The new Redemptorist priest Father Jefferson Lucas Severino, C.Ss.R. chose as his motto “Nothing will separate us from the love of Christ” (Rom 8:35), at a mass presided over by Monsignor Vicente Ferreira, C.Ss.R. on September 12, 2026.
The Mother Church of San Sebastián, in the city of Santa Cruz de Minas (MG), hosted on the morning of Saturday the 12th the Presbyteral Ordination Mass of the new priest of the Redemptorist Province of Our Lady of Aparecida: Father Jefferson Lucas Severino, C.Ss.R., who chose the motto: “Nothing will separate us from the love of Christ” (Rom 8:35).
The Redemptorist missionary was ordained by the laying on of hands of the Bishop of Livramento de Nossa Senhora (BA), Bishop Vicente de Paula Ferreira, C.Ss.R. The celebration was concelebrated by Father Américo de Oliveira, C.Ss.R., Father Jefferson’s first formator and Provincial Vicar of the Province of Our Lady of Aparecida; Father Cláudio Anselmo, C.Ss.R., superior of the Redemptorist Community of Campinas (SP), where Father Jefferson resides; Father Rogério Antônio Zanolla, parish priest of Saint Sebastian Parish; Bishop Geraldo Magela da Silva, Vicar General of the Diocese of São João del Rei; as well as diocesan priests, Redemptorist priests and confreres, deacons, students, seminarians, consecrated religious men and women, relatives of the ordinand, and the faithful.
The song “Demos Graças Repetindo” by Fr. Ronaldoaldo Pelaquin, C.Ss.R., marked the beginning of Bishop Vicente’s homily, in which he highlighted Father Jefferson’s choice of the Liturgy of the Word. Referring to the Second Reading, the bishop emphasized the selection of a text that has inspired Redemptorist spirituality:
“Saint Paul goes so far as to say: ‘Who shall separate us from this love?’ It is a love so profound that it connects us with the entire universe. It is a universal love, the love of Christ. This bond of communion between God and us, human beings, is sealed and nothing can erase it. You too choose this profoundly Christological text, a text that so inspired Redemptorist spirituality and Saint Alphonsus: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, not to condemn, but to save.’”
The Bishop of Livramento de Nossa Senhora reminded everyone that the Kingdom of God is one of fraternity and asked the new priest for simplicity:
“We have our special charism as bishops, priests, religious brothers, or sisters, but we are united by baptism. We are all equal. Do not allow the vanity that your ministry may bring to take root in your heart and mind. Retain the simplicity of knowing that, just like a bishop or a priest, the woman who opened the church today has the same value as the one who swept this floor. The Kingdom of God has no hierarchies. The Kingdom of God is one of fraternity.”
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer and, in particular, the Province of Our Lady of Aparecida, rejoice in this servant who, from September 12, 2026, assumes the mission of being a good shepherd alongside the most needy, following the example of Saint Alphonsus and so many other Redemptorist missionaries.
The first Eucharist presided over by Fr. Jefferson Lucas Severino was celebrated on Sunday, September 13th at 10:00 a.m., also in the Parish of San Sebastián.
(a12.com/Scala News)
