Figueiredo, Jackson de (1891–1928)

Jackson de Figueiredo (b. 9 October 1891; d. 4 November 1928), Brazilian writer and Catholic layman who founded the Centro Dom Vital, a major center for orthodox Catholic thought.

Born in Aracajú, Sergipe, Figueiredo was an atheist who converted to Catholicism in 1918 and thereafter dedicated his life to church affairs. Influenced by nineteenth-century and contemporary European conservatives, he saw in Catholicism "the most fundamental element of Brazilian heritage," which could serve as a bulwark against the forces of disorder.

In 1922 he founded the Centro Dom Vital in Rio de Janeiro. It became the Catholic hierarchy's vehicle to mobilize opinions among educated Brazilians and advocated liturgical piety, theological thought, personal austerity, and conservatism. Figueiredo used the Centro to spark a powerful Catholic political movement that sought to regenerate the country morally. His political passion and intolerance, however, contrasted with his private gentleness and bohemianism. He died in Barra la Tijuca.

See alsoBrazil: Since 1889; Catholic Church: The Modern Period.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Robert M. Levine, Historical Dictionary of Brazil (1979); Latin American Politics: A Historical Bibliography (1984).

Additional Bibliography

Azzi, Riolando. Os pioneiros do centro dom vital. Rio de Janeiro: Educan, 2003.

Fontes, José Silvério Leite. Razão e fé em Jackson de Figueiredo. Aracaju, Sergipe: Editora UFS, Universidad Federal de Sergipe, 1998.

                                          Ross Wilkinson