Who was Chico Xavier
Francisco Cândido Xavier — the unforgettable Chico Xavier — was born on April 2, 1910, in Pedro Leopoldo, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and passed away on June 30, 2002, in Uberaba, in the same state. He was the most beloved and respected medium in Brazil, and one of the greatest exponents of Spiritism in the world.
A life of humility and work
Orphaned of his mother at five years old, Chico grew up in a simple home and began working very early to help his family. He was a factory worker, a clerk and a civil servant. He never sought wealth or fame: he lived simply until the end, donating all the money he received from his books to social assistance works.
His mediumship, manifested since childhood, was treated by him with seriousness, discipline and prayer. He used to say that mediumship is a natural faculty, which must be used for good, with humility and without sensationalism.
The psychographed work
Chico Xavier psychographed — wrote under spiritual authorship, in the Spiritist understanding — more than 450 books, which sold tens of millions of copies, with all proceeds destined to charity. Among the best known are:
- Parnaso de Além-Túmulo (1932), his first work, with poems attributed to great poets of the Portuguese language;
- Nosso Lar (1944), in English Astral City, attributed to the spirit André Luiz — the book that gave origin to the film of the same name;
- Historical novels attributed to Emmanuel, such as Two Thousand Years Ago and Fifty Years Later;
- Countless works of consolation and enlightenment that continue to be reprinted today.
An example of love of neighbor
Chico Xavier is remembered not only for the literary work, but for the life he lived: patient before criticism, generous with adversaries, and tireless in service to others. In 1981, his name was put forward for the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.
He passed away in 2002 on the very day Brazil won its fifth World Cup in soccer — and, with his characteristic delicacy and good humor, he had asked that his departure not steal the people’s celebration.
For readers in the United States, Chico Xavier is a doorway into Spiritism: his simple life and his profound work touch people of all origins and beliefs.