Lay Men and the Administration of the Sacred: Brother Lourenço de Nossa Senhora and the Brotherhood Nossa Senhora Mãe dos Homens / Minas Gerais / Eighteenth century

Abstract

The Portuguese Lourenço de Nossa Senhora, in the second half of the eighteenth century, chose the top of Serra do Caraça, in Minas Gerais, Brazil, to isolate himself from men and to erect a hermitage. There he built a shrine and a house in a monastic style, and, later, founded a brotherhood with his fellow men who had accompanied him. With the necessary licenses obtained to form a religious association, he legalized the institution and administered all sacred assets. The purpose of this Communication is to reflect upon the spiritual guidance provided by Lourenço, which led him to pursue a contemplative life. Moreover, he found in the formation of the Brotherhood Nossa Senhora Mãe dos Homens (literally, Our Lady Mother of Men) a nuclear strategy to ensure the survival of the organization and to be able to answer to Portugal and the Church’s controlling imposition that prohibited the administration of the sacred by lay man.