home to his mother and sisters. The death of his father, who was a small businessman in Crato, brought serious financial difficulties to his family.

Batista was ordained a priest on November 30, 1870. After his ordination he returned to Crato and taught Latin in the Colégio Padre Ibiapina, founded and directed by José Joaquim Teles Marrocos, his cousin and friend.

For Christmas of 1871, invited by his teacher Simeão Correia de Macedo, Batista visited for the first time the small community of Juazeiro (which at the time was part of Crato) and celebrated the traditional Missa do galo (Mass at Dawn).

The visiting priest, who was 28 years old, short, white-skinned, light haired, and who had penetrating blue eyes, impressed the locals. And he was impressed by them. So after a few months, exactly on 11 April 1872, he was back in Juazeiro with his family and suitcases, to stay there as a permanent resident.